What are the risks associated with physical activity? - European recommendations
No action is without risk and exercise is no exception. For example, the risk of sudden cardiac death increases by a factor of 5 during vigorous exercise for fit individuals and by a factor of 56 for unfit individuals. There is also an increased risk of injury, particularly to feet, ankles and knees, while taking part in exercise or vigorous sports. Finally, much press attention has focussed on "exercise addiction", whereby people become 'hooked' on exercise to the detriment of other aspects of life such as work and social relationships.
For many years, exercise and health promoters adopted training guidelines for the improvement of cardiovascular fitness that involved quite vigorous exercise using large muscle groups in continuous work for a minimum of 20 minutes at a vigorous intensity (equivalent to 60-80% of maximum heart rate). The most recent recommendations in Europe are for regular bouts of activity at moderate levels of intensity. Moderate intensity physical activity, equivalent to brisk walking, is thought to be achievable by a much larger percentage of the population as it can be reasonably incorporated into daily routines and is less physically demanding. A daily 20-minute brisk walk will make a difference of 5 kgs per year and for most people there will be improvements in cardiovascular fitness and other physical and mental health benefits. Current recommendations emphasise brisk walking on most or all of the days of the week for 30 minutes at a time. Evidence suggests that the same amount of exercise taken in two or three shorter bouts can be almost as effective and may also be more manageable on a daily basis.
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