Active Health Program
Prescription of physical activity and physical exercise in the Community of Madrid
Through this regional initiative, the aim is to facilitate a standardized process of promotion of the practice of physical activity and physical exercise from the Health Centers of the Community of Madrid.
Physical inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle represent two factors associated with a higher risk of mortality and non-communicable diseases. The first refers to not complying with the recommendations for physical activity beneficial to health and the second, to the fact of continuously and regularly maintaining behaviors linked to activities that only slightly exceed basal energy expenditure such as: watching television, lying down or sitting.
There is more and more scientific evidence that demonstrates the importance of both physical activity and reducing a sedentary lifestyle, and for this reason a process of prescription of physical activity and physical exercise from Primary Care, in which health professionals will make different useful services and tools available to users to facilitate their initiation into sports practice.
Active physical exercise units (UAEFs)
In the municipalities adhered to the Salud Activa program, at least one Active Physical Exercise Unit (UAEF) will be enabled in which a health service will be provided. personalized technical advice developed by a physical activity and sports professional named, physical exercise promoter.
The main objective of this service is to provide users referred from the Health Center with a custom indication about which municipal sports services and resources are the most appropriate, as well as establishing strategies to ensure a initiation and adherence appropriate to the practice of physical activity and physical exercise.
It is therefore a tutoring of inactive and/or sedentary people that provides not only a recommendation for physical exercise based on the level of motivation, availability and characteristics of the user, but also a acceptance and adaptation process to the sports environment, which promotes and facilitates the acquisition of healthy habits.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main objective of the Salud Activa program?
This is an initiative that seeks to promote the practice of physical activity, especially in a sedentary and/or inactive population, that is, to facilitate the acquisition of healthy active habits.
The idea of prescribing physical activity and physical exercise implies a commitment to prevention, and in this particular case, it does not aim at a therapeutic approach to pathological situations.
Does participation in the program suppose the substitution of a health treatment?
In no case. If necessary, the primary care health professionals will continue to prescribe the necessary drugs or refer you to the specialist indicated in each case.
Physical activity and physical exercise are yet another non-pharmacological intervention tool, which will be prescribed and/or referred to the appropriate professional, according to the particular objective of each patient.
In which cases will a referral to the sports system be made? Who will attend me?
For this derivation several premises must be fulfilled:
a) Meet the inclusion and/or exclusion criteria of the program.
b) That my municipality adhere to this initiative and have an Active Physical Exercise Unit (UAEF)
c) That the objective of said referral is to receive personalized technical advice to facilitate the initiation process in the practice of physical activity, physical exercise or sport.
This personalized advice will be carried out by a physical trainer (Graduate in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences), as stated in Law 6/2016, of November 24, which orders the exercise of sports professions in the Community of Madrid.
What happens if an Active Physical Exercise Unit has not been set up in my municipality, which allows referral from the health system to the sports system?
Where appropriate, the primary care health professional may prescribe other assets such as autonomous activities, participation in health education workshops, activities carried out in the health center itself, as well as informative information of interest.
Can I participate if I have any pathology?
The program has pre-established certain criteria on absolute and relative contraindications to be able to participate or not. In any case, it will be the primary care health professional who will evaluate and determine which option is the most appropriate in each case.
When we talk about physical exercise, we tend to think by default of possible limiting musculoskeletal processes, but we must also take into account that other risk factors or processes of interest such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, which require a particular approach, may occur.
In any case, the referral contemplated by the Salud Activa program does not have a therapeutic purpose. In these cases, the referral will be made to the appropriate health professional to be able to prescribe the appropriate physical exercise.
Can people with disabilities participate?
The disability can occur at various levels and planes: physical, intellectual, mental, sensory or a combination of these, and of course it is necessary that they can benefit from the regular practice of physical activity, physical exercise and sport.
If the primary care health professional considers it appropriate, in coordination or not with other health professionals, to refer a patient with a disability to the sports system, the Active Physical Exercise Unit (UAEF) will provide individualized advice, based on the offer of adapted and/or inclusive activities that are available in your environment.
As in the case of people without disabilities, the objective of this counseling is to facilitate the process of initiation into the practice of physical activity and physical exercise, and not an intervention of a therapeutic nature.
Is my doctor or nurse going to follow up on the activities that they may have indicated to me in the sports system?
The Salud Activa program contemplates a channel of communication between primary care health professionals and those responsible for the Active Physical Exercise Units, in order to coordinate and share relevant information from users who have been referred.
Is the prescription of physical activity and physical exercise, whether in the health or sports system, equivalent to or a substitute for a rehabilitation process?
In no case. It will be the specialists in physical medicine and rehabilitation and the physiotherapists, who intervene in these specific processes.
Guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviors (WHO)
The World Health Organization Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors provide evidence-based public health recommendations on the amount of physical activity that children, adolescents, adults and the elderly should carry out in terms of frequency, intensity and duration for health benefits significant and mitigate health risks.
