Video script: benefits of exercise
GGC - 10 Week Pain Management Programme
This content is designed for the participants of the GGC Pain Management Programme.
Benefits of Exercise
This presentation aims to review what the benefits of exercise are, what do the current guidelines have to say and we apply this within the context of chronic pain.
It goes without saying that we all know that exercise is good for us.
We know from the information that is all around us that exercise keeps us healthy and can improve our sense of well being.
Often, the patients we meet in the pain service tell us how much they miss being able to participate in exercise and activities they used to enjoy.
As a result, we can conclude, that often people who live with chronic pain can be missing out on the benefits that exercise can provide.
What are some of these benefits?
Exercise improves our overall fitness.
When we demand a bit more from our bodies this increases our muscle strength and bone strength. It improves our cardiovascular function and help improve stamina and endurance.
This is often demonstrated by feeling less breathless or recovering more quickly from exercise or activity.
Exericise can help us move better and become more flexible. This helps our joints and tissues.
Exercise can reduce the risk factors of other health conditions developing e.g. some types of cancer, type 2 diabetes, depression cardiovascular disease and obesity.
Staying active can help our mood and can play a role in improving our sleep quality.
Would you say there have been times in your life when you have experienced the benefits of exercise?
Exercise improves our overall fitness.
When we demand a bit more from our bodies this increases our muscle strength and bone strength. It improves our cardiovascular function and help improve stamina and endurance.
This is often demonstrated by feeling less breathless or recovering more quickly from exercise or activity.
Exericise can help us move better and become more flexible. This helps our joints and tissues.
Exercise can reduce the risk factors of other health conditions developing e.g. some types of cancer, type 2 diabetes, depression cardiovascular disease and obesity.
Staying active can help our mood and can play a role in improving our sleep quality.
Would you say there have been times in your life when you have experienced the benefits of exercise?
There have been numerous studies on the importance of exercise and how it affects us. At present the guidelines suggest 30 minutes of exercise, 5 times a week is enough to make a difference to our health and lower the risk of certain health conditions developing.
150 minutes a week sounds like a lot for some people, especially if you are in pain, so studies have shown that positive effects can still take place if we divide that amount up into smaller bouts of 10 minutes of activity 3x/day. This level of activity has to be enough to make us feel slightly out of breath and exerting ourselves at a comfortable level. A good rule of thumb is that you would be able to perform the activity and still carry on a conversation.
Twice a week it is recommended that we work on our strength and choose some form of activity that uses our muscles to a greater extent. This could be lifting activities, apsects of more strenuous housework, gardening or using the stairs more frequently. When more load is applied to the muscles we call this resisted exercise and this is important for our musculoskeltal system.
The good news amongst the research is that even doing something is better than nothing and even just reducing the amount of time we spend sitting can have a positive impact on our health.
Sitting can be as bad for us as smoking or being overweight.
So, sit less, stand more and move more.
Could you aim to be active for a few minutes every day and gradually build it up
Anything is better than nothing
Be realistic about what you can manage at the moment
Start small and build up rather than set yourself up to fail
Be patient – your body will need time to adapt to what you're asking it to do
Stay focused on things that will improve your QOL
Often, the people we meet in the pain service tell us they feel as though they are in a vicious cycle with pain and activity. They try to stay active but it just seems to make the pain worse.
How are we supposed to find a balance?
We have a presentation on options with acivity and we would encourage you to have a listen to it to find out more.
What we will say here is that part of the approach is looking at exercise in a slightly different way. We can’t take a no pain no gain approach anymore. It is important to respect your limits and allow time for things to improve slowly and steadily.
Often people come to see a pain management physiotherapist and hope there are specific exercises that will take the pain away. Exericse can have a relieving effect and is often prescribed as part of your pain management, but we know enough about chronic pain to know that exercise will not cure chronic pain.
So, what about this balance. If it always swings in favour of pain we will struggle to improve our activity levels.
What if we place a bit more emphasis on activity and exercise knowing that we will not damage our tissues but instead be able to explore ways of moving better so we can enjoy our lives a little more?
Often this is what we find when we are working with people on the pain management programme. They start to look at what is important to them and take small steps towards doing those things again. This builds confidence and although it may not change their pain all that much, they start to feel more like themselves again and sometimes this can help redistribute a sense of balance.
And once you feel you can start doing a bit more exercise and activity, you will start to experience some of those benefits of exercise that we chatted about earlier.
What has the balance been like lately for you?
Often, the people we meet in the pain service tell us they feel as though they are in a vicious cycle with pain and activity. They try to stay active but it just seems to make the pain worse.
How are we supposed to find a balance?
We have a presentation on options with acivity and we would encourage you to have a listen to it to find out more.
What we will say here is that part of the approach is looking at exercise in a slightly different way. We can’t take a no pain no gain approach anymore. It is important to respect your limits and allow time for things to improve slowly and steadily.
Often people come to see a pain management physiotherapist and hope there are specific exercises that will take the pain away. Exericse can have a relieving effect and is often prescribed as part of your pain management, but we know enough about chronic pain to know that exercise will not cure chronic pain.
So, what about this balance. If it always swings in favour of pain we will struggle to improve our activity levels.
What if we place a bit more emphasis on activity and exercise knowing that we will not damage our tissues but instead be able to explore ways of moving better so we can enjoy our lives a little more?
Often this is what we find when we are working with people on the pain management programme. They start to look at what is important to them and take small steps towards doing those things
again. This builds confidence and although it may not change their pain all that much, they start to feel more like themselves again and sometimes this can help redistribute a sense of balance.
And once you feel you can start doing a bit more exercise and activity, you will start to experience some of those benefits of exercise that we chatted about earlier.
What has the balance been like lately for you?
Could you start to consider ways to be more active and feel as though you are adding some exercise into your day?
Have a plan rather than take a hit or miss approach
Find some support through a friend or family member. It’s often easier to start something new with other people as it keeps us motivated and focused. Are there any groups or classes in your local community that you could join that interest you?
How are you going to know that you are improving? Is there a distance you want to achieve, or a time that you want to improve on? Is there a certain number of days a week that you want to aim for with this particular activity. Could you use your phone for example to track your progress or simply write it down and keep a record.
And it’s important to reward yourself for your hard work. A simple treat when you reach a goal is a way to show yourself some kindness and respect. After all, this probably was hard work so you deserve it!
We would recommend that you look up this short video clip on youtube.com
It’s called 23 and a half hours and explains very clearly what a difference 30 minutes of exercise can make to our health.
This slide is not a direct link to the video so you will need to open up youtube and search for the clip at your convenience.
Why not have a look now while this is all fresh in your mind and make a note of anything that resonates with you.
This is the end of this presentation.
Thanks for listening