“Every minute counts” | La Presse

Dear readers, many of you want to get in shape, as evidenced by the questions you sent us. The Press mobilized five experts to answer them… and advise you.

“I’m turning 60 this year. Is it realistic to think that I can still establish good habits, even if I’ve never done it before? If so, where do I start?”

This question comes from our reader Linda Lacoursière, from Laval, but it has something universal about it. Faced with the injunction to do physical activity, many people feel a little helpless. Especially as they get older.

Is it realistic to become active at 60? Experts agree: absolutely. “Whatever your age, you will change the trajectory of your aging,” assures Mylène Aubertin-Leheudre, a kinesiologist specializing in the physiology of aging and a professor at UQAM. She sees people training for only 12 weeks and gaining 150% of their muscular strength. “And they are 75 years old,” adds the professor, who emphasizes that being in shape also means extending your years of health and autonomy.

Where to start? At the beginning. It can be as simple as a 10-minute walk a day, or even every other day. That’s what the D^r François Simard, a cardiologist specializing in cardiovascular prevention, recommends to his sedentary patients. The beauty in all this? “From the first minutes, we begin to have an impact on our cardiovascular prognosis,” emphasizes Dr.^r Simard, who works at the Montreal Heart Institute. We can then increase the volume by about 10% per week, he says.

It is better to first increase the frequency (i.e. the number of times per week), then the duration, and then the intensity, advises Luc Nadeau, professor in the physical education department at Université Laval. “When the effort is repeated, the body tries to adapt more,” he says.

“In order to maintain good physical condition, preserve your muscles and adequate mobility, what are the recommendations?” — Marie-Claude Pouliot

Whether you consult the World Health Organization, the American College of Sport Medicine or the Canadian Society for Exercise and Physiology, the recommendation is the same: a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity (when you have difficulty speaking) per week, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity (when you are no longer able to speak), to which we add two muscle-strengthening activities.

These 150 minutes are the threshold from which we observe a substantial reduction in the risks of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes, among others. These are therefore the most “profitable” minutes, says cardiologist François Simard. But even if we don’t reach the objective, all physical activity remains beneficial, insist our experts. Even short-term ones.

Recent studies suggest that even very short sessions of moderate to vigorous activity (even shorter than the traditional recommendation of at least 10 minutes per session to reach a daily minimum of 30 minutes) can have benefits, both cardiovascular and metabolic, because they accumulate over time. Going up and down the stairs for three minutes? “That counts,” summarizes Mylène Aubertin-Leheudre.

From 19% to 25%

Achieving the recommended minimum amount of moderate physical activity (150 to 299 minutes per week) is associated with a 19% to 25% reduction in mortality, according to a large study. The greatest reduction in mortality – 35% to 42% – was seen among people who moved even more (300 to 600 minutes of moderate activity or 150 to 300 minutes of vigorous activity per week).

“How many kilometers of cycling or walking are equivalent to 1 km of jogging?” — Yvon Pellerin

The rule for switching from walking to running is relatively simple, for energy expenditure: “It goes with the distance,” explains Christian Duval, professor in the Department of Physical Activity Sciences at UQAM. If you walk 5 km, you will spend about the same energy as if you run 5 km, he summarizes.

For cycling, it’s more variable, he says, but still in terms of energy expenditure, the ratio is about 3 to 1, so 5 km of running for 15 km of cycling.

There is a unit of measurement – ​​the metabolic equivalent, or MET – to measure the intensity of a physical activity. At rest, we expend 1 MET. Moderate intensity is between 3 and 6 METs, and intense is from 6 METs. Values ​​vary from person to person, but here are some, in METs, based on statistical averages.

Do household chores count?

If you accumulate thousands of steps on your smart watch at home, that’s great because it limits your sedentary lifestyle… but quiet activities can’t replace the 150 minutes. “For physical activity to be beneficial, you have to stress the system, take it out of its comfort zone,” explains Professor Christian Duval. The activity becomes “moderate” when you have difficulty speaking and “sustained” when you are no longer able to speak. These are levels that are difficult to reach while moving around the house (2 METs), cooking (2 to 2.5 METs), gardening (3 METs) or even mopping (3.0 to 3.5 METs).

“What sport at what age?” — ​​Sonia Levasseur

Physiatrist at CHUM and sports doctor, Dr.^r Martin Lamontagne sees patients who are 65 years old and are very financially challenged, and others who are still running marathons at 75 or 80. Sports have no age limit, although young people are generally attracted to more intense sports, and older people to more moderate sports. “In medicine, we focus more on biological age,” notes Dr.^r Lamontagne. For those who have never done sports, the D^r Lamontagne advises prioritizing low-impact activities, such as walking or swimming. Cycling, board sports, yoga and rowing, rowing, among others, are also considered low-impact exercises.

What if it hurts?

When you suffer from chronic pain, it is tempting to stop doing physical activity. This is sometimes even the advice of some general practitioners, notes Dr.^r Lamontagne, who works to reverse this discourse.

It is the role of health professionals to better control pain, he says, but also to explain to patients that they have every advantage in staying active. “Let’s take the example of osteoarthritis of the knee or hip: the first recommendation in practice guides is often physical exercise,” he says.

Sports that are likely to cause osteoarthritis include those that involve changes in direction, acceleration and deceleration, such as tennis and soccer, says Dr.^r Lamontagne. “The cartilage is less well adapted to these shear forces,” explains the physiatrist, who emphasizes that these sports are not contraindicated, but that the frequency and intensity must be measured.

What about running? “There’s no study that shows it accelerates osteoarthritis,” he says, “and there’s no study that shows it causes it, unless you’ve already had a significant joint injury.”

Whether you suffer from osteoarthritis, tendinopathies or even lower back pain, the D^r Lamontagne believes that we can allow ourselves to accept a “certain level of pain,” a “discomfort,” because the beneficial effects of physical activity far outweigh the harmful effects. “It’s not complicated: it’s the best medicine,” he concludes.