Exercise: If Not for Your Waist, Do it for Your Health

Fitness is often a daunting subject for some, for others it is a way of life. The fact is even a small amount of effort can prove to have lifelong benefits.

The National Health Survey reported that 40% of adults are completely inactive. The Surgeon General’s Report said that 60% of adults are not meeting the recommended amount of physical activity, and 25% are inactive. A 2006 Health Study by the National Center for Health Statistics showed 62% of women over the age of 20 are overweight. There are many ways to stay active and get the physical fitness you need to maintain a healthy balanced lifestyle.

Even with a busy schedule 30 minutes a day has been shown to significantly improve health and decrease the likelihood of disease. Several studies at Duke University Medical Center have found that people who did only a half-hour of moderate exercise such as brisk walking, five to six days a week had even more increased benefits over those who worked out longer and more vigorously.

Aerobic activity or Cardio Respiratory activity is a very beneficial way to meet the fitness requirements no matter age or build. Six simple and effective activities that the book Walking for Fitness recommends are:

• Walking


• Running


• Swimming
  
• Biking


• Land aerobics


• Water aerobics

Each of these activities, when done regularly have been proven to improve health by:

• Strengthening the heart, bones and tendons


• Creating muscular endurance


• Improving body weight


• Reducing stress


• Building confidence


• Lowering body fat
  
• Increasing life expectancy


• Reducing risk of health problems associated with obesity and inactivity such as
  o Diabetes
  o High cholesterol
  o Heart attack
  o Stroke
  o High blood pressure*

*(Note: Roughly one third of American adults who have high blood pressure are not aware of it, according to a survey by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Normal blood pressure is 120 over 80.)

Humans are aerobic organisms, meaning the need for oxygen to live. (Quick anatomy lesson: when the body inhale and exhale, oxygen comes in through the lungs and enters the blood stream; blood flows through the body in cells, cells run the heart.)

Being inactive reduces the ability for oxygen to flow through the body. The flow of blood in an inactive body gets use to only using a small amount of oxygen; therefore a sudden increase in oxygen (becoming winded) can result in a heart attack.

By engaging in moderate or intense activity is key in order to increase oxygen intake. This makes the respiratory and circulatory system have to work harder, improving the heart and lung function.

"The FITT Principle" is a set of rules designed for the general population as a guideline to help increase one’s fitness level. By increasing any or all of the elements listed below, improvements in body shape and health are increased also.
- Frequency: how often you work out
- Intensity: how hard you work during activity
- Time: how long you exercise
- Type: the type of activity you are doing

Applying this principle to your exercise program will result in many benefits in your health and your waist. Everyone is different, find what motivates you and activities that you enjoy and go for it!