Exercise body

Exercise helps to improve blood flow to the brain, lower levels of stress hormones, reduce inflammation and promote cardiovascular health.

As blood flow to the brain increases, your brain is exposed to more oxygen and nutrients. Exercise also induces the release of beneficial proteins in the brain. These nourishing proteins keep brain cells (known as neurons) healthy, and promote the growth of new neurons. Neurons are the building blocks of the brain. There’s evidence that regular physical activity in patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) can prevent the onset of Dementia.4

For adults, physical activity includes recreational or leisure-time physical activity, transportation (e.g. walking or cycling), occupational (if the person is still engaged in work), household chores, play, games, sports or planned exercise, in the context of daily, family, and community activities. In order to improve cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, bone and functional health, and reduce the risk of Noncommunicable diseases, depression and cognitive decline, the following are recommended:

Aerobic Exercise
>150 mins Mod. Int.
or
>75 mins High Int.

Balance and control
>3x a week

Strengthening
>2x a week



Aerobic exercise:

1. Adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week, or do at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week, or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous-intensity activity.6

2. Aerobic activity should be performed in bouts of at least 10 minutes’ duration.

3. For additional health benefits, adults should increase their moderate intensity aerobic physical activity to 300 minutes per week, or engage in 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous-intensity activity.

Balance and control

4. Adults with poor mobility should perform physical activity to enhance balance and prevent falls on 3 or more days per week.

Strengthening

5. Muscle-strengthening activities should be done involving major muscle groups, on 2 or more days per week.

Note – When adults cannot do the recommended amounts of physical activity due to health conditions, they should be as physically active as their abilities and conditions allow.


How huru can help:
Exercise classes can be a great way to get some guidance on how to exercise most effectively, they can also be a fun way to learn new skills and even meet new people. huru can help with video exercise classes that are carefully chosen based on your ability and preferences. Most importantly they can be planned around your day scheduled to start automatically at a time that suits you best.