Six Star Magazine Six Star Magazine Winter 2009/2010 Outback | Page 12

FEATURE

TOUGH TO HEAR, IMPORTANT TO KNOW
Now, if you are someone who gets out there and stays active and
engaged, keep up the great work. (Quite frankly, as a Subaru owner,
we know that adventure runs in your veins!) However, if life is
getting the better of you and you have slacked off as of late or you
just can’t seem to find the time, we know it wasn’t always like that.
Back when we were in school, it seemed easy to stay fit and stay
active. Organized sports, gym class, running around at recess, and
then when we got home, road hockey, swimming, skating – you
name it, we did it. Best of all, it was fun. Now that we’re past those
school years, though, life is doling out an overabundance of work,
stress and responsibilities. Who has time to get out more and
enjoy themselves? The real question is who has time not to?
Arguably, the best reason for being physically active is that it can
be a fun way of getting away from the stresses of everyday
life. However, there are strong physical and mental health
reasons as well.
Each year in Canada, the death rate from four
groups of chronic diseases – cardiovascular, cancer,
type 2 diabetes and respiratory – account for twothirds of deaths. And guess what one of the big
contributing factors to these chronic diseases
is? You guessed it, physical inactivity. According
to the World Health Organization, over 90%
of type 2 diabetes and 80% of coronary heart
disease could be avoided or postponed with
good nutrition, regular physical activity, the

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elimination of smoking and effective stress management. As well,
next time you are complaining about where your tax dollars are
going, consider this: The estimated total cost in Canada of illness,
disability and death attributable to chronic diseases amounts
to over $80 billion annually. According to a Katzmarzyk, Gledhill
and Shephard study, The Economic Burden of Physical Activity in
Canada, an estimated $2.1 billion in annual health care costs can
be directly attributed to physical inactivity. In a later study it was
discovered that if you add indirect costs, the price tag balloons to
$5.3 billion.
And it is not only physical health that is improved by getting
out more and becoming engaged with physical activity. According
to the Journal of Mental Health Promotion, there is also growing
evidence of links between physical activity and mental health
benefits including mood elevation, better cognitive functioning and
improved self-perception, self-esteem and self-efficacy. The Mind
Guide to Physical Activity (www.mind.org.uk) tells us that regular
physical activity can help you deal with negative emotions and
bring you a general sense of well-being. It can help you sleep better,
reduce tension levels, as well as feelings of stress or fatigue, and
give you more energy overall. Plus physical activity appears to
relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety as well as improve
mood. Regular physical activity may also reduce the risk of
developing depression in the first place.
If you are still not convinced that getting off the couch beats
old &W'V