Exercise doesn’t have to be a four-letter word!
Written by Stuart Phillips ’89, ’91, Professor, Kinesiology
I know exercise isn’t a four-letter word, but for many people, it makes them want to use one! I think everyone has some vague notion that they should exercise, but our reasons for exercising vary greatly. So too do our reasons for not exercising. One big notion I’d like to try and dispel is that for exercise to be ‘worth it,’ it needs to be at least 30 minutes long, make us sweat, and require days from which to recover. In short, none of those are true.
We’re all likely familiar with what we know as the Physical Activity Guidelines. In Canada, these were recently revised to be the 24 Hour Movement Guidelines, which emphasize sleep and make recommendations about screen time (it’s no longer just the TV). Nonetheless, most of us can name that we ‘need’ to do 150 minutes of aerobic work. Some of us might know that we’re also supposed to practice strengthening activities twice weekly. Sadly, as most of us are aware, we (Canadians) don’t do too well following these guidelines. But do we need to sweat? Do we need 30 minutes five days per week to get our 150 minutes? The answer may surprise you. As individuals, the answer is probably yes; however, as a population, if we could get just 10% more Canadians to do something physically active daily, then we could make a massive change. As most of us wish, the change might not show up on the scale, but it would show up in our healthcare costs!
We have known for some time that the biggest reduction in risk for many of the most common chronic diseases — cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes — occurs when someone who does no physical activity does even a small amount. Did you catch the switch? I stopped talking about exercise and started using the words physical activity. The distinction that as an exercise physiologist, I feel compelled to point out is that physical activity encompasses all activity that expends energy. In contrast, exercise is a planned and purposeful activity aimed at improving strength or fitness and is frequently hoped will result in weight loss. My message would be to forget about weight loss and physical activity and focus on the astonishing health benefits that being physically active imparts. I hasten to add that we’re also just beginning to understand what physical activity does for mental health (depression and anxiety), cognitive function, and dementia risk — stay tuned; it’s exciting!
With some smug satisfaction, I often state that if exercise (and perhaps a lower dose as physical activity) came in a pill, it would be the most widely prescribed drug in the world. I do grudgingly acknowledge, however, that people would likely much rather take the pill. True, exercise can be hard work, but it doesn’t have to be. Moreover, physical activity can be downright enjoyable and most definitely should not invoke a four-letter word.
Stuart Phillips is a Professor and Canada Research Chair in the Department of Kinesiology. Dr. Phillips and his colleague, Professor Martin Gibala, recently launched a free MOOC (massive online open course) entitled Hacking Exercise For Health. The surprising new science of fitness available on Coursera: https://www.coursera.org/learn/hacking-exercise-health
Stuart Phillips is a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Skeletal Muscle Health. He holds a BSc and MSc from McMaster University. He is Director of the Physical Activity Centre of Excellence (PACE) and the McMaster Centre for Nutrition, Exercise, and Health Research, and Lab Lead for the Exercise Metabolism Research Group. Stuart’s research is focused on the impact of nutrition and exercise on human skeletal muscle protein turnover. He is keenly interested in diet- and exercise-induced changes in body composition. Stuart believes that a little bit of exercise is better than no exercise, and aims to encourage more physical activity in older adults. He has more than 24,000 career citations, and 220 original scientific research and review papers.
