Sam finds out about "cardio"

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Sam finds out about "cardio"

Caption: : What does moving do for our body?

Sam thought...

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That exercise is something meant only for fat or otherwise unhealthy people. Although told regularly we all need to exercise, Sam didn't take heed because frankly speaking, there are more important things to do. It didn't help that people make bodicious claims that exercise helps us with so many aspects of our life. Sam was doing fine. If Sam's health is fine, then what does Sam need to exercise?

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But why is there a minimum?

Sam constantly is told, by the TV, by the doctor, by magazines, the same message. You need a minimum amount of exercise per week, to stay healthy. Further to this Sam saw an article that said "being sedentary is equally dangerous to smoking". This got Sam's attention. How is it possible that not moving, and sitting for most of the day, could be similar to inhaling toxic chemicals into our lungs? Sam checked out the facts around obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other sedentary lifestyle conditions. Over and over again the same message came through, "we need to exercise a minimum amount per week to ward off these conditions".

But Sam didn't enjoy exercise...

Given the choice between exercising, and something else, Sam tended to choose the something else. As Sam got older though, Sam noticed a common pattern in the exercise recommendations. "if you do moderate exercise, you need near 3 hours per week. But if the exercise is intense, you need less than 1 and a half hours". Intense defined has leaving you panting for breath and fairly sweaty. That got Sam's attention, and she thought carefully about any activities that were intense that she enjoyed and that she has done for more than an hour. The answer struck her immediately. The times when she has been panting and sweaty and enjoyed it was dancing at parties. But she only did that a few times a year, surely that's not enough.

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The penny drop moment

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Sam realised that exercise doesn't have to be boring and tedious. As long as there is music, and she is with people she enjoys being with, she can easily exercise for 1 and a half hours. Now she just needed to find a way to ensure she didn't have to wait until the next party, which was months away. Surely, she could exercise many times per week. She decided to do some more research beyond the numbers. She wanted to understand better, what else exercise does for our health, so that she could choose her activities more wisely.

"If exercise could be purchased in a pill, it would be the single most widely prescribed and benefical medicine in the nation" Robert H Butler

Exercise can't be packaged up easily

Sam discovers that many medical practitioners regard exercise as one of the most important things we can do to improve and maintain good health.

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Caption: : Credit: yourwomensclinic.com

The mind, body and soul?

Sam had seen it all before, of course people who exercise have less body fat. Of course they live longer. Of course they are stronger. But some of the benefits started getting Sam's attention. Wards off viruses... really? Sam lived through the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, and although she wouldn't have given it too much thought before, she realised that the news kept reporting oon Covid19 deaths including statements like "... with underlying health conditions". What were those conditions? Often obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The same conditions attributed to exercise.  What about this other one though, "boosts mood?" How does exercise do that... exactly?

Sam is already focused

Like many people that neglect to exercise, one of the reasons Sam isn't exercising near the recommended amount is because her work gets in the way. With always too much to do, impending deadlines and constantly thinking about promotion, Sam's decision to focus on the next email instead of exercising, is easily made for her. But she knows that apart from neglecting to exercise, this constant stress and uncertainty about work is not doing her, or her family, any good. Constantly checking her emails, constantly attending meetings, and constantly filling out forms. All this ruins her mood, and isn't the life she thought she was signing up for. Regardless, she knows that to progress in her career she needs to keep a sharp mind. And surely sitting at her desk answering emails is the best way to do this, right?

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But Sam was missing the point of exercise

Sam was so preoccupied with reading books on influencing, negotition, writing better CVs, networking and other things to advance Sam's career. It was time to broaden Sam's horizons. Sam stumbled across a "self-help" book by a doctor which suggested that not only does exercise improve our brain function. This doctor went as far as to say, the "only reason we have a brain is for movement". Sam's jaw dropped, and reading the book led to revelation after revelation. All Sam could think was, "why haven't I been told this before?" and "why don't more people know about this?". Sam realised that exercise wasn't something just for the remit of vain body builders, models and performers. If anyone is going to be effective in any line of work, they need to recognise that the single thing they can do to boost their brain function, is exercise.

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Sam is enlightened about movement

Sam made the connection for the first time about what cardiovascular exercise means. Moving our body makes water, blood, oxygen and nutrients flow to different parts of our body. If we sit still, this natural process is not allowed to happen.