The following
program presents principles
00:00:01.98\00:00:02.95
designed to
promote good health and is
00:00:02.96\00:00:04.44
not intended to
take the place of
00:00:04.47\00:00:05.95
personalized professional care.
00:00:05.98\00:00:07.72
The opinions and
ideas expressed are those
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of the speaker.
Viewers are encouraged to draw
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their own conclusions about
00:00:13.21\00:00:14.63
the information presented.
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Whether you are
youngster, a young adult
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or in your golden
years, physical activity is
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vital to your
health and well-being.
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Hello and welcome
to Wonderfully Made.
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My name is Don
Morgan and I'm an exercise
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physiologist, who
teaches in the Department of
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Health and Human
Performance at Middle
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Tennessee State
University. This is the final
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presentation in a
series of 11 programs that have
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highlighted the
importance of physical
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activity as a corner
stone of good health.
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Today, I want to review
some of the major points
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that have been
discussed in this health series.
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So, that you can feel
encouraged, energized,
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and empowered to live
a physically active life.
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Towards the end of the
program, I'll also share a
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personal testimony about
the positive changes that
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have occurred in my
own life as a result of
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engaging in a
regular routine of physical
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activity and exercise.
Early on in this series
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I emphasized the spiritual
dimensions of leading a
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physically active life.
If one considers examples
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in the natural world,
the heavenly bodies, which
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surround us the
oceans, the rivers, the roaring
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surf, and the wind.
The common feature of all
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of these phenomena is
motion and if one piers
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inside the human body,
physiological process is
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like breathing, the
circulation of the blood
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and muscle contraction,
all of these signify the life
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giving properties
associated with movement.
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We worship a God, who
has created a universe
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that operates on the
foundational principles of
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action and motion.
So, when we seek out
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opportunities to be
physically active, we fit
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seamlessly into
God's creation plan.
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A plan in which
movement and activity
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are the norm and not the
exception, in this health
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series I have
tried to impart factual
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information about
the many health benefits
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of regular physical
activity. However, knowledge
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about the benefits of
physical activity really
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isn't much help,
unless they are tied to the
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practice of physical
activity. For those of you,
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who lead active
lives there is almost an
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instinctive understanding
of how essential physical
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activity is in the
maintenance of good health.
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If it's your desire to
start down the road to better
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health and fitness, it is
vital to find a reason that
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you can identify with for
becoming physically active.
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As I have mentioned
before there is no single
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overwriting rationale
that will work for everyone,
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but there is a reason
to be active that will make
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sense to each person
watching this program today.
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For example, perhaps
you've come to appreciate
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the sheer enormity of
the health blessings that
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come from adopting
an active lifestyle.
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If you've been watching
this series of programs,
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you've learned that health
producing physical activity
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can lower the risk of
dying from heart disease,
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reduce high blood
pressure, prevent weight
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gain, promote weight
loss and decrease high fat
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levels in the
blood. Regular amounts of
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physical activity and
exercise can also lower
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the risk of developing
type II diabetes, reduce
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the chance of
developing some site-specific
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cancers, increase
muscular strength and
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bone density and
improve various aspects
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of mental health. Maybe
you are not functioning as
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well as you used to
and you want to become
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stronger and more fit.
So, that you can perform
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daily living
tasks more effectively.
00:05:06.98\00:05:09.79
It's possible that a
recent medical crisis has gotten
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your attention or
you've decided that you want to
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look and feel better
or you've come to realize
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that your health and
well-being matters not just
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to you but to others,
who love you, care for you
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and depend on you.
Whatever it is that
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motivates you to become
more active, the key is to
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find a reason that has
personal meaning for you,
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because it will be this
reason that will serve as
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an internal compass
and guide to keep you
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motivated to daily energize your
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body with physical activity.
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As you leave your
sedentary existence
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behind and begin to
live an active life,
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you will start to reap
the physical, the mental, and
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the spiritual
blessings that God so wants to
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bestow upon you. How
much physical activity
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is needed to
improve ones health?