Health benefits
Leading an active life that includes physical exercise and reduces sedentary lifestyle helps to prevent health problems and Improve Life Quality.
In general, it improves and prevents various health problems and pathologies. It can improve circulation, help control blood pressure, help control your weight, help regulate blood sugar, and maintain muscle mass.
In addition, physical exercise has a positive effect on the feeling of well-being, as well as on states of stress and anxiety, it even reduces the risk of depression.
Benefits in child and adolescent population
According to the WHO, in children and adolescents, physical activity is beneficial in terms of the following health outcomes:
Improved physical fitness (cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness), cardiometabolic health (blood pressure, dyslipidemia, glucose, and insulin resistance), bone health, cognitive outcomes (academic performance and executive function), and mental health (less presence of symptoms of depression) and less adiposity.
Adult Benefits
According to the WHO, in adults, physical activity is beneficial in terms of the following health outcomes:
Improvement in all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality, the incidence of hypertension, the incidence of cancer in specific sites1 and the incidence of type 2 diabetes, mental health (reduced presence of symptoms of anxiety and depression), health cognition and sleep, and possible improvement in measures of adiposity.
Benefits in the elderly
According to the WHO, in older people, physical activity is beneficial in terms of the following health outcomes:
Improvement in all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality, the incidence of hypertension, the incidence of cancer in specific sites and the incidence of type 2 diabetes, mental health (less presence of symptoms of anxiety and depression), health cognition and sleep, and possible improvement in measures of adiposity. In older people, physical activity helps prevent falls and injuries from falls, as well as the deterioration of bone and functional health.
Tips and recommendations
To incorporate actions that allow increase the level of physical activity in daily tasks, develop a physical exercise program or implement strategies to break prolonged periods of inactivity, it is advisable to follow certain guidelines for action, especially in people with some type of pathology or special situation.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SEDENTARISM AND PHYSICAL INACTIVITY
On most occasions we are not aware of the time that we remain seated without moving, either during work or in our leisure time.
Sedentary behavior is considered to be the fact of prolonged sitting without interruption for more than two continuous hours a day almost every day of the week.
However, when we refer to the concept of physical inactivity, we refer to the fact that a person does not meet the minimum physical activity recommendations of the World Health Organization.
These two behaviors are associated, among other things, with an increase in cardiovascular risk, so…
ADD MINUTES OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
BREAKS PROLONGED PERIODS OF INACTIVITY
HYPERTENSION AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE
Beyond improving the quality of life in general, the practice of regular and adequate physical exercise helps to control blood pressure within the recommended values, and even to prevent the appearance of complications and reduce mortality as a result of the arterial hypertension.
You can do aerobic activities, such as walking, jogging, bicycling, and swimming, at least 3 days a week.
DIABETES AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE
Beyond improving the quality of life in general, the practice of adequate physical exercise helps to control the need for insulin, improve glucose tolerance, reduce cardiovascular risk, and even prevent type II diabetes mellitus in pre diabetic people.
You can do aerobic activities, such as walking, jogging, bicycling, and swimming, at least 3 days a week, as well as strength training. You should not stay more than 2 consecutive days without physical exercise. To minimize risks of decompensation or cardiovascular events, a prior evaluation is necessary.
ASTHMA AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE.
Exercising properly will improve your physical condition in general, and your respiratory capacity in particular. You will be able to strengthen the respiratory muscles, improve the quality of respiratory movements, increase tolerance to exercise, and even reduce the number of crises.
Aerobic activities that do not require excessive work of breathing are the most recommended, although you can follow the general exercise guidelines and incorporate strength, agility, coordination, flexibility activities, etc.
OBESITY AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE
Physical exercise is key to successfully address weight loss and this benefit will be even greater if it is combined with a proper diet. Losing weight and the percentage of body fat generates a protective effect on cardiovascular diseases, reducing osteoarticular overload, and of course it will improve your body image and self-esteem.
You can start with low-impact aerobic activities that exercise large muscle groups, and whose intensity you can progressively increase to go from moderate to vigorous intensity. It is important that you also carry out strength exercises to maintain your muscle mass and bone health.
EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE
Leading an active life that includes physical exercise and reducing sedentary lifestyle helps prevent health problems and improves quality of life Physical exercise facilitates the appearance of certain hormones that positively affect our sense of well-being, as well as relief from anxiety and stress. It also reduces the risk of depression.
Associated Resources
This tool facilitates the location of spaces and sports facilities where you can take different sports proposals. It also includes applications to be able to design healthy routes from a designated point.
The maps of healthy routes trace various routes predetermined by the municipality, signposted or not, on urban roads and/or natural spaces that facilitate the development of autonomous physical activity. They are very useful for generating a healthy lifestyle in the use of walking as a means of transportation.
