In physiotherapy, our go-to tool for recovery and health is exercise prescription. Many physiotherapists, trainers, scientists, and prominent figures in the field often discuss the ‘optimal’ program or amount of exercise, while sometimes overlooking how amazing the benefits of smaller doses of movement can be.
You don’t need a complicated program, a gym membership, or the perfect plan to get started. The benefits of exercise on your health and longevity can start with a 5-minute walk or even a few mini squats at home.
In this blog, we will review how to measure health and longevity, as well as how going from no exercise to some exercise has profound health and longevity benefits.
Table of Contents
- The Three Metrics for Health and Longevity
- Why the Biggest Health Gains are Made Going from None to Some Exercise
- Exercise Prescription: Practical Tips to Getting Active
- Tips for Staying Motivated
- Conclusion
The Three Metrics for Health and Longevity
To show why doing even small amounts of exercise is so beneficial, such as walking in 5-minute bouts, we need to explore VO2 Max, Grip Strength, and Quad strength. VO2 Max, Grip Strength, and Quad strength are all well researched and understood by both scientists and clinicians but the reason they are so important for everyone’s health is simple. Each of these metrics is a proxy, a representation, for more general health and fitness.
- VO2 Max is a measure of how efficiently your heart uses oxygen and reflects your cardiovascular fitness. Having a higher VO2 max means that your heart and lungs are delivering oxygen to your muscles more effectively. You can improve your VO2 max with activities like brisk walks, taking the stairs or playing pickleball.
- Grip Strength is exactly what it sounds like, it’s a measure of how strong your ability to grip is. You can increase your grip strength with exercises like squeezing a tennis ball, carrying your grocery bags to the car or wringing water out of a towel or laundry.
- Quad Strength is a measure of the quadriceps, the large group of muscles that make up the front of your upper leg. You can increase your quad strength with exercises like squats, taking the stairs, lunges and step ups.
Those who maintain higher scores in these categories are just generally more active and fit, so improving fitness is about trying to maximize these individual numbers.
How Biggest Health Gains are Made Going from None to Some Exercise
The average scores on the VO2 Max, Grip Strength, and Quad strength tests we discussed above can be grouped into quartiles:
- First Quartile: 0%-25%
- Second Quartile: 25%-50%
- Third Quartile: 50%-75%
- Fourth Quartile: 75%-100%
Generally, health is thought of in optimization and maximizing outcomes, and although those in the fourth quartile (75%-100%) have the best outcomes, the biggest gains to be made are much lower down in the chart. For example:
- Moving VO2 Max from the 1st quartile to the second quartile is associated with a 50% reduction in all-cause mortality.
- Moving grip strength from the 1st quartile to the second quartile is associated with a 20% to 30% reduction in all-cause mortality.
- Moving quad strength from the 1st quartile to the second quartile is associated with a 20% to 25% reduction in all-cause mortality.
*It should be noted that all-cause mortality is death caused by any reason.
In practical terms, this means that going from the least fit percentage of the population to the second lowest category is more beneficial than any medication or pharmaceutical that has been developed to date. Although, there is an increase going up each quartile this is by far the largest improvement and the higher one’s score is, the smaller the improvements get. Let’s take a look at what that exercise prescription might look like in our next section.
Exercise Prescription: Practical Tips to Getting Active
Going to a gym or joining a team might feel intimidating or even be impossible for many people. The good news is that getting active doesn’t have to be complicated. You can take simple steps with minimal equipment, time and effort and gain huge benefits. Here are some examples of what you can do:
- Complete a Brisk Walk for 20-30 minutes daily
- Complete 10 Sit to Stands (chair squats) twice daily
- Complete 10 Wall Push Ups twice daily
- Take the stairs over the elevator when possible
These are some simple ways you can incorporate general fitness to maintain full body strength and endurance. If these tasks are too difficult, they can always be modified, they should be viewed only as a guideline.
Tips for Staying Motivated
Staying motivated to stay active can be challenging, but with the right strategies, you can make exercise a fun and sustainable part of your routine. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to reignite your fitness journey, these simple tips will help you stay on track and enjoy the process.
- Choose an activity you like such as walking, riding a bike, or swimming
- Listen to music, a podcast, or even an audiobook to make the exercise more enjoyable
- Set small goals; start with realistic achievable goals such as 5-10 minutes of moving daily
- Schedule a time, create an appointment for yourself such as in the morning, at lunch, or after work to keep consistent
- If you miss a day, be kind to yourself and restart again the next day. Shoot for consistency and not perfection
Key Takeaway: It’s important to remember that any exercise is better than none and that moving from no fitness to some fitness is in itself one of the most beneficial improvements for your health and longevity.
Walking for 5 minutes, 3 sit to stands, or 3 wall push-ups are all perfectly acceptable modifications as the initial goal is to make any improvement in physical fitness.
Conclusion
The attention in the health and fitness industry tends to focus on the optimal performance in their exercise prescription. The Canadian Physical Activity Guideline recommends that adults get 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise per week, 3+ rigorous weight training sessions per week, and perfecting sleep and nutrition.
The focus on perfection and the conflicting information can be overwhelming and sometimes paralyzing causing individuals to never begin exercising in the first place. Although eventually trying to achieve higher levels of fitness is a great goal, it’s important not to overlook that massive benefits of minimal exercise prescription.
By working up to and incorporating a short brisk walk daily, this alone can lead to an amazing 50% reduction in all-cause mortality. Even in those with mobility issues, pain, or other functional ailments, physiotherapists are healthcare specialists trained to work within and around these issues.
Working with a physiotherapist, a customized program can be designed to meet your needs where you are now, with the aim of controlled progress over time. At Propel Physiotherapy, movement is the foundation for our preventative and rehabilitation programs. We take an active approach to working with all clients regardless of their previous level of activity.
No matter your age or circumstance, it is always possible to move better and move more.
Let our therapists help you in designing, maintaining and progressing a physical activity program that is right for you.
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