Activity Six

The aim of this activity is to look at the physical aspects of health and well being by exploring how exercise is important in maintaining good health. This activity also brings together all that you have learnt on the course so far, so that you can set effective and achievable goals.

By the end of this activity you will be able to:

explore the health benefits of exercise on both short and long term conditions
understand how to develop plans to increase physical activity
apply what you have learnt from the course to a range of short and long-term conditions in order to improve your quality of life
use your learning to develop self care approaches to minor health problems and ailments
form self care support networks
make plans for future self care and use signposted self care support resources as necessary.

Activity Six

This activity will first focus on exercise and physical activity. There will be some time towards the end of the session for you to apply what you have learnt to develop self care approaches to managing minor ailments. There will also be time for you to make future plans for the review sessions to be held at 12 weeks, 6 months and 12 month after the course.

Exercise and Health

It is now well known that exercise is important to maintaining general health and well being. However, we are in general a 'lazy nation', 50% of people who start to do exercise drop out within one year. So it is important to choose a variety of exercises that you enjoy, so that routines do not become boring or repetitive.

No one is too young or too old to exercise, and daily exercise has many health benefits. Even small increases in physical activity can make you feel better both physically and mentally.

Exercise or physical activity is any bodily movement that results in using energy, in other words exercise burns off calories. Exercise consists of a set of physical activities that are planned, have structure and are repetitive.

Aims of an exercise plan

The main goals of exercise and physical activity are to:

keep you healthy
increase lung capacity and improve blood circulation
increase your metabolic rate (the rate you burn calories and reduce fat)
improve movements in joints, muscles and ligaments
improve your level of physical fitness (reaching certain levels of endurance, strength, flexibility, balance, speed and co-ordination)
improve psychological and emotional well being
help reduce obesity and associated health problems and conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, bone and joint pain.

Types of exercises

There are many different types of exercise including aerobic, anaerobic and weight-bearing exercise.

	Aerobic exercise mainly works the heart, lungs and the large muscle groups. This type of exercise causes you to breathe more deeply and causes the heart to pump stronger. Aerobic exercise may include swimming, jogging, running, dance, cycling, rowing and walking. You can do aerobic exercise every day.
	Anaerobic exercise involves resistance exercise, working joints, tendons and muscles, although it does include working the heart and blood vessels as well. Activities in this category may include yoga, Tai Chi, gym workouts and bowling. It is recommended that you have at least one day between anaerobic exercises for your body to recover.
	Weight-bearing exercise works against the force of gravity. Weight-bearing exercise is important for building strong bones, which prevents osteoporosis and fractures in later life. Examples of weight-bearing exercise include jogging, walking, hiking, climbing stairs, dancing and weight training.

If you have never exercised, start out slowly and increase your level of activity gradually. It is recommended that you should do at least 30 minutes of moderate to intense activity five times a week. To reduce weight 60 minutes of exercise per day is recommended. However the health benefits of exercise are so great, that even 10 minutes a day is better than nothing.

What is moderate exercise?

On a scale of 1-10, moderate exercise is about level 5. When doing moderate exercise you should still be able to talk.

Exercise 21 - Discuss in a group the general health benefits of exercise

General health benefits of exercise

There are many health benefits of regular exercise. The more intense the exercise, the more significant the health benefits (though people with certain health risks should not do vigorous exercise). However, even minor levels of exercise can help achieve the following:

increase the amount of oxygen the blood can carry, improving fitness levels and lung capacity
reduce the risk of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) - (inactive people are twice as likely to develop CHD than active people)
reduce blood pressure, which can reduce the risk of strokes and kidney disease
reduce body fat which helps to maintain a healthy weight and prevent obesity
reduce bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol
reduce the risk of diabetes
increase glucose tolerance and reduce insulin resistance for people with diabetes
reduce the risk of breast cancer and cancer of the colon
reduce the risk of osteoporosis as exercise strengthens bones and decreases bone loss
reduce depression and anxiety as exercise increase levels of dopamine and serotonin, the 'feel good' hormones
maintain general health (those who exercise have 30% less time off sick compared to people who don't exercise)
reduce the chance of premature death
increase energy levels and concentration
create the 'feel good factor' which increases confidence & self-esteem.

Exercise 22 - Physical activity and you

Consider the questions below and discuss with others in the group the last two points:

How much exercise do you do a day?

