Student 1 Marufa Yesmin posted
Student 1
Marufa Yesmin posted
Fitness goals for Healthy People 2020 is to Improve health, fitness, and quality of life through daily physical activity. More than 80% of adults do not meet the guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities. Similarly, more than 80% of adolescents do not do enough aerobic physical activity to meet the guidelines for youth. Working together to meet Healthy People 2020 targets via a multidisciplinary approach is critical to increasing the levels of physical activity and improving health in the United States. Healthy People 2020 reflects a multidisciplinary approach to promoting physical activity. This approach brings about traditional partnerships, such as that of education and health care, with nontraditional partnerships representing transportation, urban planning, recreation, environmental health, and other fields. Factors negatively associated with adult physical activity include:
- Advancing age
- Low income
- Lack of time
- Low motivation
- Rural residency
- Perception of great effort needed for exercise
- Overweight or obesity
- Perception of poor health
- Being disabled
Older adults may have additional factors that keep them from being physically active, including lack of social support, lack of transportation to facilities, fear of injury, and cost of programs.
A meaningful task, an optimistic outlook on life, a promising perspective, a perceived successful life as well as the wish to remain healthy and fit positively influence life satisfaction. The following suggestions can be postulated in order to ensure physical and psychological wellbeing.
1.Regular daily exercise routines.
- Exercise enough to burn 2000–2500 kcal per week.
3.Daily mental training.
4.A good relationship with children and grandchildren should be established (‘grand family feeling’) in order to ensure the feeling of having necessary tasks, the safety of a nest and the enjoying of the ‘sunset feeling’ of a successful life. In addition, the vision of a biological immortality may strengthen health.
References:
ODPHP (2020). Physical activity. Retrieved from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/physical-activity.
Jennen, C., & Uhlenbruck, G. (2004). Exercise and Life-Satisfactory-Fitness: Complementary Strategies in the Prevention and Rehabilitation of Illnesses. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine: eCAM, 1(2), 157–165. https://doi.org/10.1093/ecam/neh021
Dear Marufa Yesmin,
Over the years, our abilities to engage in physical activities have significantly reduced due to high work demands, limited time schedules, advancing age, among other reasons. The adoption of a modern sedentary lifestyle has dramatically increased our exposure to chronic diseases. Physical inactivity depresses the normal functioning of the body, which leads to chronic energy imbalances (Gonzalez, Fuentes, & Marquez, 2017).
From your insights of healthy people 2020, I concur that regular physical activities optimize our health and body function. As recommendations for physical activities may vary between individuals, we should focus on the type, duration, intensity, and frequency of a physical activity that will reduce disease exposure risks and promote the total wellbeing of individuals.
With a multidisciplinary approach, including the public health/medical departments, government agencies, researchers/Learners, policymakers, and the broader population, we can increase knowledge on the importance of physical activities (Nyman, 2018). Different sectors can share new ideas, acquire more resources, produce streamlined methods and products, and make legislations that promote the public health efforts of physical activity promotion.
References
Gonzalez, K., Fuentes, J., & Marquez, L. (2017). Physical Inactivity, Sedentary Behavior, and Chronic Disease. Korean Journal of Family Medicine.
Nyman, S. (2018). A Multidisciplinary Approach to Promoting Physical Activity among Older People. In S. Nyman, The Palgrave Handbook of Ageing and Physical Activity Promotion. (pp. 1-19). Palgrave Macmillan.
Student 2
Abid Choudhry posted
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DOH) HP2020 recommends that physical activity should begin as early as age 6. In fact, the youth guidelines (ages 6-17) recommends 1 hour of moderate to vigorous activity each day. This includes aerobic training, muscle-strengthening training, and bone-strengthening training, with aerobic training consuming the majority of the recommended 60 minutes-per-day activity (DOH, 2018).
The adult recommendations are similar. Again, according to the DOH (2018), “adults should do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) to 300 minutes (5 hours) a week of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) to 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity. Preferably, aerobic activity should be spread throughout the week”.
To me, these goals are reasonable and their stated health benefits are obvious. However, HP2020 states that more than 80% of adults and adolescents do not meet these activity guidelines. My identified patient population are adults age 65 years and older. This patient population has been identified as being “among the most sedentary and physically inactive segment of society” (Cvecka, 2015).
My research did not yield many research articles exploring the reasons for this decline in physical activity. Of the articles I did read, a common theme was the natural decline in physical and mental capacity making physical activity more difficult and less enjoyable, a change in work status from actively working adult or retired adult, and changes in social status to being more recluse (Park, 2014; Cvecka, 2015; Milanović, 2013).
One interesting article points out that it is actually biology that is often times keeping us from being more physically active. The article points out that our bodies have evolved to ensures that the body reserves its energy and expends as few calories as possible (Bhanoo, 2015). As recent as a hundred years ago, humans generally had to work very hard for food and nutrition. Whether it be hunting and gathering or farming, obtaining food and shelter was very physically taxing. Our bodies in turn have evolved to expend as little energy as possible unless necessary. So even though exercise is good for the body, our nervous system is going to be working against us in order to expend as little energy as possible.
