Health

‘The Blue Zones’: how we can live longer and healthier lives!

It is well known that physical activity can improve our health, but can we lengthen our lives through doing a specific type of activity?

Findings from the ‘Danish Twin Study’ suggest that only 20% of our lifespans are determined by our genetics, whereas 80% is influenced by our lifestyles. In 2004, Dan Buettner – fixated on finding these lifestyle factors contributing to longevity, came across ‘The 5 Blue Zones’.

A Blue Zone is a term given to a geographical place where people live the longest and happiest lives, with the lowest rates of chronic disease. Their healthy lifestyles are thought to be the reason for this. The five blue zones are:

• Icaria, Greence
• Loma Linda, USA
• Nicoya Pennisula, Costa Rica
• Okinawa, Japan
• Sardinia, Italy

It was established that people living in these blue zones share nine lifestyle habits, with one being their approach to physical activity. The health benefits of physical activity are well-established. However, people living in these blue zones view physical activity differently to most people. Instead of going to the gym or doing an intense workout, they implement natural movement throughout their day.

Dan Buettner, CEO of Blue Zones LLC: “The world’s longest-lived people don’t pump iron, run marathons or join gyms. Instead, they live in environments that constantly nudge them into moving without thinking about it. They grow gardens and don’t have mechanical conveniences for house and yard work. And they walk every single day. Almost everywhere.”

Therefore, using our opportunities for everyday movement can make us live longer. By walking to the shops, taking the stairs or just reminding ourselves to take regular breaks when sitting, can contribute to an increased Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT).

NEAT refers to physical activity that isn’t exercise or a structured workout. People within the blue zones achieve a high NEAT through their emphasis on natural movements.

For example, the Ikarians in Greece keep physically active through gardening and in Okinawa, Tai-Chi is commonly practiced. Whereas Sardinian shepherds walk over 5 miles on mountainous terrain. Being aware of the different types of physical activity and opportunities for movement throughout the day is key. There are countless ways to benefit your health through physical activity!

Physical activity is more than ‘exercise’ or ‘sport’, it should be enjoyable for everyone. If exercise feels like a chore, then spreading your movement out across the ~112 waking hours of the week can be a great alternative! This doesn’t mean that we need to eliminate exercise, but it is important to understand the role of moving naturally too. At KiActiv^®, we understand that all movement counts and is beneficial for your health!

The KiActiv^® Team

Healthy heart, healthy body, healthy mind!

The importance of heart health is undeniable. Acting as the pump of oxygen-rich blood around the body, if it stops functionally properly, your whole body begins shutting down. Recent research has shown that not only is keeping your heart healthy and strong essential for keeping the body healthy, it’s also associated with better cognitive abilities too!

The research, led by Queen Mary University of London and the Radcliffe Department of Medicine at University of Oxford, examined links between heart health and cognitive function in over 32,000 UK Biobank participants. It was found that people with a healthier heart structure and function, determined by MRI scans, appear to have increased capacity to solve logic problems and have faster reaction times.

Previous research has focused on vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in people who have already developed heart disease. This study was carried out in a large group of healthy individuals and highlights the importance of keeping your heart healthy and strong, not only to prevent you developing conditions like heart disease, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, but also for improving your cognitive function.

Heart disease, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are all vascular diseases and have shared risk factors, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking and obesity. The researchers suggest that, although these factors are important in influencing brain and heart health, there is another mechanism which correlates heart health and cognitive ability that needs to be investigated further.

Whilst it will take time to understand this mechanism, establish strategies for early prevention and reduce the burden of heart and brain disease, there are steps we can all take right now to improve our heart health. Regular physical activity is vital to a strong, functional heart. This is because the heart is a muscle just like the other muscles in our body, becoming more conditioned, efficient and strong as it adapts to the increased demand as we use it more. This could be using it more often, for longer at one time, or increasing the intensity of the activities, as all of these factors will require more blood to be pumped to the muscles around the body, to provide them with the energy to create movement.

Importantly, physical activity is defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure, which requires oxygen that is pumped to the skeletal muscles in the blood by the heart. As such, it is important that we account for all the movements in our lifestyles – not just exercise. In fact, at KiActiv® we empower individuals to find a personalised understanding of the value of movement in their daily routine, to unlock the unlimited benefits of increasing everyday physical activity to their heart, body and mind!

The KiActiv^® Team

It’s World Hypertension Day!