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According to the 1996
Surgeon General's Report
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on physical activity and
health, people of all ages
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should engage in a
minimum of 30 minutes
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of moderate
physical activity on most,
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if not all days of the
week. This activity can
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either be performed in
one session or it can be
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broken up into
smaller chunks of time,
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either approach can
yield good health and
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fitness benefits. One
way to know that you are
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exercising at a
moderate intensity is if you can
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easily carry on a
conversation with a
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fellow exerciser.
Examples of health
00:07:04.23\00:07:08.24
producing physical
activity can include
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structured exercise
like walking 30 minutes a day
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or playing
volleyball in a community league
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two nights a week.
Health benefits can also be
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gained through more
unstructured physical
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activities like pushing
a baby stroller, gardening
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or playing pick up
basketball on the weekend.
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If you lead a busy life
like I'm sure many of you do,
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there are variety of
simple, yet effective ways to
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accumulate physical
activity during the course
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of a normal day.
These include parking your
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car farther away from
where you work or shop
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or getting off the bus
or train several blocks from
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your destination. If you
are trying to get from point
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A to point B meander
or wander just a bit,
00:08:01.17\00:08:07.43
before you arrive
at where you are going,
00:08:08.48\00:08:10.25
doing lunch or breaks in
the work day, take a short
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walk around your
office building or when
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transacting
business at the local bank
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avoid using the driven
teller. You can play with
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your kids or grand
kids at home or at the park
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or if you are watching
TV avoid using the remote
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control device and
actually get up to change the
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channels. Now, that is
novel idea, even fidgeting
00:08:38.66\00:08:44.53
may help to limit
unwanted weight gain,
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there are numerous
opportunities for each of
00:08:51.23\00:08:53.92
us to engage in
health producing physical
00:08:53.95\00:08:56.44
activity, all we have to
do is to take advantage of
00:08:56.47\00:09:01.56
them, by accumulating
small bits of physical
00:09:01.59\00:09:05.51
activities throughout
the day you will eventually
00:09:05.54\00:09:09.07
notice definite
improvements in your
00:09:09.10\00:09:11.75
overall health
status. You know we make time
00:09:11.78\00:09:17.81
to do the things that hold
a lot of importance for us,
00:09:17.84\00:09:20.76
whether it's shopping
at the mall, spending time
00:09:22.19\00:09:25.86
with loved ones or
watching the Super Bowl
00:09:25.89\00:09:29.43
with friends, we make
time to do the things that
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have meaning for us.
When you are attempted
00:09:32.17\00:09:35.41
to think that you just
don't have enough time to
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exercise, I want you
to remember something
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and that is this, there
are 1440 minutes in everyday.
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Your goal is to simply
try and spend at least 30 of
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them being physical active.
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In the fourth program in
this series, we examine the
00:09:58.84\00:10:02.56
physical activity
levels of a Canadian Amish
00:10:02.59\00:10:05.68
Farming Community.
The Amish continue to live
00:10:05.71\00:10:10.25
as they have for
centuries, avoiding electricity,
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gas power
transportation as well as other
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conveniences of
modern society that we have
00:10:17.22\00:10:19.95
come to take for granted.
In a study of nearly 100
00:10:19.98\00:10:25.22
Amish men and women,
who lived in rural setting,
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pedometers were used
to quantify their physical
00:10:29.00\00:10:32.31
activity levels.
Findings from this investigation
00:10:32.34\00:10:36.55
reveled that the
Amish men averaged more than
00:10:36.58\00:10:39.41
18000 steps per day,
while the Amish women
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took more than
14000 steps per day.
00:10:44.71\00:10:47.54
Using a threshold of
10,000 steps per day as
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being indicative of an
active person, it's clear
00:10:52.27\00:10:56.57
that the normal
physical labor and work tasks
00:10:56.60\00:10:59.67
performed by the Amish
study participants were
00:10:59.86\00:11:03.81
reflective of a
very active lifestyle.
00:11:03.84\00:11:06.38
From a health perspective,
the levels of obesity and
00:11:08.07\00:11:11.75
excessive weight seen
in this group were much
00:11:11.78\00:11:15.28
lower than values
reported for age-matched
00:11:15.31\00:11:18.50
non-Amish adults and
given the typical Amish
00:11:18.82\00:11:24.71
Diet, which is high
in fat and refined sugar
00:11:24.74\00:11:28.47
and includes staples
such as meat, potatoes, gravy,
00:11:29.47\00:11:32.40
eggs and desserts.
