Generation X Women

1
Generation X Women

• The Challenges of Staying Physically Active

Letha Y Griffin, M.D., Ph.D Georgia State
University Atlanta, Georgia
2
Who are the generation X women?

• Born between 1960-80
• 9 of the population
• ?25 million strong

3

• Propensity to technology
• Attraction to personal lifestyle
• Entrepreneurs but also employees that can easily
  transition from one employer to another

4

• Some are avid sport enthusiasts frequently
  participating in extreme sports.

5

• However, there are an overwhelming number of
  generation X women who are physically inactive.

6
1996 Surgeon Generals Report on Physical
Activity and Health

• 60 of Americans are not regularly active
• 25 are not active at all
• Women are more likely than men to be physically
  inactive or minimally active

7

• Only 9 of middle age women exercise regularly
• Women in rural areas are 33 more likely to be
  inactive than city dwellers

Jean Baker Healthgate Medical Review
8
Why???

• Women are caregivers for their children their
  spouse their parents their spouses parents

9
CDC survey of 2900 women found most reported
that being a caregiver for children, ailing
spouse and parents make it difficult to schedule
their own physical activity
10

• Everything in their lives about self-care gets
  pushed to the rear by their role as mother and
  career woman. Exercise is not a priority women
  told us over and over again. Taking care of other
  people is their priority.

Amy Eyler, Researcher at St.Louis
University Survey of 4200 females regarding
exercise
11
Lack of physical activity is associated with

• Depression
• Heart disease
• Hypertension
• Diabetes
• Osteoporosis

12
Clinical Depression

• extremely common
• 1 out of 4 Americans suffer from depression

13
50 minutes of exercise per week results in a 50
decrease in the likelihood of being depressed.

• Exercise
• Lifts your mood
• Restores your energy
• Realigns your brain chemistry

Hara Marano Psychology Today
14
Heart Disease and Stroke

• 1st and 3rd leading causes of death in men and
  women responsible for 40 of all deaths
• 927,000 die of CV disease each year (1 death/34
  seconds)
• 7 million Americans have CV disease
• CAD is the leading cause of premature permanent
  disability
• cost of caring for those with heart disease is
  estimated at 394 billion for 2006

15
Risk Factors for CV Disease

• BP
• Cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Smoking
• Obesity

16
Exercise helps to

• Decrease obesity
• Decrease cholesterol
• Decrease blood pressure
• Decrease incidence of diabetes

Maintains fitness
17
Diabetes

• 17 million Americans (9 of which are women)
• 5th leading cause of death in women
• 80 of type II (most common type) are overweight
  (20 above ideal) (being overweight list as
  number 1 risk factor for diabetes National
  Womens Health Information Center)

18

• To decrease the chance of diabetes
• Lose 5-7 of body weight
• exercise 30 minutes each day

19
Osteoporosis

• 25 million Americans
• 80 are women
• Results in 1.5 million fractures per year

20
Stress Fractures

• Most of calcium deposit in bone by age 25
• Then lose 1/year prior to menopause
• Rate of bone loss after menopause is greater

21
Risk factors for inadequate bone mineral density

• Poor calcium intake
• Inadequate vitamin D
• Insufficient estrogen
• Lack of appropriate exercise

22
How much exercise is needed?1978 ACSM

• Frequency 3-5 days a week
• Intensity 60-90 maximum heart rate
• Duration 15-60 minutes

23
1990 Revised

• Increase frequency to 5-7 days week
• Decrease intensity
• Increase duration 20-60 minutes
• Added development of muscular strengthening and
  flexibility as additional objectives.

24
CDC ACSM Guidelines

• 5-7 days a week
• moderate intensity
• 30 minutes or more

25
If generation X women dont exercise because of

• time constraints

26
One must find a way to make exercise easy and
convenient.
27
Ways to find time to exercise

• Early in a.m. prior to family awakening
• Moms exercise groupsseveral members and one is
  babysitter for the day
• Exercise as a family

28
Ways to find time to exercise

• At noon or breaks in office fitness area
• Walking trails around soccer fields

29
Ways to find time to exercise

• Buy bike or elliptical machine for home
• Videos yoga, pilates, stretch, aerobics to do
  with your children

30
Generation X women need to remember that to be an
excellent caregiver, one must first care for
oneself through

• Proper diet
• Adequate sleep
• Appropriate exercise

31

• With a little planning
• and a lot of motivation

• Generation X women can find time to exercise

• Increases energy
• Decreases chance for depression
• hypertension
  CVD, stroke
• diabetes
• osteoporosis

32

• Moreover, moms who exercise serve as excellent
  role models for their children.

33
Thank You