Topic outline

  • Allostasis

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    • There is little doubt, and there is strong evidence that physical inactivity increases the risk of many adverse health conditions, including major non-communicable diseases such as coronary heart disease. You will learn more about these conditions next week. Evidence demonstrates that "If [physical] inactivity were not eliminated, but decreased instead by 10% or 25%, more than 533 000 and more than 1.3 million deaths, respectively, could be averted every year.” (Lee et al., 2012, p. 219).  How is it that physical activity can influence the human body and health status to such a degree? This is not an easy question to answer, but the allostatic model does provide a framework to help understanding the massive role that physical activity and sedentary behaviour can play.


      Watch

      While watching the following video take notes on

      • the definition of allostasis and allostatic load,
      • the components of the allostatic model, and
      • how physical activity and sedentary behaviour fit into the model

      After watching the video, reflect on your own life, think about some of the stresses that you may have or are experiencing, think about your behavioural responses and contemplate whether you may be experiencing physiological changes as a result. 

      At certain points throughout the video, questions will appear to help you understand the key concepts. These questions are not assessed, they are just for your learning. 

      Allostasis 03m 37s


      Printable slides - Click here to access a PDF of the slides used in this presentation.

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