The Lazy Truth About Australian Lifestyles
Health guidelines recommend adults should do between 20 and 45 minutes of moderate intensity or 10-25 minutes of vigorous intensity physical activity each day. Shockingly, 60% of Australian adults do less than what is recommended.
In fact, 30% of Australian adults are sedentary, meaning either sitting or lying down, for 5 hours each day. And this does not include sleeping!
Physiotherapists are seeing many clients with issues such as neck, shoulder and back pain, resulting from an inactive lifestyle.
Make Movement A Priority
Have your lifestyle choices become detrimental to your health and wellbeing? Do you want to become more active? If the answers are yes, then there’s no time like the present to take action!
The first step, after deciding to start, is to choose an activity that you like and will make time for. Prioritising your physical activity is key and sticking to it is just as important.
Don’t go from 0 to 100 in Your Exercise Program Overnight
Remember, doing any level of physical activity is better than doing none. Even low-intensity activity has health benefits. These include a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes as well as musculoskeletal issues.
So it is ok to start off slowly. Begin with a few minutes each day and gradually build on the time and intensity.
However, if you haven’t been active for months or even years, your body will need time to get used to more physical activity. You will find that a sudden change in activity levels may lead to muscle soreness or even injury.
That’s why physiotherapists recommend getting a personal movement and function assessment before starting anything new. Minimising any risk of injury is definitely the reason why prevention is better than cure when it comes to physiotherapy.
Why Prevention is Better Than Cure: See a Physio Before Starting a New Exercise Program
Physiotherapists often see clients seeking treatment after sustaining an injury or feeling physical pain or discomfort. This is regardless of whether the person had not been physically active at all, or an amateur athlete.
This is why physiotherapists recommend that clients make an appointment prior to starting or increasing the intensity of any exercise or physical activity. The chance of injury or pain becomes higher when your body does something it is not used to. After all, prevention is better than cure.
A physiotherapist will develop a tailored program, to help you increase the duration and intensity of your physical activity. It will also assist to lessen the risk of injury and reduce recovery time.
If you do experience pain or sustain any injuries from being more active, a physiotherapist can work with you to identify the cause and correct the problems.
Book a general consultation at Functional Physio Qld to learn more about how physiotherapy can help you to achieve an active and injury-free lifestyle.
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