The study, conducted in Madrid, looked at the impact of exercise on the health of hundreds of pregnant women. Carried out with 400 women each in two groups, the study found that expectant women who had structured exercise dealt with lesser issues of hypertension and weight gain as compared to the ones who did not. The study report, which appeared in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, stresses that the group which followed structured exercise routine three times in seven days discovered significant health advantages both for mother and baby.
The second group in the study was a control group which received regular care from doctors during pregnancy. Michelle Mottola, director of the R. Samuel McLaughlin Foundation Exercise and Pregnancy Lab at Western University, points out that women who did regular exercise have more chances to prevent hypertension and are also likely to avoid avoiding excessive gestational weight gain. This group also included fewer children who were born with excessive weight.
Mottola says that pregnant women should be active and aim to walk 10,000 steps a day during pregnancy because if they don't, the long-term effects could cause health risks to them, as well as their children. "You can greatly improve your fitness level by walking. Many people think that you have to go to the gym and sweat and yes, that's true for some people but walking will also give you great aerobic benefit. It's very important to be physically active during pregnancy. We suggest 10,000 steps a day. If you can walk 10,000 steps a day, that's incredible," says Mottola.
The study revealed that without exercise during pregnancy, women are three times more likely to develop hypertension (high blood pressure), 1.5 times more likely to gain excessive weight and 2.5 times more likely to give birth to macrosomic (or oversized) babies. "The oversized babies are at a higher risk of developing chronic diseases later in life, like obesity, Type 2 Diabetes and/or hypertension. We really want to try and prevent those big babies because they are at risk for health issues," explains Mottola. The prevalence of some form of hypertension during pregnancy can be up to 10 percent, with the rates of diagnosis varying according to the country and population studied and the criteria used to establish the diagnosis.
Exercise during pregnancy can combat BP and oversized babies
It is a great way to lose weight and have fun, also tones and builds muscle!
The recommendations were published in the journal Lancet, which also reported that heart disease, diabetes and some cancers caused by a sedentary lifestyle cost the global economy $67.5 billion every year. Lack of activity is also linked to some 5.3 million deaths each year, even more than smoking.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends adults get 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week in addition to two hours of muscle strengthening per week. "For many people who commute to work and have office-based jobs, there is no way to escape sitting for prolonged periods of time,” said lead author Professor Ulf Ekelund, of the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences, Norway and the University of Cambridge. “For these people in particular, we cannot stress enough the importance of getting exercise, whether it's getting out for a walk at lunchtime, going for a run in the morning or cycling to work. An hour of physical activity per day is the ideal, but if this is unmanageable, then at least doing some exercise each day can help reduce the risk."
A new study suggests more exercise a day is needed for those who have sedentary jobs
For the study, researchers looked at 13 previous studies on the impact of inactivity. Study subjects were classified according to the amount of activity they reported, with some reporting less than 5 minutes a day to 60 - 75 minutes a day.
They found that those who sat for 8 hours a day, but got the recommended amount of exercise reduced their chances of a premature death compared even to those who sat less but were not active. "There has been a lot of concern about the health risks associated with today's more sedentary lifestyles," says Ekelund. "Our message is a positive one: it is possible to reduce - or even eliminate - these risks if we are active enough, even without having to take up sports or go to the gym."
One Hour of Exercise a Day Offsets Damage of Sitting 8 Hours
Sedentary lifestyles are linked to increased risks of heart disease, diabetes and cancer, researchers found, but activity — such as brisk walking — could counter the higher likelihood of early death linked with sitting for eight or more hours a day. Such inactivity is estimated to cause more than 5 million deaths a year — almost as many as smoking, which the World Health Organization (WHO) says kills 6 million a year. Giving details of their findings at a briefing in London, the international team of researchers warned there has been too little progress in tackling a "pandemic of physical inactivity."
Ulf Ekelund, a professor at the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences and Cambridge University, said that WHO recommendations for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week was probably not enough. A quarter of adults worldwide do not meet even the WHO's recommendations. "You don't need to do sport or go to the gym... but you do need to do at least one hour a day," he said, giving walking at 5.6 km an hour [km/h] or cycling at 16 km/h as examples of what was needed.
Women exercise in front of a trainer (L) as the sun sets near Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados
People who sat for eight hours a day but were otherwise active had a lower risk of premature death than people who spent fewer hours sitting but were also less active, suggesting that exercise is particularly important, no matter how many hours a day are spent sitting. The greatest risk of premature death was for people who sat for long periods of time and did not exercise, according to the findings, published in The Lancet on Wednesday.
In another of the series of four studies, researchers estimated healthcare costs and productivity losses for five major diseases linked to lack of exercise — heart disease, stroke, diabetes, breast cancer and colon cancer — cost $67.5 billion globally in 2013. Melody Ding of the University of Sydney, who led this part of the research, said the costs occur largely in wealthier countries, but as poorer countries develop, so too will the economic burden of chronic diseases linked to inactivity.
Lack of Exercise Costs World $67.5B and 5 Million Lives a Year
There have been so many studies on this subject, but most of them are paid for by various industries, like gymns and diet companies, so there is no single set of conclusions.
Only people that can dance think it's funDancing!
Only people that can dance think it's funDancing!
I can't dance and believe me no one wants to see me try
I liked the ending when everyone on the street was doing "The Elaine."
Running, even if on a treadmill, is going to burn a shit ton of calories and fat. The downfall is that it's not very good for your bones and joints.
