Minimum exercise requirements
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than 60 million Americans are not meeting the minimum exercise requirements to stay healthy: they only move around 700 calories per week. The benefits of physical activity sound too good but decades worth of science has confirmed this knowledge, showing how it improves your health in many different ways from decreasing stress levels all through prevention or treatment options like arthritis-related pain relief . Adding just 15 minutes every day can make a world of difference!
Benefits of aerobic exercise
Aerobic exercise is not just for the heart. It also helps to keep us mentally sharp and energized. Exercise can be as simple or complex of an activity like jogging in place to your favorite song on repeat or taking care never to miss a day at the gym because you understand that each class is a step taken forward towards health goals; alternatively-you could instead do something more challenging like sign up for a road race or train for a competition!
Easing back pain and preventing falls
Stretching or flexibility training is the third prong of a balanced exercise program. Muscles tend to shorten and weaken with age. Shorter, stiffer muscle fibers make you vulnerable to injuries, back pain, and stress. But regularly performing exercises that isolate and stretch the elastic fibers surrounding your muscles and tendons can counteract this process. And stretching improves your posture and balance.
Balance tends to erode over time, and regularly performing balance exercises is one of the best ways to protect against falls that lead to temporary or permanent disability. Balance exercises take only a few minutes and often fit easily into the warm-up portion of a workout. Many strength-training exercises also serve as balance exercises. Or balance-enhancing movements may simply be woven into other forms of exercise, such as tai chi, yoga, and Pilates.
In summary, exercise can…
- 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.