Physical Fitness My Way

Physical Fitness My Way

By: Laurence Tabanao Gayao

“If there is any deficiency in food or exercise, the body will fall sick..”–Hippocrates

An increasingly inactive lifestyle characterizes the world at large today. The social environment and the spread of new technologies reduce the necessity for physical activity or do more rigorous exercise. If you look around, you will notice the growing number of overweight children and the high rate of deaths of older adults associated with physical inactivity. Because of advancing technology, the amount of physical effort required in work and occupation has steadily decreased. Cars, public transportation, elevators, Internet shopping, the use of computers and the trend of cocooning promote a sedentary lifestyle involving little or no physical activity. Many may say, “ What I like most on weekends is being a couch potato!” You’re probably reading this and thinking ‘yes, tell me something I don’t know’, but let’s get into the nuts and bolts of why this isn’t a good thing and what it’s actually doing to harm our bodies.

WHY IS IT KILLING US?

The World Health Organization already identified that lack of physical activity is a significant cause of five major Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs): coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, and colon cancer. I would add to that accidents, dementia, loss of mobility and many of the disabilities among the elderly.

It also goes onto say—Physical inactivity is one of the top four pillars of a non-communicable disease (NCD). This is consistent with my personal observation in my fifty years as a physician.

(1) There is an association between physical inactivity and poor physical and mental Health-related quality of life. The association is even stronger for physical than mental.

(2) Should you look at creating habits now? We’d say yes, as with anything related to healthier habits, the more you structure into your routine, the more consistent you will be. Unfortunately, however, recent studies have shown the age groups of which struggle more so than others in battling to keep enough activity per week going—Great news for you all Remote Fitness Coaches, there are more people than ever that need your help. A study in Malaysia shows that one in two older adults in the country are physically inactive, that is 50%!. They consider them to be the most physically inactive segment of the population.

(3) There have been many studies done that correlate inactivity, especially with adults, and has been linked to health, self-efficacy, socioeconomic and family circumstances.

(4) It is now a challenge for the global medical sector on how to address this as one of the public health concerns and the NHS here in the UK have on multiple occasions asked for better self-care alongside clear communication from doctors and health and fitness professionals aka you remote coaching.

IT IS NEVER TO EARLY OR TO LATE  TO START

When I was growing up in the Philippines was a avid reader of whatever magazine publications that I could get a hold of. Many of these publications I would read from cover to cover came from the United States. Two of the personalities I read about were physical fitness pioneers Charles Atlas and Jack LaLanne. They were pioneers in physical fitness and made a business promoting it. Mr. LaLanne became fitness expert, television host, inventor, entrepreneur, motivational speaker. On the occasion of LaLanne’s death, Arnold Schwarzenegger then governor of California LaLanne for being “an apostle for fitness” by inspiring “billions all over the world to live healthier lives.” He died at 96 years of age, still physically active. He contracted what was later diagnosed as pneumonia but refuse to seek medical care because he didn’t believe in taking medications and doctors.

 

I was in my elementary grades when I got to know these two pioneers promoting healthy diet and exercise. Fortunately, our family had a large backyard garden, poultry with fruit trees. The soil was fertile and there was enough rainfall. There was no need for pesticides or fertilizers. I also love gardening and taking care of our poultry. So the suggested diet was no problem for me.

 

For physical exercise, I tried running. One day I woke at 5 am and put on my running outfit and run around the college campus circle, which was about 1,500 meters distance. With no previous conditioning, I tried to run as fast as I could. After the run, I felt weak, dizzy, and nauseated. I had to drag myself through school that day. That was the end of running as an exercise. I observed some boys in the school dormitory exercising on a horizontal bar showing their acrobatic moves. So I built one back of our house. So that became my primary exercise on top of whatever physical labor I had to do at work in high and college.

