May 10 has been designated as "Move for Health Day" by the World Health Organization. This special day aims to raise public awareness about the benefits of physical activity in the prevention of non-communicable diseases, draw attention to good practices and advocate for the benefits of physical activity. It is also aimed to increase participation in physical activity in all areas of life and everywhere (school, home, workplace) and to encourage healthy behaviors and lifestyles.

Üsküdar University Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Department Head Assoc. Prof. Dr. Defne Kaya said that you can become a healthy person only with some changes in lifestyle.

Bad habits threaten health

Stating that we should stay away from unhealthy living habits to protect or improve our health, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Defne Kaya said, "What are these habits? Smoking, little and insufficient sleep, excessive stress, watching too much television, a sedentary life (sitting still for long periods of time during the day), unbalanced and poor quality nutrition, and living a life away from sports or exercise."

Thin individuals may also have unhealthy veins

Stating that our body fat ratio has increased as a result of our unhealthy living habits, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Defne Kaya pointed out the importance of vascular health and said the following:
"A particularly big danger is the increase in the amount of unwanted fat that surrounds our internal organs and forms plaques inside our vessels. This may not always be directly related to whether we look thin or overweight. Even thin individuals, if they have unhealthy lifestyle habits, may have their internal organs surrounded by unwanted fat mass or their arteries lined with plaques.

Unwanted fat disrupts blood circulation

Our veins are like the highways of our body. They bring clean blood and therefore oxygen to all our cells and collect and return dirty blood. When unwanted fats in our body surround our internal organs, they put pressure on the vessels and start to disrupt our circulation. The problem in the delivery of oxygen and other essential substances carried by clean blood to our internal organs progresses and starts to affect our other systems. Our muscles, bones and brain start to receive less blood and less oxygen. What about the fats inside our blood vessels? There is fat in our blood vessels, albeit in different amounts, but it is the increase in the amount of fat in our blood vessels that poses a danger here.

Can lead to stroke

The first microscopic sign of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) is the formation of thin fatty streaks in the arteries. These fatty streaks progress and start to form plaques inside the vessel. These plaques lead to narrowing of the inside of the vessel. Wherever that blood vessel goes, less blood starts to flow to that area. Sometimes, a piece of the plaque breaks off and gets mixed with the blood (throws a clot) and progresses to a narrow place where it cannot pass. Finally, it blocks a blood vessel. When one of the main vessels feeding the brain or heart is affected, it results in a stroke."

It is necessary to get rid of unwanted fats

"How we look from the outside is of course very important," said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Defne Kaya, "It is especially important that we are happy with our own body, but from the inside, we should look as fit and healthy as on the outside. While it used to be emphasized that the body fat ratio for health between the ages of 20-40 was 2-5% for men and -13% for women, today this ratio is accepted as 8-19% for men and 21-33% for women."

Exercise should be prescribed

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Defne Kaya stated that in order to lose weight and burn fat, both aerobic (where your heart rate increases) and muscle strengthening (done with weights) exercise should be done:
"There are two important markers for an adequate and health-promoting exercise prescription:
1) Your heart-lung system is evaluated and at which heart rate you start burning fat
2) Your muscle strength should be assessed to find the answer to the question of how much load we can put on your muscles to support fat burning. Therefore, a good assessment should provide you with a basic and effective exercise prescription.

At which heart rate do we burn fat?

The most well-known method is to subtract our age from 220. The resulting number gives us our maximum heart rate. We calculate either 60%, 70% or 80% of this maximum heart rate and load our heart until we reach the resulting value. Today, this formula has been replaced by a method called KPET, which calculates the most realistic result for each individual. Your physiotherapist can prescribe aerobic exercise based on your heart rate calculated by the old formula or KPET.

Nowadays, we don't expect to start aerobic exercises and start burning fat after 30 to 40 minutes as we used to do in the past. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is used, where we constantly change the heart rate. This program, which includes a warm-up including dynamic stretching, followed by different exercises and cooling down, lasts 20-25 minutes, but not less than 7 minutes.

How can we increase our muscle strength?

For this, it is essential to calculate your muscle strength. While muscle strength can also be calculated with the 1 maximum repetition method, the globally accepted method is to measure it with the isokinetic system. Half a kilo of muscle consumes 6-10 calories of energy while sitting. The more you increase the strength of your muscles, the more calories you spend. Especially when you increase the strength of the large muscles in the front and back of your thigh and your trunk muscles, your body will burn more calories when you sit. Full body weight training using your body weight is more preferred. You can also use colored resistance bands, sandbags or other weight equipment. Your physiotherapist will prescribe the healthiest and most appropriate exercise program for you, taking into account your body structure. After a proper full-body strength training program, you will continue to expend calories up to 39 hours with the effect of the exercise."

Exercise program for one week

Finally, let's draw a sample program for a week to burn fat:
Monday Full body strengthening exercises
Tuesday: HIIT workout: 30 sec. active rest (walking or light jogging), 30 sec. load (repeat more than 7 times)
Wednesday: Full body strength exercises
Thursday: HIIT workout: 30 sec. active rest (walking or light jogging), 30 sec. load (no more than 7 repetitions)
Friday Full body strengthening exercises
Saturday and Sunday: Rest

Pay attention to health criteria, not body size

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Defne Kaya listed her recommendations as follows: "Move for health... You can keep both your outer and inner appearance healthy for many years with exercises for both your heart and muscles. Pay attention to health criteria, not body size. Move, exercise and play sports, eat well, smile and be happy for the health of your heart, muscles, soul and brain. Consult your physiotherapist for the right exercise program that protects your health."