Sedentary Behaviour Part 2

Last week I reminded you that we all spend far too much time sitting about - and this is dangerous in its own right. Here’s why: The harmful effects of too much sitting The risk of death increases for any sedentary time greater than 7 hours a day. One...

Guest Blog. Build your own gym.

Dear Reader My mission is to encourage everyone (except the small minority who need no such encouragement) to take more exercise. I avoid giving advice about what form of exercise to take because it is important that to choose something that you enjoy to decrease the...

Encouraging exercise Part 3

Enhancing exercise by prescription Telling people to take exercise “for their own good” is largely ineffective unless it is part of a prescribed treatment regime - ie cardiac rehabilitation or pulmonary rehab. When exercise is...

Encouraging exercise Part 2

Last week I discussed the importance of starting young and also the role of the medical profession in promoting exercise. Sadly doctors do not encourage their patients to exercise enough and when they do their advice is seldom heeded! Other ideas The British Heart...

Encouraging exercise Part 1

Encouraging Exercise ‘If your dog is fat, you’re not getting enough exercise.’ Anon. Every study of exercise behaviour confirms that the level of physical activity in the population is lamentably low. The only question is just how low. When exercise performance...

The costs of inactivity

‘If we had a drug in our therapeutic armamentarium that conferred all the benefits of regular exercise it would be the single best treatment for preventing disease and improving overall health and life expectancy’. from ‘Run for your life . . .’ NHS Spending...