In 2017, Public Health England reported that around 12.5 million people in England are affected by hypertension, but for every 10 people who have received a diagnosis, a further 7 remain undiagnosed and untreated. Hypertension is often described as the “silent killer” because it rarely causes symptoms, meaning it can easily go unnoticed and explains why, in England alone, there are around 5.5 million people unaware they have it. That is why it is so important to raise awareness of risk factors, as well as the prevention and treatment methods. And when better to do so than on this year’s World Hypertension Day!

But firstly, what is hypertension?

Hypertension is defined as high blood pressure at rest. When you have your blood pressure measured, you will be given 2 numbers. The top number is your systolic blood pressure and the bottom is your diastolic blood pressure. Hypertension is a systolic pressure above 140 and a diastolic pressure above 90.

Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and significantly increases the risk of having a heart attack or a stroke. Clearly, it is something that it is important to know about, especially since it rarely presents with any symptoms, as previously mentioned.

So, what are the common risk factors?

Risk of hypertension increases with age due to natural processes that occur to our blood vessels as we get older. It is also more common in men than women, but it is not inevitable, there are things we can do to control our blood pressure.

Common modifiable risk factors that are affected by our lifestyle include:

• Excessive sodium (salt) intake
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Obesity
• Stress
• Excessive alcohol consumption

For both salt and alcohol consumption, it is important to stick to the recommended daily amount to reduce the negative implications of these factors on your blood pressure. It’s also important to maintain a healthy body weight, as being overweight is strongly linked to hypertension and a number of related health conditions like diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Where does physical activity come in?

Moving more reduces sedentary behaviour, helps manage a healthy body weight, and is also a great way to relieve stress, targeting the other major modifiable risk factors. In fact, regular physical activity is the easiest, cheapest and best way to reduce your risk of hypertension!

There is a strong consensus in the scientific literature that regular physical activity is essential to maintain a healthy heart and is a key component of lifestyle for the prevention and treatment of hypertension. Studies consistently demonstrate beneficial effects of movement on hypertension, finding reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure in individuals both with and without hypertension. Furthermore, Cornelissen and Fagard (2005) highlighted that the effects are greater in those with hypertension, eliciting reductions by as much as 7 mmHg systolic and 5 mmHg diastolic.

How does physical activity have such an impact on blood pressure?

Regular physical activity makes your heart stronger. A stronger heart can pump more blood with less effort. This means that if your heart can work less to pump, the force on your blood vessels decreases, lowering your blood pressure. This in turn prevents strain on the heart and damage to the blood vessels which are associated with CVD.

What type of physical activity should I do?

There is strong evidence that highlights the importance of moderate intensity activity, that is any activity that gets you moving enough to use 3 to 6 times as much energy per minute as you do when you are sitting quietly. This could include anything from mowing the lawn, climbing the stairs, going out for a bike ride or dancing around the kitchen cooking. It is also important to reduce the time you spend sedentary, so even getting up to get a drink or have a short-walk in between work tasks, watching tv or reading a book, can make a big difference.

Importantly though, over 30 years of research confirms that all types of movement can help control blood pressure – this means the possibilities really are endless! In fact, the most important factor to reducing or maintaining blood pressure in a healthy range, is moving on a regular basis. It takes one to three months for regular physical activity to have a significant impact on your blood pressure, and the benefits last as long as you continue with it.

This is why, at KiActiv^®, we believe that finding activities that you love and that suit you and your lifestyle is crucial for sustainability. Our personalised approach helps you unlock unlimited chances for movement in your everyday routine, in a way that can be enjoyed and sustained, to not only benefit your blood pressure, but also your overall health and wellbeing.

So, whether you have hypertension, or your blood pressure is at a desirable level, everyday physical activity can help prevent it from rising as you age, maintain a healthy weight and reduce your risk of a number of other conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers.  As we like to put it, we are here to help you live your best life for longer!

The KiActiv^® Team

Lipoedema Awareness Month

This June is Lipoedema Awareness Month and here at KiActiv® we want to play our part in bringing this condition further into the light. Many of us may have never heard of Lipoedema, and even for those of us who have, our understanding is often limited. Unfortunately, for those who are affected by this unpleasant condition, the physical and psychological burden is felt every day.