It seems reasonable to
00:11:32.63\00:11:36.35
suggest that the elevated
level of lifestyle physical
00:11:36.38\00:11:40.70
activity displayed by
the Amish was a key factor in
00:11:40.73\00:11:46.77
explaining their lower
incidence of obesity and
00:11:46.80\00:11:49.54
overweightness compared
to the general population.
00:11:49.57\00:11:53.24
Those who have listened
to me in earlier programs
00:11:56.01\00:11:58.66
know that I am a
strong proponent of using
00:11:59.13\00:12:02.19
pedometers like these,
to estimate the volume of
00:12:02.27\00:12:06.49
physical activity performed
in activities like walking
00:12:06.52\00:12:09.89
or running. The first
step in using a pedometer is
00:12:09.92\00:12:16.18
to determine your
average daily step count,
00:12:16.21\00:12:18.81
to do this simply
record how many steps you take
00:12:19.95\00:12:24.47
each day with your
pedometer over a five to
00:12:24.50\00:12:27.82
seven day period and then
average these daily values
00:12:27.85\00:12:32.20
to derive your
normal daily step count.
00:12:32.23\00:12:35.41
Once you've calculated
this figure increase the
00:12:36.61\00:12:39.91
number of steps
taken by approximately 10%
00:12:39.94\00:12:43.26
and attempt to
increase your lifestyle physical
00:12:44.20\00:12:46.81
activity over the
next one to two weeks using
00:12:46.84\00:12:50.83
some of the examples
I talked about before to
00:12:50.86\00:12:53.96
reach this new goal.
If you are able to attain
00:12:53.99\00:12:58.59
this goal, continue
to establish new stepping
00:12:58.92\00:13:02.77
levels in the coming
weeks until you arrive at
00:13:02.80\00:13:06.85
a daily step count that
you are comfortable with
00:13:06.88\00:13:10.12
and that you feel you
can reasonably sustain.
00:13:10.85\00:13:13.43
On the other hand if
you don't reach your step
00:13:14.98\00:13:17.92
goal, continue to work
towards it or reduce it
00:13:17.95\00:13:22.27
slightly until
you're successful.
00:13:22.30\00:13:24.86
For many people
pedometers serve as an
00:13:26.53\00:13:29.40
excellent motivational
tool and can provide a
00:13:29.43\00:13:33.08
good sense of
whether you are on track in
00:13:33.11\00:13:36.52
accumulating physical
activity or whether you are
00:13:36.55\00:13:39.72
behind and need to step
up your daily activity level.
00:13:39.75\00:13:44.96
One important take home
message from this series
00:13:47.51\00:13:50.44
of programs has been
that you don't have to engage
00:13:50.47\00:13:53.85
in hard vigorous
physical activity to secure
00:13:53.88\00:13:57.34
important health
benefits. Data from the Cooper
00:13:57.37\00:14:01.98
Institute for aerobics
research has shown that
00:14:02.01\00:14:04.48
men and women
exhibiting high levels of
00:14:04.51\00:14:07.73
fitness, displayed
the lowest mortality rates
00:14:07.76\00:14:11.24
from both heart
disease as well as cancer,
00:14:11.27\00:14:14.19
when compared to
persons of poor or
00:14:15.04\00:14:17.47
average fitness. However
individuals who exhibited
00:14:17.50\00:14:22.47
just average levels
of fitness displayed much
00:14:22.50\00:14:26.14
lower heart disease
and cancer death rates than
00:14:26.17\00:14:29.49
those with poor fitness levels.
00:14:29.52\00:14:31.66
To me these
findings provide a message of
00:14:33.40\00:14:36.82
hope and encouragement
because they show that
00:14:36.85\00:14:40.31
you don't need to exhibit
athletic levels of fitness
00:14:40.34\00:14:43.41
to markedly lower
your risk of dying from
00:14:44.32\00:14:47.11
common lifestyle
diseases like heart
00:14:47.14\00:14:49.83
disease and
cancer. By consistently
00:14:49.86\00:14:54.25
accumulating at least
30 minutes of moderate
00:14:54.28\00:14:57.16
intensity physical
activity on a daily basis,
00:14:57.19\00:15:01.08
you too can begin to
improve your fitness level
00:15:02.17\00:15:05.81
and in the process substantially
00:15:06.53\00:15:10.10
reduce your likelihood of death.