 

In my thirties after I got a subscription to Muscle Fitness Magazine I bought a weight set and bench. I fallowed their diet and exercise routine suggestions. In due time I built enough muscles to draw attention that made someone asked one of my children, “Is your dad on steroids?” One night in ER I was treating competitor hurt in a mix martial event in Abilene, TX. The patient looked at me and said, “Doc, with those muscles of yours, you should have entered the competition.” I grinned and said, “No sir, I’m no fighter, just a lover.” We both broke out laugher.

 

In my mid-forties, after switching careers from being a family physician to emergency medicine, I slacked on my exercise and eventually stopped. The irregular sleeping hours the job required and traveling long distances to cover different hospitals under contract with the company I was working for, made it difficult to have a regular exercise routine. Slowly, I gained weight and developed high blood pressure. In 2006, I had surgery for a neck mass which was positive for cancer. I had two other neck surgeries after that for residual cancer, and three radiation treatments. Today, the cancer has not recurred under the watchful care of my physician.

 

One day I was working in our yard, tried to take a big step and lost my balance and fell on my back. It resulted in a severe low back pain. I had to apply Ice packs for a few days to help the pain. Fortunately, with some Tylenol and Motrin, I got over it without seeking medical care. That fall made me realize I had to do something about my weakness. So I set out on a fitness program. One of my daughters enrolled me and my wife Edith at Lifetime Fitness Center. It was the first time for both of us to work out in a big gym. It was fun being surround with all those different machines and people of all ages working out. We did this for about a year, going 3 to 4 times a week. We later got our own free weights and started working out at home.

 

I work out 5 times a week alternately focusing on different muscle groups. My goal is to tone and strengthen my muscles. It is important to improve mobility and range of motion. I remember that time I had a difficulty bending to tie my shoes or difficulty in getting up after kneeling in prayer. I had to target those muscles and joints involved to correct the problem. Suttle problems, such as difficulty in standing on one leg to put on your underwear or pants, may require specific physical exercise to correct the problem. Four years ago, I was on a vacation to the Philippines when I developed a severe cough. I noticed each time I coughed I would get a bulge in both of my groin areas. I knew this was a sign that I was developing and double inguinal hernia. A hernia results from a weakness in the wall of the abdominal cavity. I started doing exercises to strengthen especially my lower abdominal wall muscles. Today both inguinal hernias are longer there. If you don’t correct these problems early, they will just get worse to the point of being a major disability requiring the help of a caregiver. Consult your doctor and or a fitness trainer to help early on.

Jack LaLanne said, “Dying is easy. Living is a pain in the butt. It’s like an athletic event. You’ve got to train for it. You’ve got to eat right. You’ve got to exercise. Your health account, your bank account, they’re the same thing. The more you put in, the more you can take out. Exercise is king and nutrition is queen: together, you have a kingdom.”

My fitness program has rejuvenated me. I feel just as good as I did in my thirties. The more time and effort l put in a physical fitness program, the better I feel. I am a living testimony that if you invest time and effort in physical fitness, one could feel and function better and there is room for improvement if you work on it.

 

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS ON THE BODY FROM NOT MOVING?

Excessive inactivity results in rapid disruption of normal function. An enormous amount of research studies confirm the adverse effects of an inactive lifestyle. Physical inactivity or a lack of a lifetime exercise increases the relative risk of coronary heart disease by 45%, stroke by 60%, hypertension by 30%, and diabetes type 2 by 50% in the United States.

Inactive individuals have a greater risk of developing high blood pressure. Lack of physical activities may also contribute to feelings of anxiety and depression, something we see more and more with the rise of youthful depression and anxiety. An exploratory study showed that physically fit and active adolescents are less likely to be lonely than inactive adolescents. Could it be the increase in anxiety and depression among young today is because they are more tied down to their computers and cell phones? These devices not only lessen their physical activities but may also make them sleep deprived.  Many times physicians and psychologist and quick to turn to medications to address anxiety and depression among young people. Physically inactive people were twice as likely to have chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) compared with active individuals.

“The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will involve the patient in the proper use of food, fresh air, and exercise.” Thomas Edison

“If you don’t make time for exercise, you’ll probably have to make time for illness.” Robin Sharma