“In addition to outlining basic recommendations and their scientific reasoning, the ACSM position also clarifies some additional points: ‘Though exercise protects against heart disease, it is still possible for active adults to develop heart problems. All adults must be able to recognize the warning signs of heart disease, and all health care providers should ask patients about these symptoms. Sedentary behavior—sitting for long periods of time—is distinct from physical activity and has been shown to be a health risk in itself. Meeting the guidelines for physical activity does not make up for a sedentary lifestyle.’ So getting healthy is not only about increasing activity, it’s also about decreasing periods of inactivity.”
“I don’t think I follow you about the inactivity
part,” said Tracy.
“Somewhere along the way, we started equating
exercise with ‘going to the gym,’ instead of just being more active. We now
know that long periods of inactivity are actually very harmful to the body, and
it’s the thing that scares me most about our youth these days; the long hours
spent playing video games or on their phones, without interruption. We need to
be moving more throughout the day, not sitting around for 10 hours, with 1 hour
of all-out movement.”
“I guess I never thought about it that way but,
when I’m at work, I have to get my job done,” replied Tracy. “I don’t think my
principal would like me going on 10-minute walks, several times a day, leaving
my kids unsupervised.”
“Of course, and that is the case with everyone’s
job,” answered TJ. “There are certain restrictions, but we also know from
research that movement actually improves our mental functioning. Just a few
minutes of movement can significantly activate our brains so is there a way to
interject some fun activities into your classroom? It would help you reach your
goals and also help your students increase their activity levels, even their
mental performance.”
“That’s an interesting idea,” said Tracy, nodding
her head. “But, with all this talk about complexity and levels, I think I need
to learn more before taking on that challenge.”
After Tracy completed her program for the day, she
realized that TJ had the different components of aerobic, strength, and
flexibility built in and even had a couple of functional movements added in.
She thought about the simplicity of some of the exercises and the ones that
actually ‘felt good.’ Maybe, there were some she could incorporate, while
teaching. She realized there was a lot more to learn.
"Healthy Family Evolution: Mom's Strong!" is available at all TERRIO Therapy locations and on Amazon. Also, check out www.myTERRIO.com for more information about our comprehensive wellness program for all abilities and ages.
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