Exercise for good health

What if exercise were a treatment? That's the first question posed by " Physical activity on prescription ", a feature devoted entirely to the benefits of keeping moving, in the latest issue of the magazine Pulsations magazine. Being active can help prevent obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and certain cancers, as well as being a force for treatment in its own right, and a way of improving mental health.

Supporting science

The studies Specchio and studies Health Bus studies are among the scientific studies that validate the benefits of physical activity, based on responses obtained from several thousand people, including you. At the Geneva level, one of our new analyses, to be published shortly, looks at the associations between different levels of physical activity and chronic diseases (hypertension, cardiovascular disease and diabetes), while also including links with mental health.

Our research teams have already backed up this knowledge by looking at people's experiences. Released last March, an analysis by Dr Mayssam Nehmehead a.i. of the Population Epidemiology Unit, highlights the importance of healthy lifestyle choices and social support in maintaining a perception of one's own health as permanently favourable, particularly during difficult periods such as the one we experienced with the COVID-19 pandemic. These results encourage GPs to focus on promoting these factors. Previous work published in 2023 by Viviane Richard, also a researcher at the UEP, looked at socio-economic inequalities in the practice of sport over time, based on data collected since 1993 through the Bus Santé study.

The body as a resource

The body is not just a receptacle for pain, it is also a real resource that we can use to get better. The World Health Organisation recommends a minimum of a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity at moderate intensity (walking, cycling, etc.), combined with two muscle-strengthening sessions a week. But it is also now recognised that every movement counts. A forthcoming publication will show the effects of different types of physical activity (regular moderate versus intense and intermittent).

In the meantime, we can only encourage you to get moving, starting this summer!

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Discover the new issue of Pulsations (July-August-September 2024)