Simply expending energy through any physical activity, including leisure time activities, will make you feel younger, look better, and live longer. It will even make you lose some fat while gaining more muscle, causing you to look more physically toned and younger than other people your age. An even more pressing reason to become active, though, is to reduce your risk of not feeling good during your lifetime. Inactivity, not aging, is the real reason many of us experience declines in energy and health as time passes.
Studies on men and women between the ages of thirty-five and sixty have shown that simply being more physically active during leisure time keeps heart disease and other life-shortening health problems at bay. Moreover, people who are active in their forties through their sixties (the new “middle age”) end up being more active and independent after they reach retirement age. Being regularly active even reduces your chances of getting colds and other viral illnesses by boosting the ability of your immune system to fight off disease. Thus, both of us believe that exercise is an eternal youth elixir when it comes to optimizing quality of life by keeping your body healthier and disease-free.
Becoming physically fit is more than worth it for numerous other reasons, many of which are listed in Table 1 For starters, it can greatly enhance your energy levels, reduce your risk of certain cancers (e.g., colon, prostate, and breast), help lower your blood pressure, prevent or reverse heart disease, reduce depression and anxiety, prevent thinning bones (osteoporosis), reverse prediabetes and new-onset type 2 diabetes, and dramatically lower your risk of developing diabetes, even if you have a strong family history of it. If you already have diabetes, being active can help you control your blood sugar and prevent diabetes-related health problems.
Brain/Emotions: Enhanced feeling of well-being, improved memory, prevention of dementia, decreased brain atrophy, reduced depression, and better sleep.
Metabolism/Hormones: Enhanced metabolic rate and energy levels, greater libido (sex drive), improved immune system function, more effective blood glucose use, and diabetes prevention.
Heart: Prevention and possible reversal of heart disease, lower blood pressure, and stronger heart muscle.
Muscles:Higher energy levels, better tone, more muscle mass (and prevention of loss over time), increased strength, endurance,flexibility, and balance, and heightened glucose storage.
Bones:Greater bone mineral density and prevention of thinning, reduced symptoms of arthritis, and less likelihood of bone fractures and falls.
Cancer:Reduced risk of colon, prostate, and breast cancer (and possibly others).
Longevity:Increased length of life and better health
From a metabolic standpoint, it’s always better to be fit, no matter what your body weight is. Exercise enhances your body’s sensitivity to insulin, which usually results in better blood sugar control, as well as a lower risk of both heart disease and high blood pressure. Regular exercise can also alleviate severe arthritic symptoms that can make daily living painful. It even helps you sleep better, which is especially important since sleeping too little (e.g., only five hours a night) can increase your risk of gaining weight and getting diabetes.
Studies on men and women between the ages of thirty-five and sixty have shown that simply being more physically active during leisure time keeps heart disease and other life-shortening health problems at bay. Moreover, people who are active in their forties through their sixties (the new “middle age”) end up being more active and independent after they reach retirement age. Being regularly active even reduces your chances of getting colds and other viral illnesses by boosting the ability of your immune system to fight off disease. Thus, both of us believe that exercise is an eternal youth elixir when it comes to optimizing quality of life by keeping your body healthier and disease-free.
Becoming physically fit is more than worth it for numerous other reasons, many of which are listed in Table 1 For starters, it can greatly enhance your energy levels, reduce your risk of certain cancers (e.g., colon, prostate, and breast), help lower your blood pressure, prevent or reverse heart disease, reduce depression and anxiety, prevent thinning bones (osteoporosis), reverse prediabetes and new-onset type 2 diabetes, and dramatically lower your risk of developing diabetes, even if you have a strong family history of it. If you already have diabetes, being active can help you control your blood sugar and prevent diabetes-related health problems.
Brain/Emotions: Enhanced feeling of well-being, improved memory, prevention of dementia, decreased brain atrophy, reduced depression, and better sleep.
Metabolism/Hormones: Enhanced metabolic rate and energy levels, greater libido (sex drive), improved immune system function, more effective blood glucose use, and diabetes prevention.
Heart: Prevention and possible reversal of heart disease, lower blood pressure, and stronger heart muscle.
Muscles:Higher energy levels, better tone, more muscle mass (and prevention of loss over time), increased strength, endurance,flexibility, and balance, and heightened glucose storage.
Bones:Greater bone mineral density and prevention of thinning, reduced symptoms of arthritis, and less likelihood of bone fractures and falls.
Cancer:Reduced risk of colon, prostate, and breast cancer (and possibly others).
Longevity:Increased length of life and better health
From a metabolic standpoint, it’s always better to be fit, no matter what your body weight is. Exercise enhances your body’s sensitivity to insulin, which usually results in better blood sugar control, as well as a lower risk of both heart disease and high blood pressure. Regular exercise can also alleviate severe arthritic symptoms that can make daily living painful. It even helps you sleep better, which is especially important since sleeping too little (e.g., only five hours a night) can increase your risk of gaining weight and getting diabetes.
