Join Bianca as she discusses how exercise plays its part in disease prevention, in episode eight of the Fit Not Fad podcast.

Bianca Grover: Hi and welcome to episode eight of the Fit Not Fad podcast. This is a special episode, because we will address several diseases and how exercise helps with symptoms and the prevention of these diseases.

I bet you didn’t know that the month of May is not only Arthritis Awareness Month, but also High Blood Pressure Education Month, National Osteoporosis Month and National Stroke Awareness Month. 

Millions of Americans suffer from at least one of these diseases and my goal has always been to educate the public in hopes of promoting disease prevention.

I believe it’s important to recognize how prevalent these issues are in our society, so let’s take a quick look at some numbers. 54 million adults - which is 23% of all adults in the United States - are currently diagnosed with Arthritis. 10 million adults are currently diagnosed with Osteoporosis and 80% of them are women. Every year 795,000 people have a stroke and 108 million adults have high blood pressure. 

That is a scary 45% of the adult population. 

We’ll go ahead and talk about arthritis first. If you don’t already know what arthritis is, allow me to explain. While there are several types of arthritis, the general term refers to the inflammation of one or more joints, causing pain and stiffness that can worsen with age. Different factors can lead to this, such as wear and tear, overuse, infections and other underlying diseases. Symptoms include pain, swelling, reduced range of motion and stiffness.

Because of its prevalence, chances are you already know someone who lives with arthritis. And unfortunately, that prevalence increases with age. Only 18% of adults living with arthritis meet physical activity recommendations, and unfortunately because of that, a lot of individuals who suffer from this disease also battle comorbidities such as obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease due to the lack of sufficient exercise. 

There is no cure for arthritis, but there are treatments that help lessen the symptoms and make activities of daily living a little less painful. Exercising is one of those things that can help with the pain and stiffness, although it may not seem like it. Regular physical activity will improve strength, endurance and flexibility, thus fighting that stiffness that is so bothersome with arthritis. The physical activity does not have to be too intense. Light to moderate physical activity can help tremendously, as well as aquatic classes to help prevent some impact on the joints. 

Health and fitness professionals will be able to give specific exercises that are best suited for each individual. You should feel confident working with a professional on strengthening and know that arthritis shouldn’t stop you from living life fully.

Next up, we have osteoporosis. While osteoporosis can affect both males and females, it is undoubtedly much more prevalent in women. But what happens exactly when osteoporosis settles in? Our bones are made up of minerals. Our body constantly absorbs and replaces bone tissue, making our bones stronger and resilient.

 With osteoporosis, that process is slower and the replacing of bone tissue can not keep up with the deterioration. This is dangerous because the bones are predisposed to fractures and those fractures will be more severe in a bone affected by osteoporosis versus a healthy bone. 

Women are at a higher risk for osteoporosis after they enter menopause. There is a direct relationship between estrogen levels and bone density. This is why it’s especially important for us women to take on resistance training. According to Wolffe’s law, bone in any healthy person or animal will adapt under load, meaning it will get stronger and more durable. 

As long as high impact is avoided and proper rest  time for adaptation to occur is given, resistance training is safe and recommended for people living with osteoporosis. Strengthening muscles and bones will also help with fall prevention, which also plagues the older population, costing them thousands of dollars yearly and accounts for 44% of direct medical costs for hip fractures.

Now, let’s talk about high blood pressure Education Month. It is crucial that we educate people on the dangers of elevated blood pressure and how those numbers can be lowered. First, let’s answer a very important question: What qualifies as “high” blood pressure? 

Hypertension is a reading over 140/90 mm Hg but really you should not wait until your numbers reach those values in order to see a doctor. Normal blood pressure values are typically under 120/80 mm Hg. Although it is more common for adults and older adults to suffer from hypertension, younger adults can also have dangerously high blood pressure. It is important for everybody to keep an eye on their numbers.

Blood pressure is an indicator of cardiovascular health and elevated blood pressure typically increases a person’s chances of having a heart attack, stroke, damage to the blood vessels and other complications.

Fortunately, a combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training can help lower those numbers and keep them under control, even if you’ve already been diagnosed with hypertension. The human body loves exercise, who knew?

Speaking of strokes, the month of May is also National Stroke Awareness month and it is important that we all acknowledge the severity of having a stroke. I got to work with stroke patients for about a year and a half and I learned so much. 

Anyone can have a stroke. I’ve met people as young as 30 in the hospital recovering from a stroke. I also witnessed how quickly people improve with the help of physical, occupational and speech therapy. The severity of a stroke depends on a few factors such as: location of the stroke, age, health status and recurrence to name a few. That’s right. People can have multiple strokes during their lifetime.

Although strokes can happen to anyone, there are certain populations at a higher risk than others. Factors such as age, gender and family history can not be controlled - but lifestyle factors can. These include diets rich in sodium and fat, physical activity level, smoking, alcohol consumption, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes and more. 

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know that most of these can be kept under control through exercising. As little as 30 minutes a day can lower your chances of having a stroke. Diet is crucial as well. Eliminating junk food and cutting out unnecessary sugars and eating your recommended daily calorie intake will help you maintain a healthy weight and help with type II Diabetes as well.

I hope you got to learn something new today from this episode and if you enjoyed it, by all means, join me in spreading some awareness in the month of May. It is incredible how much can be impacted through the smallest change to someone’s nutrition or exercise habits. Stay safe and healthy, until next time.