So, what is Lipoedema

Lipoedema is a bi-lateral swelling of the limbs which primarily effects the lower legs and thighs. The condition is caused by an excess build-up of fat cells just under the skin, which often appears pale and feel cold to touch. The swelling generally presents symmetrically in the affected limbs, which appear much larger in proportion to the rest of the body. The hands and feet remain unaffected with lipoedema, so a ‘cuff like’ effect is often visible at the wrists or ankles. Carrying the excess weight commonly gives rise to joint pain, limited mobility and problems with posture and gait.

Physical symptoms of lipoedema include symmetrical swelling of limbs, pain in the affected limbs, a disproportionate body shape, a distinctive ‘pad’ of fat beneath the knees or hips, frequent unexplained bruising, joint pain, and tenderness in the surrounding tissues. These symptoms can make it difficult to carry out normal tasks without suffering from pain and discomfort. The psychological impacts can be just as devastating. Patients have reported various psychosocial concerns such as a sense of poor body image, social isolation, social embarrassment and financial concerns amongst other worries.

Why do we need to raise awareness?

The lack of attention Lipoedema receives and misunderstanding of the condition in both the medical and general populations can intensify the detrimental impacts that living with Lipoedema can have on the quality of normal life. Lipoedema remains disproportionately under-researched when you compare it to other conditions that affect similar numbers of people. The void of scientific evidence has led to an absence of knowledge and understanding that stretches as far as the medical community, with many symptoms often attributed to other, better known conditions such as obesity and lymphoedema. This can make it particularly challenging to receive the correct diagnosis, begin an appropriate treatment plan, and live life to their fullest with the condition.

Why is everyday physical activity so important?

At KiActiv^®, we know that physical activity is multi-dimensional, which means that every single movement you make is valuable for your health and wellbeing. Keeping moving, is crucial for people with lipoedema, and can prevent the symptoms from getting worse. Our personalised and guided online programme, called LymphActiv, allows you to make the most of your lifestyle and the opportunities it holds to alleviate your symptoms. By helping to manage weight, and improve lymph flow and drainage, LymphActiv is a powerful tool for managing your condition and for better health. At present, there is no known cure for lipoedema but if identified early, it can be effectively managed to greatly reduce the physical, psychological and social impacts of the condition. In order to help develop effective treatments and continue developing our understanding, we must continue to raise awareness to motivate scientists and medical experts to carry out further research on Lipoedema.

The KiActiv^® Team

How inactivity during COVID-19 could increase the risk of falls and frailty

The self-isolation imposed by COVID-19 has the potential to significantly increase sedentary time and drastically reduce the physical activity levels of many.

Maintaining an active lifestyle during self-isolation is not only essential for our current physical, mental and emotional health, but will be vital to our health and wellbeing long after “normal” life resumes.

If we let our day-to-day lives get increasingly sedentary, we will find ourselves using our muscles less and less. The disuse of muscles due to a sedentary lifestyle can dramatically enhance the age-related decline in muscle mass, metabolic health and functional capacity. These effects can be especially detrimental in older adults.

Older people who do not move enough, can have an increased risk of reduced bone mass and muscle strength, reduced mobility, increased dependence, confusion, and demotivation. This effects well-being as well as physical function and could result in falls, amongst a number of other unwanted outcomes.

According to AgeUK, there are nearly 12 million adults over 65 in the UK. Up to 30% of them will have at least one fall a year and about half of these will fall more frequently. One in five falls may require medical attention. For health services, falls are both high volume and high cost. We mustn’t allow the public health measures put in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19 to increase the demand being placed on our already over-stretched NHS in other ways, not to mention the impact a fall has on the individual and their family.

Physical activity has been shown to be the most promising falls prevention strategy. It can improve strength, balance and other risk areas that may contribute to falls. And, the good news is that, in this time of uncertainty, the amount we move is something we can control.

Physical activity has multiple dimensions that we can take advantage of to gain the innumerable health benefits. So, each of us can choose what we want to do to optimise our physical activity and harness all of its protective properties. The key is to find out what “counts” for us and research shows that for preventing falls:

• Incidental physical activity is beneficial. This is the unstructured activity that’s part of your everyday life, like doing the housework, cooking a meal, or doing the gardening
• You don’t have to do your moderate intensity physical activity in one go, you can spread it out throughout the day in manageable chunks
• It’s never too late to benefit from being more physically active

The end goal during self-isolation is to prevent long term physical and mental health damage by sitting less and moving as often as possible. So, how are you going to choose to move today?

