According to the Knowledge Center for Sport and Exercise and the Human Capital Model, if all residents of the European Union exercise 300 minutes per week, i.e. recreationally, sportingly or muscle training or a combination of these, more than 8 million new cases of cardiovascular disease will be prevented by 2050. vascular diseases.
In recent years it has become clear that exercise is perhaps the most important health tool of all. Exercise has a preventive effect on most chronic diseases, but it also reduces the risk of injuries, we sleep better, we can handle stressful situations better, we get stronger bones and the list of benefits goes on. Everyone now knows that sitting for long periods of time has a significant negative effect on our health, even if we exercise for an hour in the evening. Sitting for more than half an hour already has disadvantages and if we sit for more than 2 hours, the adverse effect is irreversible. Daily exercise is therefore crucial for good health and the prevention of diseases.
MORE MOVE IN BETWEEN
When we think about exercise, we often think about sports. That is also good and necessary, but exercise is more about moving in between, partly to prevent sitting for long periods of time. Recreational exercise and the World Health Organization guideline for this is at least 20 minutes every day (1 hour per day), but preferably 30 minutes (especially if you want to lose weight in a healthy way).
3 MOMENTS OF EXERCISE PER DAY
Of course we are all busy, often too busy to put on our coats for a walk around the block. Yet that walk around the block is ‘medicine’ through your daily lifestyle, allowing you to live longer and with a higher quality. It is ideal to start the day with a walk around the block for at least 10 minutes. Then you immediately get the metabolism going. If you have to drive for a long time, stop every now and then at a parking lot and take a short walk. If you take the train, use the platform as a walking path. At work, people used to go outside for a cigarette, but now that can be replaced by a walk around the block. There will definitely be some colleagues with you. Bring a lunch that you can eat during the lunch walk. If the mobile phone rings, get up immediately and start walking. If you want to tell a colleague something, don’t send an email, just walk over.
The challenge is to transform our inactive lives into an active lifestyle. Seize every opportunity to exercise, preferably outside, but inside if necessary. Aim to exercise for 20 minutes every morning, incorporate a walk every afternoon and every evening after dinner, immediately go outside or exercise.