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Capital Region Medical Center
TREAT YOURSELF TO THE
BENEFITS
EXERCISE
One
of the best gifts you’ll ever receive isn’t
a budget buster. And you don’t have to wait
for anyone to give it to you—you give it to
yourself.
That gift is being active. And while you
certainly know that exercise is good for you,
do you know how good it really is?
Consider this: People who are active
for about seven hours a week have a
40 percent lower risk of dying prematurely
than those who fit in less than 30 minutes
during a week, research shows.
Exercise may help you live longer because
it can fend off a long list of health problems,
from heart disease and high blood pressure
to type 2 diabetes and even some types of
cancer.
Keep reading, and you’ll discover more
reasons why you should routinely treat your
body to exercise.
Permanent weight loss
It’s
entirely possible to slim down
simply by eating less. But
lost pounds have a way of
reappearing and settling all too
comfortably on your tummy,
hips and thighs. Only about
5 percent of dieters manage to
keep off the weight they lose.
Exercise is the best way to
stop the cycle of losing and
gaining weight. Data from
the National Weight Control
Registry, which tracks people
who have lost at least
30 pounds and have kept
them off for at least a year,
reveals that 90 percent of
these successful losers exercise
frequently.
Better balance
Exercise that makes your legs stronger and
improves your balance, like tai chi, helps reduce your risk of
falling. Falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain
injuries in the U.S. Older adults are particularly vulnerable—
1 in 3 people 65 and older falls each year.
Stronger muscles and bones
Strength training isn’t just for
body builders. Lifting weights or working out with elastic
exercise bands builds and tones muscle, which helps you stay
strong and independent.
But that’s only one benefit of strength training. It can also
speed up a sluggish metabolism and keep pounds from
creeping on in midlife and later.
Moreover, strength training—along with weight-bearing
exercises such as dancing, jogging or brisk walking—
increases bone density, which can help you avoid a broken
hip or other fracture brought on by osteoporosis.