"We take the fear out of research and
health science communication."
Chris Atack, Atack Associates

Physical activity: how run for your life -- and enjoy it!

(a major, 45-minute presentation for a general audience with a specific interest in becoming physically active)

SLIDE: Intro

Hello everyone and welcome! Thank you all for coming out to hear the CLIENT's presentation on physical activity. I can promise you'll find it time well spent. By the end of it you'll have learned how important it is to make physical activity a part of your life. Better yet, you'll know just how to go about doing it.

SLIDE: Topics covered

Our focus today is physical activity. Most of us already know that physical activity is good for us. What many of us don't realize is HOW good it is. I'm here today to fill in the blanks. The CLIENT has statistics about physical activity that may amaze you. I hope they'll inspire you as well, and persuade you to take action.

Most of us have good intentions when it comes to physical activity. We realize we need to be active to be healthy and we tell ourselves that we WILL become active. Tomorrow maybe, or next week, or when the weather gets better again. But all too often, those good resolutions just slip away. Before we know it, we've spent another season without getting more physically active.

If you've made good resolutions, then not acted on them, you've got lots of company. You've also got lots of reasons for optimism. There are tried and true ways to turn those resolutions into action. We're going to learn about strategies to get active and stay active.

But before we talk about how to become physically active, let's talk a little more about why we should.

SLIDE: What is heart disease and stroke?

Our risk of having heart disease or stroke increases if we're 'couch potatoes.' Just sitting around is very bad for our heart health.

Let's begin by defining heart disease and stroke. A healthy heart needs oxygen to efficiently use energy. The oxygen comes from the blood delivered by the left and right coronary arteries.

However, if these arteries are partially blocked by plaque (deposits of fatty material), the result is a common form of cardiovascular disease called atherosclerosis (or hardening of the arteries) where the delivery of oxygen to the heart may be insufficient.

As the plaque continues to build up, it decreases the blood flow to the heart. As the blockages get worse, they can cause:

  • Fatigue
  • Shortness of breath and
  • Chest pain.

If a blood vessel becomes completely blocked, part of the heart is starved and begins to die, causing an event known as a heart attack.

Similarly, if a blood vessel supplying part of the brain is blocked, the result is an event called a stroke.

Sounds bad, doesn't it? Absolutely right. Heart disease and stroke is the leading cause of death of Canadians. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to improve our chances against these killers. One is to get active.

SLIDE: Risk factors

Physical inactivity is a known risk factor for heart disease and stroke. That is, a sedentary lifestyle increases our chances of developing heart disease and stroke. Of course, it's not the only risk factor for heart disease and stroke. There are many, many others. Some risk factors are associated with lifestyle choices, while others have nothing to do with lifestyle.

Non-controllable risk factors include a family medical history of heart disease or stroke, age, gender, ethnic descent and diabetes. Age is a risk factor. The older you are, the higher your risk. Diabetes is also a major risk factor. It increases your chances of heart disease by two to four times. Your ethnic descent can also affect your risk, with African, South Asian and First Nations populations having a higher risk.

Then there are the controllable risk factors: smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, poor diet, obesity and stress. And, of course, physical inactivity. These are the things that we can do something about, either through lifestyle changes or with medication. And the more non-controllable risk factors we have, the more important is it to do everything in our power to cut risk by making whatever positive choices we can.

One of the most important controllable risk factors for heart disease and stroke is physical activity.

Wow! Can just sitting around really be that dangerous?

SLIDE: Physical inactivity is dangerous

Yes it can!

Inactive people are at far higher risk than active people for heart disease and strokes. Far, far higher. In fact, physical inactivity is as dangerous to our health as smoking. Let me explain that a bit. Physical inactivity just about doubles our risk of heart disease. So does smoking. The bottom line is this: lying around and lighting up are both very dangerous things to do.

This doesn't mean you can bring your heart disease risk back to normal if you're a smoker just by taking up a physical activity program. Nor does it mean that inactivity is safe if you don't smoke. Smoking is very dangerous, all by itself. So is physical inactivity. So, getting active AND stopping smoking are really important to reducing your risk.

Exact figures are hard to come by, but we estimate that about 25 per cent of all deaths in Canada are linked to a sedentary lifestyle.

SLIDE: Physical activity reduces risk factors

Physical activity may be so very good for us because it helps reduce other risk factors. Studies show that the more people exercise, the less they smoke — which makes a lot of sense when you think about it. Who wants to light up after a brisk walk or a game of tag with the kids?

Moderate exercise has been linked to increases in HDL cholesterol, the 'good cholesterol,' as well as to lower heart rate and reduced weight.

Physical activity is not only a great way to head off heart disease and stroke. It's also associated with reducing our risk of cancer and type II diabetes. In fact, people who exercised vigorously five or more times a week had a 42 per cent lower risk of type II diabetes than people who exercised less than once a week.

If physical activity is so good for us, there must be a concrete payoff. There is! Active people are healthier people.

For instance, a study of retired men found those who walked more than two miles a day had a 66 per cent lower death rate than those who walked less than a mile a day over a 12 year period.

And men who were sedentary but then began to exercise had a 23 per cent lower risk of death than men who remained sedentary.

SLIDE: Physical activity benefits for women

For women, physical activity is especially important. First of all, it reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke, the leading causes of death in women. It also heads off osteoporosis by maintaining healthy bones. Exercise also helps maintain muscle strength and coordination, which are very important in later life. Without a proper program of physical activity, strength loss of 40 to 50 per cent is not uncommon in women over 60. Finally, women are three times as likely as men to suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. Physical activity helps keep joints healthy.

SLIDE: Physical activity guidelines

I think we all agree by now that physical activity is a healthy thing. But what exactly do we mean by physical activity? Everyone has a slightly different notion of the 'ideal' form of activity. For some people it's a brisk walk, and for others a game of tennis. Or an afternoon in the garden, or a jog around the neighborhood.

In fact, there is no one 'ideal' activity. Different activities suit different people. The real question is, how do we decide what's right for us?

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