Hypo Kinetic Diseases
“I’m healthy I eat really well and I don’t really drink… I haven’t much time to exercise but sure my diet is good so I’m fine”

Does this sound familiar?

You still could be at risk from Hypo kinetic disease… Which is Fancy words for diseases caused my not moving enough. I’ll put my hands up …before I went to college I didn’t know the term either. But I was very familiar with family members and people I knew who had chronic diseases which I now know we’re caused by a hypo kinetic lifestyle. Wether through illness, and absolutely NOT through “laziness” ,as some fitness professionals might say, or through lack of movement due to the way society is these days they had diabetes, coronary heart disease, strokes and arthritis.

Everything is made to make our lives flow faster so less time doing things we hate (unload dishwasher, wash the car, walk in the rain) and more time doing what we enjoy, which if you are into fitness that’s great but if you’re not it’s not so great.

Most desk jobs involve you sitting down for long periods of time and being inactive, add in stress if you are in a role where you are under pressure and you’ve got yourself a recipe for health issues.

So why don’t we just move more?
-Because life gets in the way and maybe you’ve got kids to look after and I’m sure that’s a tough job.

-Maybe you are so stressed after work you just want to drown your sorrows in a big oul glass of wine and stick two fingers up the world ( we’ve all been there).

-Maybe you are injured and feel like you can’t do exercise or have been told not too.

There’s so many reasons why we don’t move more and we all know them. Moving more doesn’t mean you have to join a spin class or karate or even PT sessions if that’s not for you.. Doing that is going to be more beneficial as it will raise you heart rate and if you go there you’re going to work your body.. there are so many other options to 60 min classes like a quick 20/30 min HIIT session twice a week. But im honestly not trying to sell you something you can make up your own mind after reading this whether you want to join a fitness program or not.

Add in moving more with an extra walk maybe a day, grab your bike and go for a cycle… Just something to get your heart rate up your body moving and your joints lubricants. A lot of people think because they’ve got a healthy diet but don’t exercise that they are not at risk any more from chronic disease but this is not true you are still at risk of hypokinetic diseases which again mean diseases where we do not move enough.. Yes you wouldn’t be as at risk as an someone who might be struggling with their weight or a person with an unhealthy diet but you still are at risk.

One issue is that as we get older our bone density drops (bones become brittle) we have less collagen in our bones so we are at more of a risk of breaking a limb. But you can actually hold on to your bone density if you add movement into your life even better if it’s movement where your body is loaded… meaning you’re carrying something so you might have a Weight or shopping bag. Example: Everyday tasks involving pulling and pushing (empty washing machine, dishwasher), this can increases under intense loading like Bodyweight training (HIIT) weight training (lifting weights) resistance bands.. Wouldn’t it be great to hold on to your strong bones as you get older not only that but you’re not at risk from bone related diseases like arthritis, the more we move our joints through their range of motion the more lubricated they become and this stops your bones rubbing together which can be very painful in later life.

So why not build up your bone density now ??? by having a more active life and do yourself a big favour and add in a little bit of weight to help build that bone density. Your bones are constantly resorbing and reforming they do this once put under stress (ligaments and tendons pulling on them during movement).

Healthy heart and lungs are another benefit from moving more. In Ireland our hospitals are laden with heart disease. The wait time at an Irish hospital is around 48hours. This is RIDICULOUS I know but it’s not only a sign of mismanaged healthcare system but also of the ever increasing number of people, young too 40-50, with heart complaints. Nearly 80% of all deaths in Ireland are from chronic and 60% worldwide…. Three quarters of all deaths between the ages of 18 and over as a result of chronic diseases (World Health Organisation, 2001) . In a nut shell not moving enough is killing us.

Sedentary Death Syndrome is a recent designation by leading scientists to represent the growing collection of hypokinetic disease threatening public health… it reflects health conditions caused by a lack of adequate physical activity and is responsible for increasing rate of premature or morbidity and morality.

60% of diseases burdening Europe are chronic. The factors for having chronic disease are

1. Blood Pressure
2. Alcohol
3. Tobacco
4. Cholesterol
5. Obesity
6. Poor diet
7. Inactivity

Being active is as important as your healthy eating. Build that body now and avoid the disease.. Regular physical activity and good fitness can promote good health and prevent diseases or be part of a treatment for disease . Don’t be a statistic on a waiting list in the Mater Hospital. It’s not too late to start. You can hold on to your bone density you’ve got now you can get active and get that healthy heart and avoid diabetes and other chronic illness.

In England patients with chronic disease are referred to a Personal Trainer to help them get active and fit. Most people don’t realise if they just took up some gentle guided exercise that they could improve their quality of life. Ireland is so backward in some ways. It frustrates me. To the government people’s health comes last. So for now what I’m doing is prevention. I don’t want to be that person lying on a hospital trolley 48 hours in a corridor and I don’t want you to be either.

Take care of your body and ask for help if you need it. There’s a wealth of fitness professionals and speak to your doctor if you’re worried you won’t be able for exercise.

Michelle X