Dr Bird's obvious remedy

Dr William Bird talks lots of sense. So much so that it is a surprise he is not locked up somewhere.

Dr Bird talks about a deficiency that is sweeping across the country, causing misery and suffering and costing the NHS, and hence the tax payers, millions of pounds.

Much as deficiencies in vitamins A, B or D can have devastating effects upon people’s health, so too can the deficiency that Dr Bird refers to as PA deficiency. And just as vitamin deficiencies can be addressed easily, the answer to PA deficiency is also easily available, if we could just bring ourselves to adopt it.

The practising GP and chair of the Physical Activity Alliance, who also advises the Department of Health on the benefits of exercising outdoors, has been beating his particular drum for nearly two decades but his message is both consistent and relevant.

PA deficiency, of course, refers to a lack of physical activity and the easy remedy is to get our bodies moving more frequently and at a higher intensity.

Easier said than done? Well that may be the case if the motivation is lacking, but with the threat of obesity, diabetes, cancer, stroke, heart disease, not to mention the feel good factor and the increased mental capability associated with exercise, there are surely enough carrots and sticks available.

Solutions

For the person who is ‘time pressured’, then a few simple life-style changes may work. If you drive to the train station, try swapping four wheels for two. If you sit in front of the computer at lunchtime, go for a walk. If you go to the gym twice a week, add an evening jog, a weekend swim or a yoga session to the schedule.

If a lack of confidence is stopping you, remember that there are many, many people in similar situations. A quick troll through the local gym, sports centre or leisure centre websites will direct you to classes or groups where there are beginner groups who will welcome you. Or a quick email around work colleagues may unearth someone who is desperate to play squash with a fellow non-sporty person, or who would just go for a lunchtime spin class or walk.

Illness or injury is a common reason to stop being active. In most cases exercise of some kind is of benefit to people suffering from long term illness or injury, or returning from injury. Arthritis sufferers will benefit from a controlled programme of activity, someone with a broken arm can still walk, someone with a broken leg can still do upper body exercises.

The point that Bird makes is that there are a million solutions to the PA deficiency. He advocates bite-sized chunks of exercise that fit into a modern lifestyle. Today, an active person is as likely to be doing a 20-minute jog in the morning, a game of football after work one evening, a bike ride with the kids at the weekend and a pilates session once a fortnight. The goal is to be doing a minimum of five lots of 30 minutes of physical activity a week. How that is done, or when that is done is not important.