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SALT LAKE CITY — It's officially spring, and you're just itching to spend some time outside. Filled with beautiful landscapes, Utah has something for everyone. How can you not find yourself wanting to be a part of it all?
Some days it may seem like the natural thing to do is to spend some time outside, while other days it may be a struggle just to get your shoes on. Dr. Scott Hansen, medical director for Intermountain’s Live Well Center, reminds us just how important being active really is.
“We just need to get out and move wherever we are,” he said.
Research has shown some pretty shocking results. Just by getting some moderate activity each week, you will do more to prolong your life than almost any other treatment.
“Inactivity is now one of the biggest risks for premature death from all causes. … In other words, we believe that someone that is inactive and not fit has a higher risk of death than someone who is smoking,” Hansen said.
In fact, a large study showed that low fitness levels contribute to more deaths than do other major chronic conditions. So if people with a low fitness level had been fit, almost 16 percent fewer would have died.
“If you talk about exercise being a medicine, think about it as one of the key medicines to help alleviating depression, anxiety and the risks that add to the potential heart and stroke and other cardiovascular complications,” Hansen said.
If you talk about exercise being a medicine, think about it as one of the key medicines to help alleviating depression, anxiety and the risks that add to the potential heart and stroke and other cardiovascular complications.
–Dr. Scott Hansen
There are easy steps to get started: Sit less, move more and do what works for you. In fact, getting out and being active is a lot easier than you think.
“People sometimes think that you’ve got to do structured exercise in a gym … our body doesn’t know whether we’re on a $5,000 bike or a $3,000 treadmill or we are lifting a bag of salt or a box to exercise. Our body responds the same way,” Hansen said.
Hansen recommends 30 minutes a day, five to seven days a week. That exercise can come in as small as 10 minute increments and can be added throughout your busy day.
Find an opportunity every 20-30 minutes to get up from what you’re doing at work or at home and move. Take advantage of a few minutes by parking a little farther away from your destination. At home, yard work, cleaning your home, repetitive lifting of small objects, even playing with your children can get your heart rate up. Understanding just how important it is to get up and move is just the beginning.
Hansen said human bodies are really adaptive and eager to exercise and move. Don’t wait until you think you have the right venue to exercise. Physical activity boosts energy levels, relieves anxiety and depression and makes us sharper and more creative. And you don’t have to do it alone. Take the time to include others.
“Exercise is also a great opportunity to develop those relationships and have an opportunity to be doing something that is both good for your body and for your mind," he said.
