The benefits of exercise

It’s a well known fact that participating in regular daily exercise can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, and it makes you feel good too!

It is hard to overstate the benefits of a lifelong commitment to exercise and physical fitness. It has long been known that people who get regular exercise remain healthier and stronger than people who do not get regular exercise. Exercise has been linked to decreased rates of heart disease, stroke, cancer, osteoporosis, obesity and diabetes. Specifically, the benefits of exercise for people with existing heart problems include:

• A reduction of cholesterol levels and other harmful blood lipids:
• Decreased blood pressure
• Increased pumping efficiency of the heart
• A slow-down or even reversal of the “hardening of the arteries,” or atherosclerosis
• Reduced inflammation throughout the body, which has been linked to coronary artery disease
• Slowing the progression of heart failure

Even slight amounts of exercise have been linked to improvements in health. Studies have shown that people who exercise once a week, for an hour at a time, have improved heart health. And the benefits increase with greater levels of activity. Based on these results, the current NHS guidelines recommend at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week to lower the risk of heart disease. To prevent weight gain, or lose weight, the government recommends at least 60 minutes of exercise most days. These recommendations are in line with guidelines issued by leading medical organisations in the UK and worldwide. Despite these proven benefits, however, nearly two thirds of men and over half of women in Britain today are overweight or obese. And the problem here is increasing faster than in most other European countries. If prevalence continues to rise at the current rate, more than one in four adults will be obese by 2010. This would significantly increase the incidence of associated diseases, such as coronary heart disease, and would cost the economy over £3.5 billion a year by that date. Much of this is down to the fact that more than half of all adults in the UK do not get enough exercise.

Despite knowing all these facts, many people, however, find it difficult to start and remain committed to an exercise programme which means that after just a few weeks they drop out. One common problem is that people are starting to do too much too quickly with their exercise regime. This can result in aching muscles and decreasing motivation. It is important that any exercise programme be launched under the guidance of a qualified fitness trainer or, for people with existing heart conditions, their doctor. This may well include a pre-exercise screening to make sure there is no risk of injury.

Finally, there are many ways of exercising, and if pounding the local pavements does not fill you with excitement, why not try out some or all of the following:

• Aerobics
• Cycling
• Walking
• Hiking
• Swimming
• Yoga
• Trampolining
• Dancing

They key to embarking on a fitness programme and sticking with it is that you ENJOY it!