Increasing Physical Activity Flashcards
Physical Activity
Any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure.
Physical activity refers to all movement including during leisure time, for transport to get to and from places, or as part of a person’s work.
Types of physical activity
Moderate
Vigorous intensity
Both types of physical activity improve health
Exercise
A subcategory of physical activity that is planned, structured, repetitive and purposeful in the sense that the improvement or maintenance of one or more components of physical fitness is the objective.
What do exercise and exercise training refer to ?
Physical activity performed during leisure time with the primary purpose of improving or maintaining physical fitness, physical performance, or health.
Physical Fitness
A measure of the body’s ability to function efficiently and effectively in work and leisure activities.
This includes for example:
- Physical fitness
- Cardiorespiratory fitness
What makes physical fitness ?
Physical activity
- occupational activities
- household chores
- everyday activities
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Exercise
Benefits of physical activity
Reduces the risk of:
- Depression by up to 30%
- Type 2 diabetes by up to 40%
- Dementia by up to 30%
- All-cause mortality by 30%
Breast and Colon cancer
Hip fracture
Relationship between physical activity with common medical conditions
Reduces risk of:
- Cardiovascular disease
- COPD, Asthma, Cystic Fibrosis
- Rheumatoid arthritis, Osteoarthritis
- Cancer
- Dementia
- Mental health: anxiety, depression, stress
- Falls prevention
Cardiovascular disease and Exercise
Increased exercise reduces the hazard risk for CVD mortality substantially
Depression and Exercise
Exercise has a moderate to large anti-depressant effect.
NICE advises instead of offering anti-depressant drugs as a 1st line of treatment to offer CBT, exercise, counselling to psychotherapy as 1st line treatment.
Cancer and Physical Activity
Participating in the recommended PA leads to reduction in colon, breast, endometrial, kidney, myeloma, liver and non-hodgkins lymphoma.
COVID and physical activity
Physical activity leads to:
- Reduced risk of hospitalisation and death
- Enhanced immune response
What are the recommended physical activity levels in the UK ?
UK CMO Guidance for adults aged 18-64
150 minutes of ‘moderate intensity exercise’ or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, or a combination.
Muscle strengthening activities on 2 days per week
Minimise the amount of time being sedentary
Know recommended minimum physical activity guidelines: Age 1-2
At least 3 hours per day in a variety of physical activities
Know recommended minimum physical activity guidelines: Age 3-4
At least 3 hours per day, a variety of physical activities.
60 minutes of this should be moderate to vigorous physical activity.
Know recommended minimum physical activity guidelines: Age 5-18
Moderate-Vigorous activity should average at least 1 hour per day across the week.
Know recommended minimum physical activity guidelines: Age 65+
150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week.
Exercise for strength, balance, flexibility twice a week.
Moderate exercise
‘Walkie talkie test’
If you can still talk when walking briskly, but you can’t sing the words to a song.
Vigorous activity
If you’re struggling to say more than a few words between breaths.
Be aware of the current physical activity levels in the UK population
Around:
- 1 in 3 (34%) of men
- 1 in 2 (42%) of women
Are NOT active enough for good health
What % of the UK adult population meet the active guidelines ?
66% of adults are considered to be ‘active’ according to government guidelines.
When might behaviours related to physical activity become harmful ?
- Eating disorders
- Excessive exercise
- Body Image + Body Satisfaction
- Anabolic Steroid use in weightlifters and bodybuilders
Discuss ways of introducing the topic of physical activity to patients
Explore with patients what current physical activity levels are like, and how they feel about physical activity/ exercise.
Help them to identify what they would enjoy doing - reframe exercise
Stress that small changes can have big impacts, so aim to start small
What can you do to discuss physical activity with patients ?
Ask - Identify activity levels
Assess - Discover the patients ideas and perspective
Advise - Plan and Set goals
Does introducing the topic of physical activity with patients work ?
1 in 4 people would be more active if advised by a healthcare professional
~ Physical Activity: All Our Health Report
Barriers in discussing physical activity
Time
Fear of ‘preaching’
Lack of knowledge
Lack of skills
Solution to Time being a barrier in discussing physical activity
Even brief interventions are helpful, signposting, social prescribing
Solution to fear of ‘preaching’ being a barrier in discussing physical activity
Communication skills
Explore Ideas, Concerns and Expectations
Make it personalised
Solution to lack of knowledge being a barrier in discussing physical activity
Local Areas
Support Groups
Solution to lack of skills being a barrier in discussing physical activity
Communication skills
Neurolinguistic programming
Motivational interviewing techniques
Health coaching
TUG
Timed up and go
Stand up
Walk 3m
Spin around
Walk back and sit down
When is TUG used ?
Test in elderly care setting to help determine falls risk.
> 13.5 seconds indicates possible higher risk of falls
Social prescribing
Healthcare professionals directing patients to local, non-clinical services to promote well-being and manage both physical and mental health problems.
e.g. Walking groups, Dance groups
Current UK guidelines for adults physical activity
150 minutes per week
Promoting physical activity to patients
Some is good, more is better
Make a start today, its nerve too late
Every minute counts