Because of these barriers, I do not believe that exercise compliance will be very easy for aging adults.
One area that all articles focused and agreed upon, is that even though there is no way of stopping the aging process, regular exercise can not only slow it down, but even reverse many of the complications of the aging process (Cvecka, Milanović, & Park). The most notable of which is physical weakness. The CDC says that people aged 65 and older have a greater than 25% chance of falling. And once someone in this population has just one fall, there is over 50% chance of a second fall (CDC, 2017).
In addition to muscle weakness leading to physical injury, another concern the aging population faces is increased levels of stress. Stress has been linked to increased anxiety, depression, chronic pain, hypertension, and other medical conditions (Caruso et. al., 2018). In addition to talking with their Primary Care Provider, exercise and increased physical activity has been shown to help reduce stress levels in the older adults. There are several complementary approaches one can employ to relieve not stress nutrition, yoga, Pilates and Tai-Chi.
So how does a nurse practitioner help this population become more active? Our modern society seems to be obsessed to selling us gadgets to motivate us and assist us in becoming and staying fit. This included in-home exercise equipment and videos as well as smartphone apps and gadgets. It’s hard to say how well much of this technology will help promote and maintain fitness in this population. Most older adults are quite technologically illiterate. And if you are tired and weak with little motivation for physical activity, a treadmill simply becomes an expensive close rack in the corner.
As a nurse practitioner caring for the geriatric population, I would listen to my patient’s needs and learn what their interests are. What motivates them? What physical or mental limitations do they have that is preventing them from being more physically active. I believe the key is to play to their strengths and look for solutions to common barriers. I believe that one of the biggest barriers that needs to be addressed first is a feeling of isolation and the decreased social interactions to aging adults. The believe that enlisting various community groups that are tailored to the aging adults would be the most useful. Through my own experience, most all of these groups have built-in programs for socialization and exercise activities.
References
Bhanoo, S. N. (2015). It’s My Nervous System That’s Lazy. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/15/science/its-my-nervous-system-thats-lazy.html.
Caruso, R., Caruso, R., & Mfn. (2018). A Stress Management Plan for an Aging Population. Retrieved from https://medfitnetwork.org/public/all-mfn/stress-management-plan-aging-population/.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2017). Important Facts about Falls | Home and Recreational Safety | CDC Injury Center. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/falls/adultfalls.html.
Cvecka, J., Tirpakova, V., Sedliak, M., Kern, H., Mayr, W., & Hamar, D. (2015). Physical Activity in Elderly. European journal of translational myology, 25(4), 249–252. doi:10.4081/ejtm.2015.5280
Milanović, Z., Pantelić, S., Trajković, N., Sporiš, G., Kostić, R., & James, N. (2013). Age-related decrease in physical activity and functional fitness among elderly men and women. Clinical interventions in aging, 8, 549–556. doi:10.2147/CIA.S44112
Park, C. H., Elavsky, S., & Koo, K. M. (2014). Factors influencing physical activity in older adults. Journal of exercise rehabilitation, 10(1), 45–52. doi:10.12965/jer.140089
U.S Department of Health and Human Services (DOH). (2018). Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans 2nd Edition. Retrieved from https://health.gov/paguidelines/second-edition/pdf/PAG_ExecutiveSummary.pdf.
Dear Abid Choudhry,
Indeed, the benefits of physical activities outweigh the possibilities of unintended outcomes. Regular physical activities are essential for our mental health, body function, and improved developmental and academic achievement for learners. Regardless of individual health status, physical activities improve the quality of life and enhance life expectancy (Thivel et al., 2018). Physical inactivity leads to poor health and financial outcomes.
I agree with you that as healthcare providers, we are strategically important in encouraging our patients to be physically active. Although physical activity is subject to a variety of barriers, engaging family support, patient support with regards to self-esteem, counsel patients to individualize exercise can motivate clients to be more physically active. Incorporating exercise in treatment therapies and advocate for exercise prescriptions could motivate clients to be more physically active (Lobelo et al., 2018). Healthcare providers can also be more involved in developing physical activity plans for their patients.
It’s also essential for healthcare providers to monitor community progress by mobilizing resources for members to be physically active. Monitoring will enable the tracking of changes in the proportion of individuals meeting the physical activity guidelines for Americans.
References
Lobelo, F., Rohm, D., Sallis, R., Garber, M., Billinger, S., Duperly, J., . . . Joy, E. (2018). Routine Assessment and Promotion of Physical Activity in Healthcare Settings: A scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. American Heart Association.
Thivel, D., Tremblay, A., Genin, P., Panahi, S., Riviere, D., & Duclos, M. (2018). Physical Activity, Inactivity, and Sedentary Behaviors: Definitions and Implications in Occupational Health. Frontiers in Public Health.