Health Benefits of Exercise

Regular exercise can help protect you from heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, noninsulin-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.




Healthy Eating Tips




Reducing Fat and Cholesterol

  • Use skim or low-fat milk and cheese made from skim or low-fat milk
  • Cut back on the amount of fat you use in cooking
  • Use water-packed tuna instead of oil-packed
  • Choose lean cuts of meat
  • Trim visible fat from meat
  • Roast, bake, broil, or simmer meats and drain fat after cooking. Don't fry
  • Remove the skin of cooked poultry
  • Use smaller amounts of meat and stretch it by serving in casseroles with grains and vegetables
  • In a dip or sandwich filling, replace all or part of the mayonnaise with yogurt
  • Serve Canadian bacon instead of regular bacon
  • Use vegetable or peanut oils instead of solid shortening and use margarine instead of butter or lard
  • Try substituting egg whites in recipes calling for whole eggs




Controlling Calories

  • Avoid overeating. Eat only when hungry and just until you're full.
  • Moderation! Eat a variety of foods that you enjoy, but watch serving sizes.
  • Eat slowly and chew your food well. This allows you to realize you are full before you overeat.
  • Don't automatically have second helpings, unless it's a low-calorie vegetable or fruit.
  • Decrease your fat and sugar intake and your caloric intake will likely decrease.
  • Eat in a relaxed environment. It takes about 20 minutes after you begin eating for your mind to realize that you are full.




Reducing Sugar

  • Avoid high sugar foods - read labels for words like high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, sucrose
  • Use unsweetened canned fruit or fruit canned in its own juice.
  • Try using less sugar in your favorite recipes




Reducing Sodium

  • Decrease the amount of salt used while cooking
  • Taste foods before you add salt
  • Avoid high sodium foods - read sodium content on the labels
  • Drain and rinse canned vegetables




Increasing Fiber

  • Eat whole grain breads, cereals, and pastas
  • Eat more raw fruits and vegetables
  • Nuts and seeds add fiber, but be aware of the additional calories
  • Add bran (1 to 3 tablespoons) into your daily diet. Mix it with cereals, casseroles, tuna salad, and muffins




Increasing Calcium

  • Eat two or more servings of calcium-rich foods every day.
  • Examples: milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, cottage cheese, sardines or salmon (canned with bones),dried beans, tofu, broccoli




Weight Control and Exercise

Exercise helps to control your weight by using excess calories that otherwise would be stored as fat. your body weight is regulated by the number of calories you eat and use each day. Everything you eat contains calories, and everything you do uses calories, including sleeping, breathing, and digesting food. Any physical activity in addition to what you normally do will use extra calories.

Regular exercise is an important part of effective weight loss and weight maintenance. It also can help prevent several diseases and improve your overall health. It does not matter what type of physical activity you perform--sports, planned exercise, household chores, yard work, or work-related tasks--all are beneficial.

Studies show that even the most inactive people can gain significant health benefits if they accumulate 30 minutes or more of physical activity per day. Research consistently shows that regular physical activity, combined with healthy eating habits, is the most efficient and healthful way to control your weight. Whether you are trying to lose weight or maintain it, you should understand the important role of physical activity and include it in your lifestyle.

Balancing the calories you use through physical activity with the calories you eat will help you achieve your desired weight.

a) When you eat more calories than you need to perform your day's activities, your body stores the extra calories and you gain weight

b) When you eat fewer calories than you use, your body uses the stored calories and you lose weight.

c) When you eat the same amount of calories as your body uses, your weight stays the same.

Any type of physical activity you choose to do--strenuous activities such as running or aerobic dancing or moderate-intensity activities such as walking or household work--will increase the number of calories your body uses. The key to successful weight control and improved overall health is making physical activity a part of your daily routine.

Copyright © 2005 by NutriStrategy