00:15:10.13\00:15:12.67
At the beginning of
this program I touched on
00:15:15.11\00:15:18.34
the importance of
being physically active
00:15:18.37\00:15:20.47
throughout all
phases of ones life.
00:15:21.06\00:15:23.69
In this series I
devoted one program exclusively
00:15:25.15\00:15:29.34
to the impact of
physical activity in combating
00:15:30.19\00:15:33.43
childhood obesity.
Over the past 30 years the
00:15:33.46\00:15:38.71
prevalence of
childhood obesity has risen from
00:15:38.74\00:15:42.49
5 to 14% in pre-school
children from 4 to 19%
00:15:42.52\00:15:48.90
in children aged six to
11 and from 6 to over 17%
00:15:49.39\00:15:55.39
in children 12
to 19 years of age.
00:15:56.09\00:15:59.51
Moreover the likelihood
that an obese child will
00:16:01.02\00:16:04.94
become an obese
adult increases as children
00:16:04.97\00:16:09.07
grow older. These
sobering statistics
00:16:09.26\00:16:13.34
emphasize the need
for parents and schools
00:16:13.69\00:16:16.79
to promote physical
activity early in a child's
00:16:17.23\00:16:20.95
life to prevent or to
moderate excessive weight gain.
00:16:20.98\00:16:25.80
There is much that can
be done to raise levels of
00:16:28.15\00:16:31.32
childhood physical
activity both in the home
00:16:31.35\00:16:34.19
as well as at school.
At home, physical activity
00:16:34.84\00:16:39.91
should be a family
affair with time for all to
00:16:39.94\00:16:43.89
participate in activities
that everyone can enjoy.
00:16:43.92\00:16:47.28
Whenever possible
the goal should be to
00:16:48.41\00:16:51.40
maximize outside time
and to minimize inside
00:16:51.43\00:16:56.30
time. As parents it's
important to make time
00:16:56.33\00:17:01.65
to take your children
to places where they can be
00:17:01.68\00:17:03.76
active like
parks and playgrounds.
00:17:03.79\00:17:06.66
In addition, you can
join together with other
00:17:08.10\00:17:11.16
families to play basketball,
touch football, soccer
00:17:11.19\00:17:15.47
or even hide and seek,
children along with other
00:17:16.07\00:17:21.65
family members can be
assigned active household
00:17:21.68\00:17:24.99
duties like
vacuuming, washing the car
00:17:25.02\00:17:28.25
or mowing the lawn.
If your child spends too
00:17:28.84\00:17:33.10
many hours of the day
in front of a television
00:17:33.13\00:17:35.47
set or a computer
screen, you can begin to
00:17:35.50\00:17:39.86
gradually reduce
the amount of time spent
00:17:39.89\00:17:43.14
watching TV,
playing computer games,
00:17:43.17\00:17:46.14
or surfing the
internet by substituting more
00:17:46.72\00:17:50.01
active pass times.
Perhaps the strongest
00:17:50.04\00:17:54.65
statement that parents
can make to their children
00:17:54.68\00:17:56.96
is to model a
physically active lifestyle,
00:17:57.95\00:18:01.31
my wife and I try
to model MIDI behaviors
00:18:03.10\00:18:06.79
to our children like
honesty, the value of hard
00:18:06.82\00:18:10.77
work, kindness,
responsibility, respect for
00:18:10.80\00:18:15.13
others; behaviors that
we want our children to
00:18:15.16\00:18:18.85
emulate. When your
children see you been
00:18:18.88\00:18:23.34
physically active on a
consistent basis, you are
00:18:23.37\00:18:26.72
not only role modeling
a good health habit, but
00:18:26.75\00:18:30.84
you are also speaking
volumes to your children
00:18:30.87\00:18:33.51
about how important
physical activity is to you.
00:18:34.49\00:18:38.74
When the entire
family engages in physical
00:18:41.02\00:18:43.83
activity together everyone
receives a good workout,
00:18:43.86\00:18:48.30
everyone expend some
energy and everyone in
00:18:48.96\00:18:52.51
the family connects emotionally.
