Would a builder benefit by going to the gym? Can excessive ‘sitting’ in a job contribute to ill-health? What are the implications of lack of a regular exercise regime?
Virtually every role in society can benefit by adopting a regular exercise programme.
New Zealand’s top three causes of premature death are from (1) Cardiovascular disease (2) Cancer (3) Respiratory diseases. A fit, strong body will be your best defence and insurance against ALL three factors. And of course all three can be heavily complemented by also assuring you have a healthy balanced diet.
Have you noticed that an increasing number of occupations have evolved into ‘sitting’ for extended periods? Yet sitting, without regular movement breaks, has now been proven to be extremely hazardous to your health. Experts attest that prolonged daily sitting leads to a lower energy output, increased body-weight and a decline in cardiovascular health. It can also impact your posture, lead to back and neck pain, an increased incidence of diabetes, poor circulation and cancer. It might even surprise you that extensive sitting is now known to lead to a decline in mental health, depression, mood and anxiety. Few can argue then, that it makes allot of sense, that if you ‘sit for a job’, that you should also enter into a regular daily exercise programme.
But what about the occupations, like builders, who are often active all day? Yes, while the activity would give builders a head start to better health, these tradesman will also benefit from a scientifically balanced exercise programme. For instance, heart-health. To increase your cardiovascular fitness you need to get your pulse up to 50-70% of your maximum training heart-rate. Unless you are carrying a truck-load of wet floor-joists to a building site each day for 20-40 minutes straight, you’re probably not going to get into the cardiovascular improvement zone.
Then there’s the strength component. Once your body has adapted to your regular daily work-loads, there my be no further improvement. Often also a risk of lower back injury as there is little focus on care strength. Yet with a 30-45 minute well designed progressive resistance workout, 2-3 times a week at the gym, you will continue to adapt and to improve in strength. Don’t forget to add the cardio.
In summary, EVERYONE will benefit by dedicating priority time to a 30-60 minute exercise session a day.
