Beyond weight management, exercise has numerous health benefits and lack of physical activity has been identified as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality and has been estimated as being the principal cause for approximately:

• 21–25% of breast and colon cancers
• 27% of diabetes and 
• 30% of heart disease burden

(From: Global health risks: mortality and burden of disease attributable to selected major risks. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2009)

It has been estimated that for every hour you exercise you increase your longevity by 7 hours (up to a total benefit of an additional 3 years) and exercise can reduce premature death from all causes by 16% and from cardiovascular disease by about 25%.

Simply put,  exercise helps you to avoid premature death and live longer.

Exercise also has many benefits for the here and now:

• Improved sense of well-being
• Improved self-esteem
• Increased strength
• Increased energy levels
• Improved mood
• Decreased depression and anxiety symptoms
• Decreased stress
• Improved immune function
• Lower blood pressure
• Improved glucose levels
• Improved cholesterol levels
• Improved bone density
• Decreased symptoms from arthritis

Despite these benefits, only 17% of Canadians meet the current guidelines of 150 minutes of “moderate-to-vigorous physical activity” per week.  (2019 Canadian Health Measures Survey)

This recommendation supported by the WHO reflects the amount of exercise necessary to get most of these benefits.  It can be broken down into as little as 10 minute increments.

Moderate intensity physical activities will cause adults to sweat a little and to breathe harder - up to the point that you could still have a conversation.

Vigorous intensity activities will cause adults to sweat more and be ‘out of breath’. 

In our Wellness Garage Principles, we recommend:

1. Do something aerobic most days - improve cardiovascular fitness
2. Do resistance training some days - maintain/build muscle and strength
3. Do functional movement work some days - maintain/improve functional movement

Some ideas from Participaction: ; 

• Join a weekday community running or walking group
• Go for a brisk walk around the block after dinner. 
• Take a dance class after work.  
• Bike or walk to work every day.  
• Rake the lawn, and then offer to do the same for a neighbour.  
• Train for and participate in a run or walk for charity!  
• Take up a favourite sport again or try a new sport. 
• Be active with the family on the weekend!

Pick a time. Pick a place. Make a plan and move more.

For other posts in this series:

• S3 Weight Management - A systematic, stratified and sustainable approach
• Taking the First Step
• Eat Real Food
• Hydration without calories
• Go 12 hours a day without eating
• Get lots of fibre (from real foods)​

​
If you would like to learn more about the S3 program and whether you are eligible please check out our Sustainable Weight Management program page.

50% of Americans have high blood pressure according to the new guidelines from American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.

Lost in the debate about whether this makes sense to label so many people with a disease was the recognition that normal blood pressure is now defined as 120/80 and the acknowledgement that the risks from blood pressure increase progressively, and linearly from levels as low as 115/75 in people from 40 to 89 years of age.  

For every increase of 20 mmHg systolic and 10 mmHg diastolic there is a doubling of mortality from both heart disease and stroke. 

Here is the Wellness Garage strategy for high blood pressure:

1. Know your blood pressure:

• be confidant that your blood pressure is normal. 
• If you get high readings in the doctor's office - get an automated BP cuff for home.
• If your doctor is not using an automated cuff - ask her why?  New guidelines are clear that physicians should be using automated cuffs.
• If your arm is large be sure to have a large cuff - make sure the doctor uses a large cuff.

2. Know whether you have insulin resistance:

• if your blood sugars are abnormal then you already have insulin resistance
• if your blood sugars are normal and you have abnormal lipids (high triglycerides and low HDL) and a waist size of >102 cm (40 in) in men or >88 cm (35 in) in women - you likely have a degree of insulin resistance
• insulin resistance disrupts one of the key hormonal systems regulating BP - the Renin-Angiotensin system (RAS)
• if you have insulin resistance - decreasing carbohydrates through a low carb, whole food approach makes the most sense - see #3
• if you are diabetic these changes should be medically supervised

3. Get moving - exercise is key

• aerobic exercise has been shown to lower BP 5-7 mmHg 
• resistance exercise lowers BP 2-3 mmHg
• these effects rival first line drug therapy and lower risk by themselves 20-30%
• recent evidence shows that exercise is superior to drug therapy in preventing death from stroke and is equal to drugs in prevention of heart disease mortality.

​
4. Eat better - lose weight

• optimizing your nutrition to lose weight makes a big difference - real whole foods with adequate protein, healthy fats and low glycemic carbodyrates. 
• studies show that in overweight or obese people a weight loss of 8kg will lower BP by 8.5 mmHg systolic and 6.5 mmHg
• these effects rival drug therapy and are though to be independent of exercise

5. Salt - stop eating packaged food and decrease how much you eat out - see #3

• for years the linkage between salt (sodium) intake and elevated BP has been clear and part of the established recommendations for preventing and treating hypertension
• more recently this has been challenged on at least two fronts
  • there is great variability between people on the basis of race, gender, age and dietary factors - resulting in the observation that some people at some times are salt sensitive - meaning that their BP increases with salt intake.
  • there is little convincing evidence to link decreased salt intake over time with better health outcomes.
• our advice is to start by eliminating the real culprits in the high salt world we live in - restaurants (especially fast food) and packaged food.  Eating real whole foods that you prepare yourself will result in a significant reduction of salt intake and will help with #3. 

6. Reduce Stress - meditate

• there is growing empirical evidence that the exposure to chronic psychological stress leads to the development of high blood pressure
• while many relaxation therapies are recommended and are effective in reducing stress, so far only meditation has been shown to reduce stress and lower blood pressures
• learning to meditate has never been easier with the introduction of apps like Headspace and Calm - finding 10-15 min per day to meditate will reduce stress and help you improve your blood pressure

7. Sleep - develop a great sleep routine

• depriving people of sleep in the short-term clearly increases blood pressure
• chronic sleep deprivation of < 5hrs per night doubles the risk of hypertension, while 
  • insomnia and restless leg syndrome have also been shown to increase incidence of high blood pressure
• if you snore regularly or stop breathing during the night -see you physician and get assessed for Obstructive Sleep Apnea
• develop a great sleep routine - get 7-8 hrs of high quality sleep

This 7 step strategy will allow you to take control of your blood pressure and do everything you can to either avoid medication or take as little as possible.