The KiActiv^® Team

What you can do to keep moving during lockdown

For many of us, the restrictions announced by the Prime Minister in his address to the nation on Monday 23^rd March were totally unprecedented. Being asked to limit our outside movements to only the most essential journeys are mandatory guidelines few ever expected to hear during peacetime. Whilst it is extremely important to adhere to the new guidelines to save lives and ease the burden on the NHS, it is also crucial we all do our best to ensure we remain healthy at home during these uncertain times, in part for the immediate benefit of our health, but also to reduce the risk of developing or worsening chronic health conditions with a long-term view of easing the strain on our healthcare system.

The government has recognised that the ‘draconian’ measures in place are highly likely to have a detrimental impact on physical and mental well-being, particularly for those who have been asked to self-isolate for a period of 12-weeks. However, they have repeatedly stressed the importance of doing what we can to stay as active as possible. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways of keeping active around the house, and here at KiActiv^® because we know physical activity is multi-dimensional, we are well placed to help you find the value in your everyday movement. We have had 1000s users come through our various programmes, which enables us to draw valuable insights from over 100 million minutes of real-life data.

For this blog, we analysed our database to find common examples of home-based activities our clients have tagged with the purpose of shining a light on the various different ways we can keep ourselves moving during self-isolation. Cooking, cleaning and tidying popped up regularly, suggesting that the mundane household chores we wouldn’t traditionally consider as physical activity are actually great sources of movement. Other household activities such as vacuuming, DIY, baking, playing the Wii and doing the washing up all appeared frequently, underlining the countless possibilities for physical activity within the confines of our homes.

If you are fortunate enough to have a garden at home, getting outside presents a number of opportunities to keep active such as digging, weeding and mowing the lawn. All are great examples of everyday activities we could think about incorporating into our new way of life. What’s more important perhaps is realising that the same activity can be a different intensity depending on the individual. Walking was a popular activity amongst KiActiv^® users, and was by far the most tagged activity in our user database. Of these walks, 48% were classed as light intensity, whilst 40% were moderate intensity.

This highlights that physical activity is personal to each of us and what works for one person could be different from the next. The more important take home is that walking is an extremely effective way of keeping active, so where possible, we should make the most of our opportunity to get out of the house – but make sure to follow government guidelines and limit this to local activity once per day.

Due to the wide-ranging age demographic of KiActiv^® users, we were also able to get an idea regarding how the average intensity of activity changes as we age. Generally speaking, the percentage of tagged activities that were a light intensity increased with age, whilst the opposite was seen for both moderate and vigorous intensity activity.

We know that activity is multi-dimensional, so activity does not need to be strenuous to carry benefits. Whether your focus be on minimising your daily non-sedentary time or increasing your weekly vigorous bouts of activity, it’s all good for our health. Recognising that activity is multi-dimensional allows us to find the true value in each and every movement we make, providing us with a vital piece of the puzzle to keeping healthy at home during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

The KiActiv^® Team

Colorectal Cancer Awareness – April 2020

Colorectal Cancer is the 4^th most common type of cancer in the UK, affecting approximately 268,000 people with an estimated 42,000 newly diagnosed cases every year. The movement to raise awareness for colorectal cancer was started in the year 2000, whereby April was officially dedicated as National Colorectal Cancer Awareness month in the UK. Through dedicating a whole month to raise awareness for the condition, it has grown to become a rallying point for thousands of patients, survivors, caregivers, and advocates across the whole country.

Interestingly, research has shown that approximately 54% of colorectal cancer cases are preventable, meaning there are changes we can make to our lifestyles to reduce our risk of the condition. One such lifestyle choice is the choice to include more movement in our daily lives.

Physical activity plays a key role in the prevention and treatment of many health-related conditions and has long been referred to as a ‘miracle cure.’ There is a growing pool of evidence highlighting the positive impact of physical activity on colorectal cancer. One meta-analysis evaluated the findings of 19 studies which assessed the relationship between physical activity and the risk of colorectal cancer. The collective results from the studies were astounding and showed a statistically significant reduction in the risk of colorectal cancer. Men and women who took part in regular physical activity reduced their risk by 21% and 29%, respectively.

These findings are supported by another study which looked into how much physical activity people needed to do to reduce their risk of developing colorectal cancer. The results showed that as little as 20 minutes of physical activity each day – equating to roughly 2 hours per week was enough to cut peoples risk by up to 24%. Importantly, physical activity didn’t need come from sport and exercise for people to gain these benefits – the activities we do in our everyday lives are enough. And we can all do a little bit more of the things we are already doing.

