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| Exercise, Are There Benefits? |
| Tracey Cousineau - Outreach Manager |
| 3/27/2008 |
The
benefits of exercise offer improvement in our mind, body and soul.
In fact,
regular exercise may be as effective as
medications for patients with major depression or those with minor to
severe health problems and concerns.
Physical activity is important for keeping joints and muscles strong,
promoting balance, and strengthens your immune system, which is
important in aging bodies to ensure a less painful future.
In
addition to the disease-fighting properties of exercise, regular
activity can improve the quality of your life and your general
well-being in many other ways, such as helping you sleep better, reduce
stress, control your weight, brighten your mood and sharpen your mental
functioning.
Often we think
exercise has to be strenuous to show results, but low impact exercise
can have as much benefit as high impact exercise.
Walking
is the most common and effective form of exercise.
Walking for approximately 30
minutes a day, three times a week can improve coordination and reduces a
person’s chances of falling.
Low impact programs also benefit
those recovering from joint and bone injuries, arthritis or back
problems, people participating in exercise for the first time, or those
who haven’t exercised in a long time and are morbidly obese individuals.
The
benefits received from exercise will depend greatly on the length of
time a person maintains physical activity, so it is important to
maintain a routine that can help you
start a healthier lifestyle.
Some additional benefits
from exercise routines are:
- Reduce your chances of getting heart disease.
For those who already have
heart disease, exercise reduces the chances of dying from it;
- Lower your risk of developing hypertension and
diabetes;
- Reduce your risk for colon cancer and some
other forms of cancer;
- Improve your mood and mental functioning;
- Keep your bones strong and joints healthy;
- Help you maintain a healthy weight;
- Help you maintain your independence well into
your later years.