New Years Day has come and
gone, but the resolutions made will be around to haunt us for some time to
come. Magazine and newspaper articles
abound to remind us of weight loss programs and six-pack abs, but they never
seem to find the key element that makes us want to take them seriously. Well, we buy the magazines so maybe that is
the key that they were focusing on.
What are the hidden benefits
of exercise? Can exercise really make
you feel better? I have been exercising
for years but can’t really say I’ve ever felt that surge of energy or that
“high” that trainers always talk about.
So why do I keep on exercising? I
think I am afraid to stop. Deep down I
know that I am doing something good for myself, and I really do feel good most
of the time.
The hidden benefits are what
exercise is all about. Health care isn’t
all about fixing what is wrong with you; today the emphasis is on keeping you
from getting sick in the first place. Exercise leads to wellness. You are going to be seeing more and more
articles about how exercise boosts your immune system and protects you against
chronic diseases.
Think of exercise as a
prescription for health. An article in
The Wall Street Journal (Tuesday, January 8, 2010) by Laura Landro titled “The
Hidden Benefits of Exercise,” points out quite simply that no pill or
nutritional supplements can do for you what even a moderate amount of daily
exercise can. Yet, people still spend millions of dollars on
diet plans and supplements rather than opening the front door and going for a
walk around the neighborhood.
Medical experts say that
inactivity is as great of a health risk as smoking, contributes to heart
disease, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, depression, arthritis and
osteoporosis. That is a pretty
impressive resume isn’t it? .Exercise
should be like a vaccine to prevent disease, and as a medication to treat
disease.
Starting an exercise program
can have benefits at any age, especially for those over 40 who notice that some
natural ‘slowing down’ or decline is starting to occur. Perhaps if you looked at exercise as a drug
that you have to take to stay healthy you would take it seriously. The only difference is that this drug is
free.
Look at your body as if were
a house (the place where you live). If
you don’t take care of your house, where are you going to live?
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