This echoes the core values here at KiActiv^® as every movement you make matters and through approaching physical activity with a multidimensional view, the opportunities to stay active are endless. For many of us, it’s likely there are already activities in our day which provide a good source of movement. This could be anything from housework to washing the car or even making a meal. What’s important is finding what counts for you and making the most of your movement.

KiActiv^®, empowers individuals  to self-manage their own physical activity, which is an important piece of the puzzle in preventing and treating colorectal cancer and, for all of us, a step in the right direction to having more control over our health and wellbeing forever.

The KiActiv^® Team

Continuing Care During COVID-19

The Challenge We Face

Across the UK millions of people require support and rehabilitation services to help manage their Long Term Conditions (LTCs) and overall health. Unfortunately, as a result of measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, face-to-face, clinic based services are being temporarily stopped and people are requested to stay at home, which is interrupting care for a vast number of people. Further to this, isolation measures are increasing the risk of inactivity, which is proven to be a major contributing factor to a deterioration in mental and physical health.

Chris Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer for England, identified the need to support those in isolation to manage their own health as part of the overall goal of reducing deaths from all causes during COVID-19. In order to do this effectively, we must utilise technology and remote services to provide a continuation of care for those that need it and, as much as is possible, reduce the future impact of this crisis on peoples’ health outcomes and the NHS.

What Are We Doing?

KiActiv^® are continuing to deliver our remote, technology enabled services to support people with Long Term Conditions or undergoing Rehabilitation, to improve their self-care. We are currently delivering services in the following areas across the NHS and we also have additional capacity to help people stay healthy at home using everyday physical activity.

• Long Term Condition Management (Type 2 Diabetes, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD), Hypertension, Coronary Heart Disease, Lymphoedema and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome)
• Rehabilitation Services (Frailty and Falls Prevention, Pulmonary Rehabiliation)
• Prehabilitation Services (as part of a surgical pathway for Colorectal Cancer)

We have witnessed astonishing behaviour change amongst over 1000 NHS patients in a short period of time and many are accompanied by truly heart-warming stories of better health.

The recent response from participants with Long Term Condition’s and other Rehabilitation services to us continuing to provide care has been overwhelmingly positive. We are witnessing that people are readily embracing the limitations to their environment and finding new ways to be active for the benefit of their conditions, and their mental wellbeing. This reflects our previous experience of housebound individuals and those in a restricted environment showing resilience and ingenuity to benefit the health.

What is KiActiv^® Health?

KiActiv^® Health is a personalised and guided online service that empowers people to increase physical activity within their everyday lives, and without the need for visits to clinics or gyms. We integrate clinically proven behaviour change technology in an interactive personalised dashboard that uses data from an accurate activity tracker and dedicated remote mentor support. It is focused on everyday movement and promotes the opportunities to be active across all ~112 waking hours a week, rather than 1-2 hours of an exercise, with no barriers to age or mobility.

During the KiActiv^® Health programme, participants are supported by phone calls with a trained KiActiv^® Mentor at key times across 12 weeks. The calls help participants build an understanding of the value of their daily activities and the confidence to plan, monitor and improve, without compulsion or prescription. At the end of the 12 weeks the participants will have continued access to their personal dashboard and activity monitor to enable them to continue their self-management and the changes to their daily routines.

Our service provides people with a unique and personalised understanding of everyday physical activity for health, enabling them to make healthy, sustainable choices that suit their condition, capacity and environment.

If you are an NHS organisation looking to increase the remote support you can offer to your patients in Long Term Condition and Rehabilitation pathways, please get in touch with Tommy Parker using the form below.

The KiActiv^® Team

Why activity is vital for your mental wellbeing during COVID-19

For the vast majority of us, the coming weeks and months will be far different from anything we have ever experienced so far in our lives. We are all coming to terms with the increasing daily use of seemingly apocalyptic language such as ‘Quarantine,’ ‘Self-Isolation’ and ‘Lockdown,’ as the reality of just how COVID-19 will impact our society edges closer with every passing day. Whilst these terms may sound scary at first, they simply mean we will need to adapt to a new way of living our daily lives.

