A recent piece of research published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine, highlighted the problem of stress leading to an increase in the incidence of heart disease in women. Stress has always been a tricky risk factor to pin down as far as heart disease is concerned. Anecdotally, people often report being ‘under stress’ at the time of suffering a heart attack, but stress does not appear on the current list of official risk factors, unlike smoking, high blood pressure and inactivity. But like many unhealthy lifestyle factors, stress is an insidious thing – it creeps up on people or eats away at them, without them being aware of the damage it is causing. Often stress can be present all the time, but be like background noise – time pressure, work stress, health fears, family worries – but due to the prolonged exposure, can still be damaging. Stress is also an ‘acceptable’ part of our modern way of living, particularly the culture of working in the UK. You don’t take a lunch break because no-one else in the office does and you’re concerned that people will label you a ‘loafer’; or you work long hours, because that is the norm for the organisation. Someone once said to me that no-one ever got to the end of their lives and wished they worked harder! If the stress itself is not the proximate cause of increased heart disease in stressed working females, then the stress-coping mechanisms resorted to probably are. Smoking, drinking, eating unhealthy snacks or comfort foods that are high in saturated fat or salt (chocolate & savouries), all contribute to unhealthy weight gain, high blood cholesterol and hypertension (high blood pressure) – all proven risk factors for heart disease.
But I offer you an alternative coping mechanism; one that will contribute to a healthier and active lifestyle and something that may offer an antidote to all that work stress you have to put up with. It’s simple – walking to or from work, or if this is not feasible, walking at work. What I mean here is not just using the stairs rather than the lift, or parking the car a little further away from your place of work. I am talking about taking time away from your desk or work station for 30 minutes, going outside in the fresh air and finding a park, green space, or pleasant street to do a brisk walk along (brisk means feeling slightly breathless). Now that the weather is getting milder, it is a great opportunity to introduce a new regime into your working day to help you cope with all that stress.
Why walk outside? Well, again research indicates that getting in touch with nature (even for just 5 minutes) can be effective in promoting mental health (i.e. stress reduction). Dr William Bird, a GP who is the mastermind behind Natural England’s drive to get more people engaging with nature, suggests that spending time in the countryside or green space, can have a profound effect on brain waves, helps alleviate muscle tension, causes blood pressure to drop and can promote a sense of wellbeing.
A couple of students from the Centre for Sports Studies at the Medway Campus of the University of Kent, recently spoke at a Walk Leader Networking Event about their experience of setting-up and running a health walk. Karl Vickery and Yash Rampersad, told the gathering what a positive experience they had found it, both socially, psychologically and physically for themselves, but also those they had been taking walking. Yash had lost weight, both had made new friends, both got fitter, and most importantly of all, they both had a great time. Proof that exercise can be enjoyable. The walk is based at the NHS offices, 50 Pembroke Court, Chatham Maritime. The walk takes place on a Friday lunchtime, starting at 12.00 and usually lasts for 30 minutes, finishing at 12.30 (so there is still time to eat you sandwiches before returning to your desk!).
So, ladies (and gentlemen), if you are suffering with work stress, or any kind of stress, can I offer you a healthy solution – take a walk, preferably some where pleasant. You will be surprised what is on your doorstep if you just venture out and take a look – architecture, small parks, riverside paths, cafes and plenty of history. Explore your local surroundings, with an organised health walk, like the one described above. If you feel brave enough, try going solo; if not, ask a friend to accompany you, then you can natter whilst you walk. But, no matter how you do it, if you do walk, chances are you might be doing something positive for your health and wellbeing – and it is as simple (and cheap!) as putting one foot in front of the other!
For more details about Health Walks in your area contact Naomi Clayphan, Active Travel Co-ordinator 01634 – 331371 or email: Naomi.clayphan@medway.gov.uk
Would it help to be taught how to cook a healthy meal without it costing the earth? If cooking classes were held at the start, or during your University course, would you be interested in attending? How about a cookery club? This could save you money and keep you healthy. This is a key life skill, but is there a demand for cookery workshops amongst Kent students? Post your thoughts to this blog……
This appeared in the papers this week:
A £10m drive to coax university students out of the bar and on to the sports field will be launched today after a survey showed that half of undergraduates had gained weight since starting their course and a third had put on more than a stone. The move, designed to promote a healthier student lifestyle, comes as new research showed graduates spend twice as much time in pubs as they do on pitches.
