Health Psychology Chapter 16: Exercising

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Health PsychologyChapter 16 Exercising

• Mansfield University
• Dr. Craig, Instructor

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Exercise Physical Activity

• Less than 1/4 of population engaged in regular
  forms of vigorous physical activity/exercise of
  any kind
• Surgeon General - lack of physical activity is a
  primary risk factor for CV disease
• How much is exercise or physical activity is
  enough?
• Early- 20 min _at_50-85 of THR, 4-5 days
• Revision- 30 of moderate physical activity on
  most days
• Distinctions and implication of revision

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Kinds of Exercise Building muscles

• What kinds of exercise/p.a. are helpful?
• Isometric exercise
• pushing against unmovable object to gain strength
• little joint movement (often ideal for elderly or
  those with ROM problems
• Isotonic- contraction of muscles against weight
• free weightlifting
• builds muscles strength and endurance
• Isokinetic-
• nautilus
• constant weight during contraction throughout ROM
• superior muscle endurance, reduced injury

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Kinds of Exercise Aerobics Anaerobics

• Anaerobic exercise
• short intense bursts of work requiring no oxygen
  for energy production
• speed events, include many activity requiring
  maximal effort over between 1 and about 45
  seconds
• improves muscle strength and some endurance
• Aerobic Exercise
• exercise of extended duration (at least 12-20
  minutes note) requiring low to moderate
  intensity
• dependent on oxygen metabolism for energy
  production
• important in development of CR fitness (O2
  delivery)

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What does it mean to be Fit?

• Organic (Genetic) fitness vs. Dynamic (acquired)
  Fitness
• Muscle Strength (contraction strength/force)
  Endurance (Repetition)-
• importance?
• Flexibility- range of motion (ROM)
• importance?
• Aerobic Fitness-
• increased O2 delivery and metabolism during
  exercise
• blood flow increases
• mitochondrial concentration and vascularization
  at muscle level
• effect on resting and working HR??s
• Fitness vs. Physical Activity- clarification

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Benefits of Exercise Weight Control

• Exercise changing the ratio of fat to muscle
• weight loss issues in changing ratio in heavy
  normals vs. obese- lean weight concept
• why we lose weight
• caloric cost of exercise vs. sedentary behavior
• changes in metabolic rate account for most of
  loss
• Bennet Gurin- exercise changes in set-point
• loss of weight exceeds cost of regular exercise
• Losing Weight vs. Controlling Weight- costs
• 4 hours weekly walking
• 1-3 hours weekly in moderate aerobic work

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Cardiovascular Benefits of Physical Activity

• Morris (1953)- London bus drivers and conductors
• CHD lower in conductors
• methodological problems- selection bias, random
  assignment
• Kahn (1963)- importance of regular activity
• natural cross-over comparisons between mail
  clerks and delivers- even if once active, after
  5 years of sedentary job behavior-- CHD mortality
  protection is lost.
• Still, self-selection biases remain
• Paffenbarger San Francisco Longshoreman
• all initially active in vigorous cargo handling
• address selection bias as all the same to start?
• Still- flaws-- dont include life outside job!

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CV health and Physical Activity

• The Paffenbarger Physical Activity Index
• high (2000) and low (less than 2000) kcals
  expended weekly during physical activities.
• 2000 kcals is the arbitrary breakpoint see fig.
  16.1!!-
• an inverse relationship between PA and CHD up to
  3500 kcals weekly
• Framingham- men women-
• high active to sedentary- 3x decrease in CHD
  risk
• Twin Studies- (control for genetics)
• activity levels predicts longevity/health
• Added Longevity and Quality of Life Issues (note)

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Stroke and Cholesterol

• Less clear results for stroke
• 1/4 of all stroke deaths preventable in Eur Amer
  with a more active lifestyle
• of greater efficacy for elderly and males
• results less clear in younger women and Afr.
  American
• Increase HDLs and decrease LDLs
• dose response relationship between activity level
  and HDL
• activity such as walking, gardening and other
  non-exercise leisure time activity also related
• also found with children and young adults and
  animals

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Other Health Benefits

• Mixed evidence on Cancer
• recreational exercise reduced breast cancer
  12-60
• regular exercising women from early age have 50
  less incidence of breast cancer
• high intensity related to reduced colon cancer
• Osteoporosis- exercise/phys. act protects
• loss of bone mineral density- why important
• of particular concern for elderly and post
  menopausal women
• past (Wow!) and present exercise is helpful to
  retain bone density

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Other Health Benefits (continued)

• Diabetes
• exercise related to Type II onset, treatment and
  mortality
• Sleep
• fall asleep faster, sleep longer
• Psychological Effects- appears to be beneficial
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Self-Esteem
• Control problems in this research-
• lack of placebo control group-- tough to find
  good placebo...

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Physical Activity, Depression, Anxiety, Stress

• Phys. Activity Mental Health- Morgan (1998)
• Aerobic activity vs. therapy, wait-list,
  relaxation
• effective for moderate/mild depression
• Phys Activity and Depression
• More effective than no treatment As effective
  as psychotherapy
• Aerobic and Non-Aerobic equally effective in
  treatment
• No dose response relationship
• good for low-grade, but not major depression
• (Blumenthal may be challenging this research)
• no evidence relating PA to depression relapse
• Mechanisms of action are unclear

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Anxiety Stress

• State-Trait Anxiety
• moderate vs. vigorous activity and mood
• Stress Stress Response
• cv response, physical symptom response
• Anxiety Stress how does it work?
• Endorphins, hot-tub hypothesis, NE release
• correction in book-- it can prepare body to
  handle stress effects more easily --
  cross-stressor hypothesis
• Self-Esteem
• Body image is a perception-- cognitive dissonance
  effect with exercise

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Hazards

• Staleness- overtrainining--gtneg. mood, fatigue,
  depression
• Exercise Addictions-
• neglect of responsibilities, self-absorption,
  continuation in spite of medical orders to stop-
  similar behavior to other addictions

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Hazards continued

• female endurance athletes and eating disorders
• UT women x-country runners and PowerBars
• Musculoskeletal injuries
• Temperature and Physical Activity
• Sudden death during physical activity
• overstated risk in the media- must compare risk
  of SD in regular exercisers to non-exercisers
• snow shoveling, deer hunting studies

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Maintenance

• Highest among
• men,
• past history of physical activity
• higher education/income (SES)
• younger
• Lowest
• smokers
• blue-collar workers
• low exercise self-efficacy
• Increasing--
• minimize execuse making, add social support
• Relapse Prevention models- abstinence violation
  effects-
• warn participants of this!!