Thirty Minutes of Exercise a Day Keeps the Doctor
Away
By: Matt Ream
“Exercise is good for you!” If you had a dollar for every time you heard
this statement uttered, you'd be rich by now, right? Well, proponents of
everyday physical activity aren't just blowing smoke when they repeat this
mantra. Medical research has uncovered resounding evidence to back up this
“good for you” claim. In fact, the U.S. Surgeon General, the American
College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the National Centers for Chronic
Disease Prevention and Health Promotion all recommend the same thing when it
comes to regular exercise: American adults should aim for 30 minutes or more
of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, and preferably all, days of
the week.
Inquiring minds want to know, so how exactly will daily
exercise impact your health and well-being? Regular physical activity
positively affects not only your body but also your mind. That's right:
Exercise simultaneously improves your physical, your emotional and your
psychological health. In fact, it's a triple-threat combatant against the
physical and mental disorders Americans most often face: heart disease,
diabetes, stroke, stress, anxiety and depression, just to name a few.
When industry experts stand in staunch agreement, you know it's time to
focus your attention on their advice and take their concurring counsel to
heart. To that end, consider daily exercise's benefits as purported by three
of the leading medical sources: the American Heart Association, the Surgeon
General's Report on Exercise and Fitness Management magazine.
The
American Heart Association (AHA) lists a reduction in the risk of heart
disease at the top of its daily physical activity benefit list. Exercise
improves circulation throughout the body and lowers cholesterol, thereby
decreasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke. The AHA also touts
exercise's ability to counteract the health problems plaguing today's young
people: obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and poor lifestyle
habits. In so doing, it prevents the conditions that lead to heart attacks
and strokes later in life.
The U.S. Surgeon General, while echoing
the AHA's claims, narrows down physical activity's benefits into specific
categories. Overall, he maintains that exercise reduces one's risk of dying
prematurely, but explicitly mentions a reduction in heart disease, diabetes,
high blood pressure, colon cancer, depression and anxiety and obesity among
its lifesaving advantages. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, healthier
bones muscles and joints as well as improved psychological well-being are
some of the other benefits regular exercisers enjoy.
In an article
entitled “The Psychological Benefits of Your Exercise Program,” Fitness
Management magazine further details physical activity's favorable effects on
emotional and mental health. In particular, the article cites the following
psychological advantages of exercise: 1) It reduces feelings of anxiety,
worry, self-doubt and uncertainty about the future; 2) It lower stress
levels and the accompanying physical complaints, such as headaches and
muscle tension; 3) It energizes, thereby enhancing one's mood; 4) It
improves sleep quality; and 5) It improves one's self-image and -confidence
by keeping weight down and elevating mood.
So, while an apple a day
is still sound advice, it seems exercising every day is the new and improved
ticket to keeping the doctor away.
About the Author
RYP Sports exists to help you 'Raise Your Pulse' by participating in regular
physical activity. Visit
http://www.raiseyourpulse.com for the best in fitness information and
products.