00:18:52.54\00:18:54.66
This last point is
very important because what
00:18:56.25\00:19:00.52
most children really
want is to simply spend
00:19:00.55\00:19:04.86
more time with their parents.
00:19:05.55\00:19:07.51
Since children spend
most of their waking hours at
00:19:09.91\00:19:12.35
school, it's vital
to support and lobby for
00:19:12.38\00:19:15.66
quality physical
education programs.
00:19:15.69\00:19:17.98
Physical education is
a vital component of the
00:19:18.88\00:19:21.44
overall educational
curriculum, because it is
00:19:21.47\00:19:24.96
in these classes the
children learn how to
00:19:24.99\00:19:27.96
perform the fundamental
motor skills that are
00:19:27.99\00:19:30.97
needed to successfully
participate in lifetime
00:19:31.00\00:19:33.87
physical activities.
Moreover recent findings
00:19:33.90\00:19:38.42
have shown a strong
relationship between
00:19:38.45\00:19:41.04
physical fitness levels
and academic performance
00:19:41.07\00:19:44.65
as measured by
standardized test scores,
00:19:44.68\00:19:47.19
which implies a
positive link between a healthy
00:19:47.95\00:19:51.26
body and good
school performance.
00:19:51.29\00:19:54.27
Daily time for an
structured physical
00:19:56.15\00:19:57.97
activity like recess
must also be protected.
00:19:58.00\00:20:01.87
Recent guideline
suggest that school age children
00:20:03.59\00:20:06.24
should accumulate at
least 60 minutes and up
00:20:06.27\00:20:09.45
to several hours of
age appropriate physical
00:20:09.48\00:20:12.71
activity on all or
most days of the week.
00:20:12.74\00:20:16.61
It's also
recommended that children avoid
00:20:18.08\00:20:20.25
prolong periods of
inactivity, especially
00:20:20.28\00:20:23.37
during day light
hours. As a final point, it's
00:20:23.40\00:20:27.82
essential that infants,
toddlers and preschoolers
00:20:27.85\00:20:30.89
be given ample opportunity
to participate in structured
00:20:31.18\00:20:34.63
as well as
unstructured physical activity
00:20:35.14\00:20:37.01
experiences in
safe and encouraging
00:20:37.04\00:20:39.76
environments. As
very young children learn
00:20:39.79\00:20:43.22
how to walk, run,
jump, throw, catch and kick
00:20:43.25\00:20:46.87
they begin developing
the foundational motor
00:20:47.95\00:20:50.29
skills that are
necessary for more complex
00:20:50.32\00:20:53.44
fitness and sport activities.
00:20:53.47\00:20:55.82
At the other end of
the lifespan continuum,
00:20:57.73\00:21:00.30
we have either
reached our golden years or we
00:21:00.92\00:21:03.93
are on route to reaching
them. Consequently it is
00:21:03.96\00:21:08.87
so important for
older adults to remain
00:21:08.90\00:21:11.14
physically active,
in fact regular doses of
00:21:11.17\00:21:15.08
physical activity
can prevent or reduce
00:21:15.11\00:21:17.57
declines in physical
function, improve aerobic
00:21:17.60\00:21:20.75
endurance and muscle
strength and lower insulin
00:21:20.78\00:21:24.38
resistance in the
senior population.
00:21:24.41\00:21:26.47
Other benefits
include better bone health,
00:21:27.92\00:21:30.37
less risk for falls
and related injuries or
00:21:30.89\00:21:33.42
fractures, increased
flexibility and joint range
00:21:33.45\00:21:37.30
of motion and the preservation
of cognitive function.
00:21:37.33\00:21:41.38
Overall a regular
program of physical activity can
00:21:42.95\00:21:47.05
contribute to a healthy
and independent lifestyle
00:21:47.08\00:21:49.75
for the older individual
and can lead to better
00:21:50.06\00:21:53.10
functional capacity and
a higher quality of life.
00:21:53.13\00:21:56.61
If you have followed
the series of programs
00:21:59.23\00:22:01.83
you know that I
am an avid runner.
