Workouts do wonders for the ill

PEOPLE with conditions like cancer and diabetes have shared stories of how they turned their lives around with exercise regimes under a pilot programme.
The University of Hong Kong carried out a 12-week programme on 20 patients between July and September.
Lin Chia-chin (林佳靜), head of the university’s School of Nursing, said patients with cancer, diabetes and orthopaedic problems saw improvements in the quality of their lives, including increases in physical functions, energy, mental condition, sleep quality and appetite. “They had better muscular strength, fl exibility, cardiovascular capacity and body composition,” she said.
Andy, a 53-year-old stage-four lung cancer patient, said he did not do fitness training regularly before joining the programme. Then he took to running on a treadmill and lifting weights under supervision. “Before I would be exhausted and dizzy, but I rarely have such sensations now,” he said. “After these three months I think I have 70-80 percent of a healthy person’s physical capabilities.”
Students and staff visiting the university’s clinic may join the Exercise is Medicine (運動是良藥) programme.
It starts with a questionnaire about workout frequency and intensity, and those who are generally healthy but lack sufficient exercise will be provided with information about opportunities.

(This article is published on Junior Standard on 15 November 2018)

Exercise is Medicine–Hong Kong
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Physical exercise–Student Health Service
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