18 Sep 2023
By Dr. Ross Walker
With the tragic statistic that 25% of the population does no exercise whatsoever, with another 50% not doing the recommended weekly dose of 75 minutes of high-intensity or 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise, it appears most of the community is ignoring the overwhelming evidence for the second-best "drug" on the planet, only surpassed by happiness.
Two recent studies have highlighted the extraordinary benefits of regular exercise. The first is an Australian study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine which was a meta-analysis of 14 separate trials with 232,150 participants. Each study had follow-ups with participants throughout a 5 to 35 year period. The Australian study included both males and females and showed that those who were regular runners had a 27% reduction in death including a 30% reduction in cardiovascular disease and a 23% reduction in cancer. This data also included low level exercisers performing less than 50 minutes per week, which is well below the general recommended levels.
The second trial published in the Journal Gerontology-Medical Sciences, from Johns Hopkins Medical school in the US, analysed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination survey (NHANES). The study included 3,000 adults aged between 50-84, of which half were male, and looked at 30 predictors over 5 years, at all causes of death, using survey responses, medical records, and some laboratory testing.
Physical activity made up 20 of these predictors, including data such as total daily physical activity, time spent performing moderate to vigorous activity and time spent being sedentary. All participants were asked to wear an activity tracker for seven days, only removing the device during showering, swimming, and sleeping.
The information from the wearable trackers was the best predictor of a 5-year mortality, even when considering age, cigarette smoking and a prior history of cancer or diabetes. The statistics suggested that total daily physical activity was the strongest mortality predictor, with age being the second and the third being the time spent performing moderate to vigorous physical exercise.
It appeared that physical activity was 30% better than a history of cigarette smoking and 40% more accurate than any data involving stroke, diabetes or cancer.
Both these studies, as well as others, continue to provide strong messaging and information around exercise having important mortality benefits as well as reducing heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, depression, and diabetes. There is also evidence of exercise reducing osteoporosis, drops in blood pressure and sleeping better. But with all this strong evidence behind exercise, why does the vast majority of the population not heed the message and start exercising?
The answer is obvious — it takes time and effort. It is much easier to sit in a chair and watch television or, as I’ve heard some people say, it is easier to swallow a pill. It is a simple life principle, that what seems like a quick fix is typically not good for you and what seems like a bit of hard work and effort in the long run offers the greatest benefits. Nothing could be more obvious than the extraordinary benefits of a regular moderate 3 to 5 hour per week exercise habit. What are you waiting for? Get up and get moving.
As always, if you have any questions or your personal circumstances have changed please do not hesitate to contact your financial adviser.
General Advice Warning - Any advice included in this article has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on the advice, you should consider whether it’s appropriate to you, in light of your objectives, financial situation or needs.