00:22:02.95\00:22:05.17
Well, my pace might
charitably be described
00:22:06.98\00:22:09.45
as pedestrian; I
really enjoy being able to run
00:22:09.48\00:22:13.62
along the country
roads and rolling hills
00:22:13.65\00:22:16.05
of Middle Tennessee.
To me there is a wonderful
00:22:16.65\00:22:21.67
sense of freedom that
comes from feeling the
00:22:21.70\00:22:23.77
sun and wind against my
face, as I run along the
00:22:23.80\00:22:27.85
back roads and survey
the rural scenes that dot my
00:22:27.88\00:22:32.05
running path. As a
child going up in Hawaii
00:22:32.08\00:22:36.56
I enjoyed many land
and water sports and as a
00:22:37.40\00:22:41.06
young adult I played
competitive volleyball,
00:22:41.09\00:22:44.14
however with the
passage of time I gradually
00:22:45.74\00:22:49.63
became less consistent
in my own exercise and
00:22:49.66\00:22:53.44
activity habits,
this reduction in physical
00:22:53.47\00:22:57.88
activity became more
noticeable about 15 years ago,
00:22:57.91\00:23:01.92
by then I was still
physically active but on a
00:23:02.93\00:23:06.73
much more irregular
basis. I was busy starting
00:23:06.76\00:23:10.88
a career in my academic
field and that took a lot of
00:23:10.91\00:23:13.91
energy, which left
less time to devote to
00:23:13.94\00:23:17.25
exercise. In addition,
I'd just become a new father
00:23:17.28\00:23:22.16
and I was busy
learning how to do that job
00:23:22.85\00:23:25.31
in addition to
trying to be a good husband.
00:23:26.04\00:23:28.22
So, I simply rationalize
that I didn't have enough
00:23:29.64\00:23:32.41
time to be physically
active the way I used to be.
00:23:32.44\00:23:35.70
The first sign
that something might be
00:23:37.87\00:23:39.72
wrong with this
picture was when I was running
00:23:39.75\00:23:42.53
with a friend and
noticed that my heart
00:23:42.56\00:23:45.10
was beating irregularly,
because I didn't feel any
00:23:45.13\00:23:48.97
pain or chest pressure
I just choked this up as
00:23:49.00\00:23:52.97
an anomaly.
However after this happened
00:23:53.00\00:23:56.97
again I was curious so
I hooked myself up to an
00:23:57.00\00:24:01.42
EKG machine in my
exercise laboratory and
00:24:01.45\00:24:05.34
I monitored my heart
activity as I ran on a
00:24:05.37\00:24:07.90
treadmill, as I
increased the exercise intensity
00:24:07.93\00:24:12.35
I started noticing
that my heart was beating
00:24:12.82\00:24:14.86
more and more irregularly,
I stopped the treadmill
00:24:14.89\00:24:18.65
and wondered
what's going on here.
00:24:18.91\00:24:21.00
I went to a
physician, who ran a complete
00:24:22.10\00:24:25.13
physical on me and
he found nothing wrong,
00:24:25.16\00:24:27.48
but he said, why
don't you complete a graded
00:24:27.51\00:24:30.15
exercise in the cardiologist
office just to be sure.
00:24:30.18\00:24:34.53
I knew of a heart
doctor who came with high
00:24:35.88\00:24:38.03
recommendations
and I scheduled a
00:24:38.06\00:24:40.19
visit to his office.
However, the next day
00:24:40.22\00:24:43.84
just before Sabbath
began so it was Friday evening
00:24:43.87\00:24:46.83
I started
experiencing continuous heart
00:24:47.77\00:24:50.09
palpitations and I
knew enough to realize that
00:24:50.12\00:24:53.06
this wasn't normal that
had never occurred before
00:24:53.09\00:24:57.21
and I was as you
might imagine very
00:24:58.12\00:25:00.67
apprehensive, so all
of us myself, my wife,
00:25:00.70\00:25:04.32
and my one-year-old
daughter we all raised to
00:25:04.35\00:25:07.39
the local emergency
room, where I spent hours
00:25:07.42\00:25:09.74
hooked up to an EKG
machine, as I laid in bed
00:25:09.77\00:25:13.41
trying to remain
calm I looked up at my EKG
00:25:13.74\00:25:17.43
reading and I, a
number of questions raised
00:25:17.46\00:25:19.94
through my mind,
questions that a new
00:25:19.97\00:25:22.19
father shouldn't
ever have to ponder.
