upcoming book!

Most people are aware that physical activity is good for them. Even so, more than 60% of the population are aware that they take insufficient exercise to benefit their health. When people’s activity is actually measured it has been shown that only a very small minority achieve the recommended activity levels recommended by the Department of Health, even though the bar has been set quite low.

I suspect that most people (including the medical profession) are unaware of just how important physical activity is to their long term good health and enjoyment of life.

Perhaps if people were more aware of the huge benefits of exercise we would see a general increase in physical activity and many fewer drug prescriptions– and how good would that be!

The health benefits of regular exercise are enormous. Exercise reduces the risk of a large number of the commonest degenerative diseases including heart attacks, strokes, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, osteoporosis, psychological illness, dementia and several types of cancer. For each condition which can be prevented by exercise there is an exercise based treatment to aid recovery and provide “secondary” prevention.

All of these conditions contribute to the ageing process and hasten the onset of the frailty of old age which has led to an epidemic of dependence among our elderly. While lifespan has been increasing (until even this stalled over the past few years) the period of debility and dependence in the final years of life has been increasing. The average person lives about 20% of his or her lifespan with a chronic illness.

Regular physical activity has the power to address this problem. Those who are kept physically fit by exercise live longer and have a shorter period of dependency at the end of their lives. Both their lifespan and more importantly their healthspan are increased – and the period of terminal morbidity is decreased.

I firmly believe that regular exercise is the answer to many of the health and social problems of our society – and I would like to spread this message as widely as possible. I am fully aware of the fact that advising someone to adopt a healthier lifestyle does not usually have the desired effect – but sometimes it does. It is my hope that informing my readers just how much they have to gain may persuade a few of them to get off their backsides and get active.

This book on this site will discuss all the most recent research on the effects of exercise and thus increase the motivation for action. Try it and see!