Exercise As Medicine

Prevention, Management & Rehabilitation

Focusing on the prevention, management and rehabilitation of health and medical conditions, the Exercise as Medicine concept considers the effects of medication when exercising and monitors the appropriate type of exercise for each issue.

This is a unique, personalised programme,  incorporating walking, and exercises to improve the cardiovascular system, strength, balance, play and cognition.  Where exercise is superior to medicine is that it is preventative!

Conditions include: arthritis, joint replacements, simple mechanical back pain, asthma and COPD, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, coronory heart disease, Parkinson's, stroke, stress, anxiety and depression.

In 2019, June Stevenson completed training to become a Certified Exercise As Medicine Trainer (Wright Foundation - UK).

If you have any of the listed conditions and are seeking guidance on how to exercise appropriately, please email your interest to:

Contact:  junestevenson@NordicKiwi.co.nz

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3004757/

Physical Activity Motivation

A physically activie lifestyle has been clearly linked to improving the health status for many different physiological and psychological conditions.  Despite this general knowledge and the ongoing promotion of the benefits, regular participiation in activity remains low.  Recently, the World Health Organiation rated New Zealand to have the 13th worst inactivity levels in the world.

Knowlege is latent until it is used, and the bridge for instigating activity lies within the realm of our motivation.  There are a number of theoretical models describing motivation and despite many people not being regularly active, the surge of activity during the Covid-19 lock-down, was interesting to observe.

During the enforced lock-down, we were permitted to escape our confinement by going out for exercise.  This was an area where we had a circle of control and we expressed our self-determination to control our life by engaging in activity.  Our behaviour was freely chosen, even though influenced by lock-down restrictions.

Other components of motivation include feeling able to do the activity and a sense of satisfaction and social involvement.   Along with other behavioural factors and influences, a lowly motivated person can evolve and develop higher levels of personal motivation.

The key is to regularly do something active.  Endeavour to source and strengthen your own motivation - even though you may rely on others to provide it to start with.

Graphic: LifeSpanFitness.com

Our Mutual Friends

JOIN WORLD NORDIC WALKING DAY - This Weekend

Our international colleagues have put together a great video to encourage you to join in this weekend's World Nordic Walking Day.  Enjoy the connection with the international Nordic Walking community by registering for the "In your Bubble" event".  New Zealand is the remotest nation on earth and is the first country to start these celebrations.  It will be great to, once again, show our leadership - " from the uttermost ends of the earth"!

Watch the video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM6QUXryGlA&feature=youtu.be

"In Your Bubble" Event - This Weekend

 5km, 10km or 20km Challenge 

Nordic Walk either 5kms or 10kms on one or both days (total 5kms, 10kms or 20kms over both days), Saturday 16 May and/or Sunday 17 May.  (If entering the 2 day event, you will need to make separate entries for each day).

All finishers receive a certificate of participation and recognition from INWA, so please allow 'Eventbrite' to share your details with Nordic Kiwi.

Not a 'Nordic Walker' yet?  No problem, you are most welcome to enter this challenge.ordic Kiwi.  

To enter, please click the following link:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/in-your-bubble-nordic-walking-10km-or-20km-2-x-day-challenge-tickets-103877614742 

The Blue Marble

In keeping with the "World Nordic Walking Day", I have included this amazing photograph of the "Blue Marble", as it has become known as.  It is an image of the Earth taken on December 7 1972, photographed by the crew of the Apollo 17 spacecraft, on their way to the Moon.

This was the first time the Apollo trajectory made it possible to photograph the south polar ice cap, despite the Southern Hemisphere being heavily covered in clouds.  It shows the Earth from the Mediterranean Sea to Antarctica. The Arabian Peninsula, Madagascar, and the entire coastline of Africa is visible. The Asian mainland is on the horizon.

The  1972 Tamil Nadu cyclone can be seen in the bottom left of the image.

Today, digital technology enables us to connect, almost instantly, with people from all over the world.  Wendell Berry (novelist and environmental activist) quotes that 'the earth is all that connects us'.  It is our home.