Over the years we have become more and more inactive. Since the advent of the motor car we walk much less than our ancestors and most of our lives contain much less physical work due to all of the labour saving modern equipment we own. Therefore, we have to artificially make time to exercise as this is a vital part of keeping healthy.

We should all be getting at least thirty minutes of moderate exercise five times a week. If you are just beginning to make exercise a regular part of your life it is important to start gently. As you get fitter you can increase the intensity of your exercise. There is a good pdf document, Be Active Your Way, to help you get start on making exercise a part of your life.

Six Benefits of Regular Physical Exercise

1. Exercise improves your mood.

Exercise releases chemicals called endorphins in the brain. These endorphins have a strong effect on your mood. They help to reduce anxiety, stress and depression. Your self confidence will also improve as your body starts to look and feel better.

2. Exercise helps prevent or manage chronic diseases such as heart disease, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer.

Exercise halves your risk of developing coronary heart disease. It helps to reduce high blood pressure and helps to boost the good cholesterol (HDL) and reduce the bad cholesterol (LDL).

Weight bearing exercise such as walking helps guard against osteoporosis by promoting bone density.

Regular exercise can also reduce the risk of developing bowel cancer, breast cancer, , prostate, lung and endometrial cancer.

3. Exercise helps you manage your weight.

Exercise helps your body to burn calories and increases your metabolism so, when combined with a healthy diet, can help in weight loss or weight maintenance.

4. Exercise strengthens hearts and lungs

Regular exercise helps to keep your cardiovascular system in good order so your heart and lungs can work optimally.

5. Exercise improves the quality of your sleep.

However, exercising before just going to bed can make it more difficult for you to fall asleep so it is better to exercise earlier in the day.

6. Exercise can be fun.

Exercise can be fun if you choose an activity you enjoy. Walking, dancing, playing tennis or football or playing with your kids are all enjoyable activities and when shared with other people can give much pleasure so make sure you find something you enjoy. If you don’t like going to the gym, then don’t go. Do something you do enjoy instead!

Here is a fun video to help you get some exercise today.

Remember to check with your doctor before starting a new exercise programme.

©2010 Quest For Health. All Rights Reserved.

What I was trying to stress is that people who are a few pounds overweight who eat healthily and take regular exercise can be healthier than skinnier people who take very little exercise and do not take care with the food they are putting inside of their bodies.

A figure on the bathroom scales or a BMI chart is far too simplistic in regards to health. Although most doctors believe that BMI is a good indicator of a person’s health it is not foolproof. Exceptions occur especially in regards to athletes who have built up more muscle mass than average and so have a BMI score which puts them in the obese category.

Real obesity does have negative consequences on a person’s health. It has been identified as a cause for many different diseases but having a healthy BMI score does not guarantee one is healthy either.

People who do not look fat on the outside can be hiding internal fat which surrounds vital organs like the heart, liver and pancreas and doctors now think this internal fat could be as dangerous as the more obvious visible fat.

Dr. Jimmy Bell, a professor of molecular imaging at Imperial College, London has undertaken research funded by Britain’s Medical Research Council. He and his team scanned nearly 800 people with MRI machines to find out where they were storing fat. They discovered that as many as 45 percent of women and nearly 60 percent of men with normal BMI scores had excessive levels of internal fat. This has lead doctors to worry that thin people may falsely assume they are healthy because they are not overweight.

There is much more to being healthy than just being a healthy weight. As I stated in my previous article, it is also important to make good food choices, take regular exercise and keep blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar under control.

It is interesting that Dr. Steven Blair, an obesity expert at the University of South Carolina is quoted as saying. “Normal-weight persons who are sedentary and unfit are at much higher risk for mortality than obese persons who are active and fit.”

Therefore, when attempting to be healthy it is not enough to just watch how much you are eating to maintain a BMI score in the healthy weight range. It is also important to watch what you are eating and, arguably even more important, to take regular exercise in order to maximise your health.

Start your week off healthily by making sure you do some form of exercise today.

Further Reading

1. Internal fat deposits may endanger people who look thin externally
2. Thin people can be fat on the inside
3. Exercise critical to melt internal fat
4. Abdominal and Total Body Fat Loss Linked to Regular Exercise, Researcher at Yale Finds

©2010 Quest For Health. All Rights Reserved.

I know exercise is very important for a healthy lifestyle and I do feel better when I have a regular exercise routine. It is just the initial starting that is difficult especially after an extended absence so I went looking  for some motivation. I found this short aerobic video on YouTube which is an ideal gentle introduction. It only takes a minute to complete but hopefully it will spur me on to do some more exercise during the day.

I cannot remember where but I read that you should always do some exercise on a Monday and a Friday because if you don’t it is unlikely you will do it any other time during the week. This makes perfect sense to me so today is a great day to get back into my exercise routine.  I hope you will join me!

©2010 Quest For Health. All Rights Reserved.

She is a registerd dietician and offers the following advice about a healthy diet (with some extra comments by me):

1. Exercise regularly. Aim to do 30 minutes of moderate activity at least three days a week. If you prefer you could split the 30 minutes into 3 lots of 10 minutes. Make exercise part of your daily routine by walking the dog or walking to the shops.
2. Watch for hidden sugar in drinks. Water has no calories. Neither has black tea or coffee. However, if you add milk to tea and coffee make sure it is skimmed milk which has less fat and do not add sugar.
3. Eat three portions of fruit and three portions of vegetables a day. Filling up on fruit and vegetables is much better than eating biscuits, cakes and other high fat, high calorie snacks. This is good health advice as well as a good dieting tip.
4. Eat lean meats, poultry and fish. They are low in fat but be careful about how you cook them. Do not add extra fat during the cooking process. Steaming, poaching, boiling, grilling, baking and microwaving are the best ways of cooking meat to keep the fat value and calories down.
5. Limit alcohol consumption. Alcohol is high in calories and has no nutritious value. Scientific research has shown that drinking red wine regularly is good for the heart but other research has linked alcohol consumption to breast cancer so while trying to lose weight it is probably a good idea to cut down on the alcohol.

I think these are very good tips. I must find the motivation to exercise more!

©2010 Quest For Health. All Rights Reserved.