Nearly 70% of Spaniards who go to the doctor for check-ups do not achieve the minimum recommended level of physical activity (150 minutes per week). With just 25 minutes of intense exercise, you can easily exceed that. brisk walking, dance, tennis, aerobics. The mortality rate of an active person is 30% to 60% lower for him than for a person with a sedentary lifestyle, Exercise often helps Reduces the incidence of almost all diseases. The benefits are obvious and the accumulating evidence is overwhelming, but life sometimes prevents us from doing the right thing for our health.
To accurately measure the effects of prescribing exercise instead of medication and to determine the amount of exercise needed to achieve an observable effect, a team led by the Basque Health Service’s Biscay Primary Care Research Unit was sent to Spain. We followed 3,357 sedentary patients from 11 primary care centers for 15 years. Year.Their findings recently British Journal of General Practice, showing that those who maintained the recommended minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity (or 75 minutes of vigorous activity) per week had nearly 50% lower mortality than those who were sedentary. Moreover, if all sedentary patients met the minimum recommended activity level, her 20% of deaths in the study group would not have occurred.
More importantly, the study found that even people who have been sedentary for 40 years can reap the benefits of physical activity. Even small changes to the can help. Just 50 minutes of moderate exercise per week reduced mortality by 31%.
Gonzalo Grandes, director of the Biscay Primary Care Research Unit and leader of the study, said: “Physical activity programs are worth recommending to health professionals who see people who have been inactive for decades, who are very physically weak, who are obese, or who have chronic conditions such as diabetes or osteoarthritis. and whether patients can actually be motivated to follow the program.This study is useful for patients who have little time to exercise, or who doubt their ability to make a change. It shows that even patients with diabetes can see positive results with very little additional activity.
The next step for Grandes and his research team is to develop strategies for health professionals to include physical activity as a component of medical interventions. We want to incorporate physical activity into the standard of care for ,” said Grandes. “However Change of medical practice slow and difficult. Some professionals are not trained to create physical activity plans for patients, requiring redesign of community-level public health programs. ”
Montserrat Romaguera is a family physician who also specializes in sports medicine. She also published her recent book, Mi Medico Me Manda A Paseo (Also, my doctor takes me for a walk), which emphasizes the importance of exercise for health and well-being. I agree with you on one thing. “As with any drug, not all patients need to be given the same therapeutic dose for the same duration,” he said. She also believes that social attitudes and circumstances influence a group’s physical activity levels.
“Children and adults are addicted to screens, and many live in areas where exercise is difficult,” says Romaguera. “In many European countries, people commute by bicycle. But in areas with heavy traffic, biking on the streets can be life-threatening.” After Malta, Spain has the highest Of level childhood obesity in Europe. “Change must start in school. Today, physical education focuses more on sports than on educating children on the importance of exercise throughout their lives. This means opening up school playgrounds and increasing bike lanes on weekends.As this study shows, exercise is an investment in mental and physical health. We have to transform our cities, taking into account the necessity.”
Isabel Egoecheaga, a member of the Spanish Association of General Practitioners, says studies like this show that doctors need to emphasize the importance of exercise to their patients. We know that doing something as simple as encouraging people to quit smoking can have a big impact, and the results of this study show that even if it’s just a small amount, people who meet the recommended minimum activity levels can have a big impact. primary care physicians have many time constraints, but unlike hospital physicians, they are encouraged to “see their patients more frequently.” We can monitor and influence patient behavior,” says Egoecheaga. She can also turn to nurses and other health care providers to help with patient education. “Exercise should be prescribed like a drug and individualized to each individual. Patients can benefit from even a small reduction in sedentary behavior.”
