Miracle Medicine

Chang Park | NOV 18, 2022

“The healthy man has a thousand wishes. The sick man only has one.” - unknown

If this medicine could...

reduce your risk of diabetes

reduce your risk of dementia and cognitive decline

reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke

reduce all-cause mortality (your risk of dying from anything)

reduce menopausal symptoms

reduce your risk of certain cancers (and their recurrence)

reduce side effects from chemotherapy and other treatments

reduce frailty and age-related muscle loss

reduce chronic pain

reduce stress

improve pre and post-operative outcomes

improve back pain, arthritis and musculoskeletal problems

improve your sleep

improve balance and reduce falls

help prevent and manage depression and anxiety

help maintain a healthy weight

AND

help give you more energy

help boost your mood and well-being,

improve self-esteem

foster community and reduce isolation

Wouldn’t this just be the most miraculous medicine ever known to man?

Well, we already have it, folks. And it’s free.

Have you guessed it?

Yup, it’s EXERCISE! Or let’s rather call it physical activity. Heck, any intentional MOVEMENT.

If Exercise were a Pill

If the effects of exercise could be bottled into a pill, it would be given to everyone without exception as prevention and treatment.

The UK Chief Medical Officer wrote in the updated 2019 Guidelines on Physical Activity: “the evidence has become more compelling, and the message is clear: If physical activity were a drug, we would refer to it as a miracle cure due to the great many illnesses it can prevent and help treat.”

More: WHO Key Facts on Physical activity Oct 2022

Make Time for Movement

I’m always surprised by how many people do not practise regular, intentional physical activity in their week but will, at the same time, search for the best supplement to take or superfood to consume.

The necessity for all of us to move more for a healthy mind and body is undeniable. And another amazing fact about physical activity is that the less you do at baseline, the more you benefit from doing any. Moving more is a no-brainer. So there is a movement practice somewhere for all of us, but the thing is, we have to recognise how important it is and make it a priority.

Something for everyone

My number one tip for starting or maintaining a movement practice is to do something you like. If you don’t enjoy yourself, the feeling you get afterwards, or the company you keep whilst doing it - it’ll have a hard time sticking.

Walking, dancing, gardening, running, swimming, climbing, cycling, the movement list goes on. My goodness, you might even be a creature that likes the gym.

If you’re here reading this, maybe for you, one of your movement practices is Yoga - then hurray!

How can we help ourselves, our loved ones and the people around us to move more?

Let’s move...

Autumn/Winter Offerings

Yoga Open Saturday 8.30 am Online

Restorative Yoga Wednesday 8.45 pm Online

And let’s Talk...

I’m delighted to chat on the Hero of Health Channel this coming Sunday afternoon with Dr Linda Mizun, a fellow Lifestyle Medicine Physician and A+E Doctor. We will discuss the prevention and treatment of chronic disease through the lens of Yoga; what else?! (The recording will be available on Youtube thereafter)