The Wonder Drug for Health and Wellness
Exercise is often market to the public as a tool to “lose weight and look good!” Unfortunately, amiss the pictures of lean bodies and six-pack abs we often overlook many of the arguably more valuable benefits of exercise. In fact, research is clear that:
“If exercise could be packed in a pill, it would be the single most widely prescribed and beneficial medicine in the nation.”
Robert N. Butler, M.D.
Director, National Institute on Aging
The benefits of exercise extend well beyond weight loss and weight maintenance.
Surprising to most, even if we don’t lose A SINGLE POUND, exercise still has profound benefits for our health and well-being. Research shows that exercise substantially decreases risk for:
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• High blood pressure
• Type II diabetes
• Back pain
• Osteoporosis
• Cancer (colon, breast, endometrial)
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Stress
Research by I-min Lee and colleagues found that inactivity caused 9% of premature deaths world-wide and nearly 20% of deaths in the United States. That’s more than 5.3 million of the 57 million deaths that occurred worldwide in 2008. Physical inactivity and poor nutrition are leading the charts on preventable causes of death in the United States, second only to tobacco.
In addition to decreasing risk for negative effects, exercise also provides positive health benefits such as improved:
• Aerobic and muscular fitness
• Emotional well-being
• Feelings of vitality/energy
• Sleep patterns
• Immune function
• Quality of life
• Social relationships
• Productivity
• Financial well-being
Living a physically active lifestyle is one of the most important things we can do for our health no matter our age, body weight, or shape. When we consider the inherent value that exercise has on our lives no matter if we are fat or thin, the magazine pictures and commercials advertising exercise for the purpose of looking good feels superficial. Looking fit is certainly not a bad thing, but most people agree that living a healthy vibrant life is deeply valuable and dearly cherished.
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References:
Lee, IM, Shiroma, EJ, Lobela, F, Puska, P, Blair, SN, & Katzmarzyk, PT. (2012). Effect of physical inactivity on major non-communicable diseases worldwide: an analysis of burden of disease and life expectancy. Lancet, 380: 219-229.
Mokdad, AH, Marks JS, Stroup, DF, Gerberding, JL. Actual causes of death in the United States. JAMA, 291: 1238-1246.
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