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The Health Benefits of
Exercise
Regular exercise can help protect you from
heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, non
insulin-dependent diabetes, obesity, back pain, osteoporosis,
and can improve your mood and help you to better manage stress.
For the greatest overall health benefits, experts recommend that
you do 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic activity three or more times
a week and some type of muscle strengthening activity and
stretching at least twice a week. However, if you are unable to
do this level of activity, you can gain substantial health
benefits by accumulating 30 minutes or more of
moderate-intensity physical activity a day, at least five times
a week.
If you have been inactive for a while, you may want to start
with less strenuous activities such as walking or swimming at a
comfortable pace. Beginning at a slow pace will allow you to
become physically fit without straining your body. Once you are
in better shape, you can gradually do more strenuous activity.
How Physical Activity
Impacts Health
Regular physical activity that is performed on
most days of the week reduces the risk of developing or dying
from some of the leading causes of illness and death in the
United States.
- Reduces the risk of dying prematurely.
- Reduces the risk of dying prematurely
from heart disease.
- Reduces the risk of developing diabetes.
- Reduces the risk of developing high blood
pressure.
- Helps reduce blood pressure in people who
already have high blood pressure.
- Reduces the risk of developing colon
cancer.
- Reduces feelings of depression and
anxiety.
- Helps control weight.
- Helps build and maintain healthy bones,
muscles, and joints.
- Helps older adults become stronger and
better able to move about without falling.
- Promotes psychological well-being.
Specific Health Benefits of
Exercise
Heart Disease and Stroke. Daily
physical activity can help prevent heart disease and stroke by
strengthening your heart muscle, lowering your blood pressure,
raising your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels (good
cholesterol) and lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels
(bad cholesterol), improving blood flow, and increasing your
heart's working capacity.
High Blood Pressure. Regular
physical activity can reduce blood pressure in those with high
blood pressure levels. Physical activity also reduces body
fatness, which is associated with high blood pressure.
Noninsulin-Dependent Diabetes.
By reducing body fatness, physical activity can help to prevent
and control this type of diabetes.
Obesity. Physical activity
helps to reduce body fat by building or preserving muscle mass
and improving the body's ability to use calories. When physical
activity is combined with proper nutrition, it can help control
weight and prevent obesity, a major risk factor for many
diseases.
Back Pain. By increasing muscle
strength and endurance and improving flexibility and posture,
regular exercise helps to prevent back pain.
Osteoporosis. Regular
weight-bearing exercise promotes bone formation and may prevent
many forms of bone loss associated with aging.
Psychological Effects. Regular
physical activity can improve your mood and the way you feel
about yourself. Researchers also have found that exercise is
likely to reduce depression and anxiety and help you to better
manage stress.
Millions of Americans
suffer from illnesses that can be prevented or improved through
regular physical activity.
• 13.5 million people have coronary heart disease.
• 1.5 million people suffer from a heart attack in a given year.
• 8 million people have adult-onset (non-insulin-dependent)
diabetes.
• 95,000 people are newly diagnosed with colon cancer each year.
• 250,000 people suffer from a hip fractures each year.
• 50 million people have high blood pressure.
• Over 60 million people (a third of the population) are
overweight.
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