So why is staying active so important? The government has made it very clear that some of the measures being implemented are likely to have a detrimental impact on health, raising particular concerns for mental wellbeing due to the reduction of social contact and the guidance to spend more time in isolation inside our homes. In addition to this, the high level of uncertainty surrounding the current situation has the potential to induce stress, anxiety, depressive thoughts, and a general reduction in mood. A recent article in The Conversation also touched on how social isolation can lead to increased levels of chronic inflammation within the body, which in turn is linked to a number of long-term health conditions.

The link between physical activity and improved mental wellbeing is well established and backed up by a significant base of scientific evidence which continues to grow. Regular activity is known to help reduce stress, relieve feelings of anxiety and depression, and play a crucial role in the regulation of mood. There are thought to be a number of mechanisms behind these benefits, ranging from psychological adaptations such as increased self-esteem and self-efficacy, to physiological adaptations such as changes to how our bodies respond to stress hormones and increased blood flow to the brain.

The introduction of social distancing measures will require us to change the way we think about activity. Group activities and team sports may no longer be suitable and it might be that we must shift our thinking from more traditional ‘exercise’ to everyday activities that can be achieved within our own homes. The crucial part however, is to ensure that activity remains a solid foundation within our everyday lives. In fact, now is as important time as any to ensure we stay as active as possible. This is echoed in the words of Chief Medical Officer and expert advisor behind the government’s response to the virus, Professor Chris Witty, who suggested that staying active “is a very good thing to do” during this time.

Fortunately, at KiActiv^® we know that physical activity is multi-dimensional. Activity can come in all sorts of different forms from everyday activity such as vacuuming the carpet, doing the washing up or tending to the garden, right the way through to more intense structured activity such as a 5km run, it’s all beneficial to our health! Figuring out exactly what works for us, particularly in times such as those we are faced with today won’t happen overnight. It’s about finding something you enjoy, sticking at it and looking to gradually increase the amount you are capable of doing, whatever that may be. Sustaining any kind of improvement you make to your overall level of activity will have countless benefits for your physical and mental well-being, so what better time to start than today.

The KiActiv^® Team

World Cancer Day 2020: Physical activity CAN cut your risk of cancer

Tuesday the 4^th of February is World Cancer Day, where people, communities and organisations unite to raise awareness about Cancer and work to ensure it remains a global health priority.

World Cancer Day is led by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). In 2019, they launched the new 3-year campaign, with the theme ‘I am and I will’ which aims to counter the belief that nothing can be done about cancer and calls for a personal commitment to help reduce the cancer burden.

This is a theme which all of us at KiActiv^® are firmly behind and we believe that encouraging people to take more responsibility through lifestyle choices is a really positive step in this process and a vital aspect in achieving sustainable change.

Physical activity plays a key role in the prevention and treatment of many health-related conditions and has long been referred to as a ‘miracle cure.’ There is a growing pool of evidence highlighting the positive impact of physical activity on many different types of cancers. A recent study looked into the effects of physical activity on different types of cancer by monitoring the physical activity levels of 755,459 participants over the course of a 10-year period.

The results were astounding and highlighted the power of physical activity in significantly reducing cancer risk. Individuals who participated in approximately 25-minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each day cut their risk of the following cancers by up to:

• Male colon cancer: 14%
• Breast cancer: 10%
• Endometrial cancer: 18%
• Kidney cancer: 17%
• Myeloma cancer: 19%
• Liver cancer: 27%
• Female non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: 18%

In addition to this, the results showed a clear dose-response relationship between physical activity and risk reduction for breast, colon, endometrial, oesophageal adenocarcinoma, and head and neck cancer – meaning the more physical activity you do, the lower the risk of these cancers.

Dr Alpha Patel, a co-author of the study from the American Cancer Society, said: “The exciting thing about these results is that they demonstrate engaging in a short amount of regular moderate-intensity activity, like a brisk walk, can provide tremendous benefits for the risk of getting various types of cancer. That is good for many people who, when they hear they should exercise more for their health or cancer prevention, think that means something drastic like having to start training for a marathon.”

This echoes the core values here at KiActiv^® as structured exercise is just one way of staying active. Every movement you make matters and through approaching physical activity with a multidimensional view, the opportunities to stay active are endless. For many of us, its likely there are already activities in our day which provide a good source of movement. This could be anything from housework to washing the car or even making a meal. It’s all about finding what counts for you and making the most of your movement!

Through using KiActiv^®, individuals are empowered to self-manage their own physical activity which is an important piece of the puzzle in preventing and treating cancer, and for all of us, a step in the right direction to leading a happier and healthier life.

The KiActiv^® Team

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