00:25:22.22\00:25:24.02
Questions like am I going
to have heart attack tonight
00:25:25.49\00:25:28.45
and maybe die or will I
be able to see my daughter
00:25:28.64\00:25:32.63
grow up or how can I
leave my wife with the
00:25:32.66\00:25:36.28
task of raising my
daughter. Eventually after four
00:25:36.31\00:25:41.11
hours had passed
the palpitations finally
00:25:41.14\00:25:43.40
stopped and we were able
to go home, thankful that
00:25:44.49\00:25:47.08
at least for the
moment all seemed to be okay.
00:25:47.11\00:25:50.40
I was however shaken to
the core and I felt very
00:25:51.52\00:25:55.43
uneasy about what
it happened. A few days
00:25:55.46\00:25:58.62
later I underwent a
treadmill exercise test
00:25:58.65\00:26:01.34
and consoled myself
with a thought that if
00:26:01.78\00:26:03.61
I collapse or passed out
at least it would happen in
00:26:03.64\00:26:06.23
a cardiologist office, the
result of the test indicated
00:26:06.26\00:26:10.48
that well I did not
have any underlying cardiac
00:26:10.51\00:26:13.00
disease, my aerobic
fitness was much lower
00:26:13.03\00:26:16.10
than I expected and
my blood pressure was in
00:26:16.13\00:26:18.81
elevated range, while
the doctor was telling me
00:26:18.84\00:26:22.48
what I needed to
do, I thought to myself
00:26:22.51\00:26:25.53
I know exactly what
I need to do, I am an
00:26:26.08\00:26:28.62
exercise physiologist.
So, from that day forward
00:26:28.65\00:26:32.61
I began walking in
the morning and afternoon
00:26:32.97\00:26:35.12
with my wife and soon
I was walking dozens of
00:26:35.15\00:26:38.25
miles per week and
after a couple of months
00:26:38.28\00:26:41.51
realizing that my
heart was still working fine
00:26:41.75\00:26:44.58
I began to run and
I've been running fairly
00:26:45.13\00:26:48.15
consistently ever
since. I now know that the
00:26:48.18\00:26:51.95
palpitations I experienced
were benign and unrelated
00:26:51.98\00:26:55.21
to heart disease however
this entire experience was
00:26:55.24\00:26:59.92
a wakeup call to drastically
change my approach to
00:26:59.95\00:27:03.53
been physically
active. I have no doubt that
00:27:03.56\00:27:07.63
I would have had a major
health set back, had I not
00:27:07.66\00:27:10.42
started and
maintained a regular program of
00:27:10.45\00:27:12.98
physical activity.
My quality of life and
00:27:13.01\00:27:16.55
my ability to perform
daily living activities is
00:27:16.58\00:27:19.93
immeasurably better
because of the strength
00:27:19.96\00:27:22.63
and fitness that I have
gained by finding a place
00:27:22.66\00:27:25.55
for regular
physical activity in my life.
00:27:25.58\00:27:28.09
The reason that I've
shared this story with you
00:27:29.54\00:27:31.73
is because it illustrates
what my reason is for
00:27:31.76\00:27:34.32
adopting a healthy
lifestyle. Earlier in this
00:27:34.35\00:27:37.93
program I talked
about the need to find a
00:27:37.96\00:27:40.08
personal reason to
be physically active,
00:27:40.11\00:27:42.87
for those of you who have
listened to this series of
00:27:43.61\00:27:46.08
programs and have been
motivated to start and to
00:27:46.11\00:27:48.66
maintain a program of
physical activity, you too
00:27:48.69\00:27:52.38
will eventually have a
story to tell that will be
00:27:52.94\00:27:55.56
equally meaningful and may lead
00:27:55.59\00:27:57.78
others to adopt
an active lifestyle.
00:27:57.81\00:28:00.14
I wish the best for
each of you and just
00:28:01.10\00:28:03.90
remember keep walking step by
00:28:03.93\00:28:06.49
step towards
better health and fitness.
00:28:06.52\00:28:09.41