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A prescription for exercise: Why it’s
important to stick to the schedule
• The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines 2018 says that being active for just 150
minutes per week can help reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and
various other chronic illnesses as well as prevent obesity and overall body function
deterioration. The guidelines also underline the benefits of including bone and muscle
strength exercises into the program for at least two days a week. How to adapt these
to holiday mode? Easy: brisk walking, bike riding or jogging can all do the trick while
being away.
• To reinforce the significance of sticking to an active schedule, new studies have been
published by the University of Liverpool in England which look into the impacts of
being inactive, even for a short period of time. The researchers asked 45 adult men
and women who have been previously physically active to abruptly start sitting more.
Participants were clocking in over 10,000 steps in most days before the study kicked
off and all of them tested disease free. Once the study started, they were asked to
reduce their steps to under 2,000 and sit for more than three and a half hours per day,
for two weeks. Respondents underwent then an initial health evaluation, following
which they were permitted to return to their normal routines for two weeks and then
tested again for comparison.
• The findings were worrisome. Almost all participants had developed ‘metabolic
derangements’ during the two weeks of inactivity which translated into high blood
sugar levels, less healthy cholesterol profiles and minor muscle mass loss around the
legs. They also put on weight, specifically around the abdomen.