November
21, 2019| By Ross Campbell
Cardiorespiratory
fitness (CRF) is a measure of the body’s ability to supply oxygen to
muscles, including the heart, during sustained levels of exercise. Whether or
not you believe the hype that just sitting around poses a significant health
risk, the truth is most people could do with exercising more.
An
inverse association between CRF and mortality is well-established. A recent
study of the long-term mortality of physically active adults found the benefit
of increased CRF is independent of age, sex, race/ethnicity and comorbidities.
Exercise provides numerous health benefits, including reduction in coronary
artery disease, hypertension, diabetes, stroke and cancer.
The same
study confirms that the greatest chance for survival is associated with the
highest aerobic fitness, debunking the notion that exercise benefits plateau
quickly or even result in harm. So there really is no excuse for running a bath
instead of a mile, or indeed for avoiding any exercise you fancy that increases
resting heart rate. This is good news.
But as
everyone’s level of cardio-fitness is different, the correct dose of exercise
needed to confer any real benefit is less obvious.
That gap
in accessible knowledge is why it’s also good news that Gen Re is working with
Personalised Activity Intelligence (PAI), a health score that measures
cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). PAI helps add extra years of healthy life
through personalised activity engagement and has been scientifically proven to
reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and early death. PAI provides
individual guidance on the most beneficial exercise dose by measuring heart
beat data and translating it to a PAI Score.
PAI takes
account of resting and maximum heart rates adjusted for exercise intensity and
collected over a seven-day rolling period to encourage consistent exercise
behaviour. Any activity that increases the heart rate above a threshold and
into the CRF training zone may generate points, meaning people of all fitness
levels can score points from activities they enjoy; whether that’s kayaking
down rapids, mowing the lawn or running after the grandkids.
Physical
activity can be measured simplistically but without much insight into the
physical workload achieved. PAI, however, measures heart rate and uses an
algorithm that calibrates to an individual’s heart effort and is helpful in
creating personalized programs for sustained physical activity. PAI has shown
the positive impact that sustained physical activity has on heart health and
represents a more effective and realistic approach than setting daily step or
exercise targets.
The
guidance indicates when the intensity of exercise does not contribute to
increased levels of CRF or when fitter people with higher heart rate reserve
(the difference between resting heart rate and maximum heart rate, which is
used to calculate the optimal cardiorespiratory fitness level in aerobic exercise)
need to challenge themselves more.
Life and
Critical Illness products do an amazing job protecting policyholders from
financial loss, but until now have provided little practical help in
safeguarding customers’ health. We believe PAI has the potential to motivate
behavioural change, helping policyholders to become more physically active and
stick to it, while positively influencing and reducing their risk of disease
and premature death. As insurance seeks to shift its emphasis from protection
to prevention, this winning formula is possibly some of the best news yet.
To find
out more contact Ross Campbell or speak to your local Gen Re representative.
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