Why Exercise?

We all know that regular exercise done the right way helps lower the risks of many health problems. The benefits of exercise, however, go far beyond preventing disease. In fact, exercise and strength training can help you look and feel younger, while helping you maintain your mobility and independence. Regular activity helps keep bones and muscles strong, promotes good balance and combats frailty.

One of the most common reasons people don’t exercise is because they think of exercise as a chore instead of an enjoyable and rewarding pastime.

Challenge yourself to think differently.

Exercise has a profound effect on all aspects of your life. Recognize that regular physical activity can provide more than just physical benefits.

Feeling involved, connected and passionate about things will also help you live a longer and healthier life. Exercise can be just one of the ways that you keep yourself actively engaged in the world and do things that you really love to do. You are more likely to make a lifelong commitment to good fitness if you shift your focus and decide to do things that you enjoy.

Exercise can be fun, and it doesn’t have to be the traditional walking, swimming or biking. You can try different sports or traditional exercise programs if you wish, or you can take up an active hobby like gardening. Even better, make a regular fitness routine sociable by forming a bird watching/hiking or walking club.

Making sure our activities are fun is the most important step in the decision to be healthy and fit for life.

Doing a variety of enjoyable activities will enrich all aspects of your life and be easily maintained; the side benefit will be a strong and healthy body.

Benefits of Exercise

Just as a proper diet and engaging activities can help you live a more fulfilling life, physical activity will yield a multitude of physical, mental and psychological benefits. Some of the benefits that result from regular exercise:

Feel and look better

Self Confidence – Being active and feeling strong will naturally help you feel more self confident and sure of yourself. This improved sense of well-being will help your overall mood and attitude about life.
Contentment – Natural endorphins produced by exercise help you feel better and help to alleviate sadness or depression.
Social Interaction – If you choose, exercise can be a great way to meet people and socialize. Joining a class or walking with friends should make the exercise more enjoyable and it can also help you stay connected with others.
Sleep Better – People who exercise regularly tend to sleep better than those who don’t. They usually fall asleep more quickly, sleep more deeply and awake less often during the night. Some fitness experts believe that a very short period of moderate activity in the evening, for example a 10-minute walk after dinner, will help you sleep more deeply at night. It is important to note that if you regularly experience problems sleeping, the general recommendation is to exercise early in the day rather than in the evening. Evening exercise is energizing and could actually keep you awake. Exercise earlier in the day is the answer.
Mental Acuity (Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention) – New research shows that regular exercise can help prevent Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Exercise helps encourage regular brain functions and can help keep the brain active. Exercise can also provide numerous benefits for patients of Alzheimer’s, including reduced risk of depression and improving memory and circulation.

Maintain or lose weight

Metabolism – Increase your metabolism; as you increase muscle mass you will burn more calories because muscle burns more calories than fat.
Body Composition – Body composition refers to the makeup of the body in terms of lean mass (muscle, bone, vital tissue, and organs) and fat mass. An optimal ratio of fat to lean mass is an indication of fitness. The right combination of exercise and healthy eating will help you decrease body fat and increase or maintain muscle mass.
Balance and Flexibility – Balance and flexibility will improve when you exercise on a regular basis. Improved strength, flexibility and posture will help with balance and reduce your risk of falling. Greater flexibility should also reduce the pain of arthritis.
Mobility – If you do a variety of exercise, you will naturally increase your coordination. You should be better able to navigate your regular chores and activities.
Muscular Strength and Endurance – Exercise will improve your ability to use your muscles over a brief period of time as well as sustain your strength for repeated use or over a longer period. Greater muscle strength helps improve your ability to balance and increases your ability to perform everyday tasks without straining your muscles. On average, men and women over the age of 40,lose one-quarter to one-third of a pound of muscle each year, which is replaced by fat. This gradual loss results in a one to two percent loss of strength each year, causing movement to become more difficult and contributing to a reduction in activity and exercise.Strength training, which can be achieved in a variety of ways, is particularly important for counteracting this damaging loss of muscle. Research at Tufts University has shown that strength training is one of the most important ways to slow down the process of aging and protect all of the body’s functions. The research has also indicated that strength training can dramatically improve arthritis pain and stiffness as well as decrease depression.

Reduce risk of disease, sickness and injury (by strengthening muscles and bones)

Immune Function – A healthy, strong body fights off infection and sickness more easily and more quickly. Rather than sapping your energy reserves entirely, recovery from illness should be less strenuous.
Cardio-Respiratory and Cardiovascular Function – Regular physical activity lowers your risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. If you have hypertension, exercise will lower your blood pressure.
Bone Density/Osteoporosis – Exercise protects against loss in bone mass. Better bone density will reduce the risk of osteoporosis and lowers risk of falling and broken bones. Post-menopausal women can lose as much as 2 percent bone mass each year and men also lose bone mass as they age. Research done at Tufts University shows that strength training can dramatically reduce the loss of bone mass, help restore bones, and contribute to better balance and less fractures.
Gastrointestinal Function – Regular exercise promotes the efficient elimination of waste and encourages your digestive health.
Chronic Conditions and Cancer – Regular physical activity lowers risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, osteoporosis and colon cancer, to name just a few. It also helps in the management of high cholesterol and arthritis pain.

Good physical fitness improves the way the body works, and enables the body to rebound much more quickly from sickness or injury. These physical benefits along with the natural endorphins produced by exercise may also naturally lead to an improved mood and help decrease depression. Physical fitness and a physically active lifestyle may be one of the most important contributions to healthy aging. So start now!