Benefits of exercising regularly
The key to a healthy, long life is not complicated or expensive, really: virtually everybody can achieve it today in modern society, at least in the West.
Regular exercise and good diet: this is the simple recipe.
The only obstacle to achieving that is actually ourselves, our laziness, our habits, our ingrained patterns, the way we indulge in our cravings for the wrong foods or attachments to the wrong behaviors.
It's funny how the simplest things can be at the same time the most difficult.
Pros & cons of home exercise. Should you work out at home? Many people prefer the convenience for a variety of reasons - savings in time and money, no driving, no child care needed, workout schedule not dictated by the gym's hours. A 1997 study by the Fitness Products Council (FPC) found that home exercise equipment is regularly used in 33 percent of U.S. households.
Regular exercise helps to burn calories and body fat. Although dieting alone can lead to weight loss, it usually causes the weight to be lost in lean tissue, instead of in fat tissue. Studies have shown, however, that combining balanced, nutritious, moderate-calorie meals with regular exercise can lead to loss of body fat. (Loss of no more than 1-2 pounds per week seems to be ideal.)
In order to lose weight, you must burn more calories than you take in. Exercising is the best way to do it.
The best way to maintain control of body fat is to set realistic goals, which incorporate aerobic activity, such as walking, jogging, swimming, and any other activity that can be sustained for at least 30-60 minutes. These activities work best when engaged in 5-6 days per week, according to Charles B. Corbin and Ruth Lindsey, in Concepts of Fitness and Wellness, Vol. II. More vigorous exercise can be beneficial, as well. But, many people cannot keep up with vigorous exercise for extended periods of time. Therefore, less vigorous activities, which can be maintained for longer periods, are better for fat control.
Besides, studies show that individuals who routinely track food consumption and exercise lose weight more effectively and keep it off longer.
Exercising is an effective way to prevent heart disease. Regular exercise is very important for building and maintaining a strong heart. The best kinds of exercises for developing and maintaining good cardiovascular health are those that provide an aerobic workout. Aerobic workouts include activities that can be sustained for long periods of time without experiencing too much fatigue, as a result of the body's ability to deliver and utilize oxygen efficiently. Performing aerobic exercise with enough intensity and for extended periods of time will raise the heart rate, allowing your heart muscle to be worked sufficiently to increase your cardiovascular health and reduce your risk of heart disease. Examples of aerobic exercises include walking, jogging, bicycling, hiking, cross-country skiing, and swimming. Ideally, a minimum of 30 minutes of some sort of aerobic activity daily should be incorporated into your lifestyle. But any exercise is better than no exercise, at all. (Seek the advice of your physician before beginning any exercise program.) In addition to exercise, the right diet is also essential for the health of the heart. Avoiding animal fats and meat, and increasing fibre, fresh fruit and vegetables are the key.
Regular exercise is also important to combat the effects of ageing in general and prevent osteoporosis, falls and hip fractures in particular.
Here we have another epidemiological study, a population comparison.
People living in Third World countries, like the Gambia, have low rates of osteoporosis, even though their calcium intake is much lower than that of industrialised countries. Many specialists believe that such populations are protected because they walk further, work physically harder and do more manual labour.
Bones, like muscles, increase their strength and density when they are worked.
Recent tests have shown that even people in their seventies, eighties and nineties can put on beneficial muscle mass, improve dexterity and reduce the risk of falling and breaking bones by taking up moderate exercise.
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