Sport England has now launched a drive to get students participating at least three times a week. A study commissioned by the funding provider suggested fewer than three in 10 play sport regularly. And according to the survey, nearly one fifth – 18% – of the 1,005 students polled admitted dedicating less than one hour to sport each week, while more than a quarter – 26% – said they spent up to 10 hours in the pub. Meanwhile, nearly half of graduates – 47% – said they put on weight after starting university, with more than a third gaining up to a stone. Sport England aims to reverse these trends by creating opportunities for 72% of graduates who said they would like to spend more time on the pitches. Experts believe boosting participation in sport among students and reducing the number of people who drop out in their late teens and early 20s will help achieve the goal of getting a million people playing more sport by 2012-13. Jennie Price, chief executive of Sport England, said: “We know that young adults who are playing sport regularly by the time they leave university are likely to stick with it for the rest of their lives. ”There’s already a strong tradition of competitive sport within universities, but this is a big opportunity to increase participation through more informal and social formats.” Sport England is now calling for innovative applications from universities to tackle the barriers to student participation. Ben Bradshaw, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said the “fantastic investment” should inspire thousands to keep playing and “help thousands more discover a new found passion for sport”. ”We want to encourage young people to play sport for life, not give up on it the minute they leave school,” he said. Researchers Pollab spoke to 1,005 students for the study last week, and the findings also suggested nearly a third of graduates – 31% – feel they are too busy studying to play sport regularly. When it came to a regional breakdown, it found those studying in the East of England spend most time in the bar while graduates at north-eastern universities spend the least amount of time on the pitch.
As a University of Kent student, has this been your experience? How would you tackle this problem at Kent? Post your suggestions to this blog.
The current recommendations for physical activity for adults are 5 x 30 minute sessions a week (150 mins. or 2½ hours in total). But this should be performed at a moderate intensity (which basically means making you breathless). So it implies more deliberate forms of physical activity (playing sport, going for a brisk walk, run or swim, etc.), rather than just ambling around.
Unfortunately, as a modern technologically-driven species we show tremendous resistance to physical exertion – it is something many people find uncomfortable and given the opportunity, would prefer the less physically active option. So we take the lift rather than the stairs to the next floor, or we use the car rather than walking the short distance on the school run.
As a researcher working on a project commissioned by Medway Council, I am interested in finding out why people are not physically active. At the moment I am focussing my attention on the adult population of Medway. So if you are an adult (over 16 years old), you live in Medway and you currently don’t meet the minimum recommendations for physical activity (see above) – you qualify! I would like you to answer the following question:
Question
Why is your physical activity level below those recommended (i.e. 5 x 30 minutes a week at a moderate or breathless intensity)?
You only need to write a maximum of 150 words direct to my blog:
It would be very useful if you could also provide a bit of information about yourself:
Are you male or female?
How old are you?
Where do you live (which town, e.g. Chatham, Gillingham, Rochester, etc.)
Thank you for your time – your contribution provides a Medway resident’s voice and could influence future planning for sport & recreation.
You have probably encountered the health messages in the media encouraging people to take the stairs, rather than the escalator or lift. But for most people, this does not offer an attractive proposition, particularly when ascending from London Underground stations or reaching an office on the 6th floor!
This video clip grabbed my attention, as a novel way to encourage people to use the stairs. It also appeals to people’s sense of humour and is a fun way of incorporating physical activity into everyday tasks, encouraging a habit of activity. This particular approach distracts from the exertion involved in walking up stairs, so people don’t realise they are exercising. This is just the sort of idea needed to get people moving again. I would be interested to hear your views on the clip, but also other such innovative and fun ways to get people using the stairs, or moving around more during their day. Other pieces of advice often suggested are ‘getting off the bus one stop earlier’ or ‘parking the car in a car park and walking into work, rather than driving all the way’ – any bright and fun ideas……?