What types of exercise do you do?

How do you keep motivated when exercising?

If you don't do much exercise, what prevents you from doing it?

What would help you increase your acitivity level?

Give each other tips on how to increase physical activity.

The key to being motivated to exercise every day is to choose activities that are interesting, challenging, satisfying and, most of all, at a level that you can achieve without doing harm to yourself. It may also be worth having someone to exercise with, which can help you to keep up your exercise plan. Many people think that exercise involves going to the gym or a sports centre.

There are many exercises that with a little planning you and your family can do as part of your every day routine. This just requires a little planning and a different way of thinking.

Here are some tips:

take the stairs instead of the lift or escalator
walk instead of using the car. If you take the bus get off a few stops early and walk the rest of the way
walk the kids to school
dance or swing your body lightly while listening to the radio
if using the car, park the car away from the entrance to the supermarket and walk
doing housework at a faster pace burns more calories and stretches muscles. Chores which burn a lot of calories include cleaning windows, cooking, carrying shopping, washing the car, vacuum cleaning, mowing the lawn and gardening
place the TV's remote and your mobile phone in another room so that you have to move to use them.

Caution - To prevent injury it is important to do a warm up before exercising and cool down afterwards. This involves stretches and will make muscles and joints more flexible. Stop exercising immediately if you feel faint or dizzy, you get chest pain or you feel sick.

What is the best exercise?

The best form of exercise is a physical activity that you will continue to do and enjoy doing the most. Walking is very good exercise as it is cheap, easy and safe to do and you don't need any form of training. You can do it anywhere, at any time, and all year round. Walking for 30 minutes at least three times a week will have great benefits. There are many organised community walks which are easy to access and these are planned around the ability of individuals. Try to find out where your walking activities are held.

Health and Exercise

As well as preventing some illnesses, exercise can also help you to recover from most health problems and conditions. However, to include more exercise in your daily life you need to plan your activities and become motivated to exercise. The model of change introduced in Activity Two gives some tips on how this can be achieved. Now work on your own plan to help you increase your level of physical activity.

Here is the cycle of change with physical activity as an example.

cycle of change

Exercise and its benefit for specific health problems

The next table summarises all the effects and benefits exercise has on a variety of health problems and conditions. There are physical activities listed that are considered helpful or harmful to each condition. This information may help you to design your own exercise programme to suit your individual needs.

Exercise and its benefits for specific health problems and conditions

Management of minor aliments

By this stage you will have fully grasped the concept of self care and will be able to use all the skills you have explored in the course to make more informed health care choices for you and those you care for. The next exercise will help you put your new learning further into practice, so that you can transfer these skills to 'real' situations you may face and health problems you may have in the future.

Coughs, colds, mild aches and pains are all part of life part of life! But how do you deal with them? Think about the following questions and write down your answers, the Trainer will invite answers from the whole group shortly.

Exercise 23 - Managing minor ailments

What is a minor ailment?

List some things you may visit your GP for which you would describe as a 'minor'
ailment or condition.

When does a minor ailment/ condition become major?

Think of the last time you went to the GP or you took a child or other family member.

Why did you go?

Was it for a 'minor ailment'?

What happened at the visit?

What advice and information were you given?

In what ways did you follow the advice? If you did not follow the advice given, why not?

How did you feel about the experience?

Would you do anything differently next time? Alternative approaches?

If you want more information about a specific health problem or condition you can also visit NHS Direct Online at www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk

Now you have almost completed the Self Care Skills Training Course and have looked at alternative ways of dealing with minor ailments, think about what is available where you live to support self care for you, your family, friends and neighbours.

List other support available to you

Looking back over the course

Revisit your list of healthy and unhealthy behaviours from Activity 2 (p23). Is there anything different or additional you would like to change?

Finally, once again map the Self Care Support Resources (SCSR) and Self Care Support Networks (SCSN) in your local Community using the chart and share the information you have with others in the group.

Self Care

Remember to explore networks of support.

Self Care support I may need:

What do I do from here?

First Review Session

Date _____________________________________________________________

Time _____________________________________________________________

Place ____________________________________________________________

Congratulations! You have now completed the Self Care Skills Training Course. We hope you found the course useful and that you have gained many health benefits throughout your learning. We hope that you continue to make changes to live healthier lifestyles and please keep us informed of your progress.