Benefits of exercises Step right up

Benefits of exercises

Step right up! It's the miracle cure we've all been waiting for.
It can reduce your risk of major illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer by up to 50% and lower your risk of early death by up to 30%.
It’s free, easy to take, has an immediate effect and you don’t need a GP to get some. Its name? Exercise.
Click on the links below to find out if you're doing enough for your age:
• early childhood (under five years old)
• young people (five to 18 years old)
• adults (19 to 64 years old)
• older adults (65 and over)
Exercise is the miracle cure we’ve always had, but for too long we’ve neglected to take our recommended dose. Our health is now suffering as a consequence.
This is no snake oil. Whatever your age, there's strong scientific evidence that being physically active can help you lead a healthier and even happier life.
People who do regular activity have a lower risk of many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and some cancers.
Research shows that physical activity can also boost self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy, as well as reducing your risk of stress,depression, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
“If exercise were a pill, it would be one of the most cost-effective drugs ever invented,” says Dr Nick Cavill, a health promotion consultant.
Health benefits
Given the overwhelming evidence, it seems obvious that we should all be physically active. It's essential if you want to live a healthy and fulfilling life into old age.
It's medically proven that people who do regular physical activity have:
• up to a 35% lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke
• up to a 50% lower risk of type 2 diabetes
• up to a 50% lower risk of colon cancer
• up to a 20% lower risk of breast cancer
• a 30% lower risk of early death
• up to an 83% lower risk of osteoarthritis
• up to a 68% lower risk of hip fracture
• a 30% lower risk of falls (among older adults)
• up to a 30% lower risk of depression
• up to a 30% lower risk of dementia
What counts?
To stay healthy, adults should try to be active daily and aim to achieve at least 150 minutes of physical activity over a week through a variety of activities.
For most people, the easiest way to get moving is to make activity part of everyday life, like walking or cycling instead of using the car to get around. However, the more you do, the better, and taking part in activities such as sports and exercise will make you even healthier.
For any type of activity to benefit your health, you need to be moving quick enough to raise your heart rate, breathe faster and feel warmer. This level of effort is called moderate intensity activity. One way to tell if you're working at a moderate intensity is if you can still talk but you can't sing the words to a song.
If your activity requires you to work even harder, it is called vigorous intensity activity. There is substantial evidence that vigorous activity can bring health benefits over and above that of moderate activity. You can tell when it’s vigorous activity because you're breathing hard and fast, and your heart rate has gone up quite a bit. If you're working at this level, you won't be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath.
A modern problem
People are less active nowadays, partly because technology has made our lives easier. We drive cars or take public transport. Machines wash our clothes. We entertain ourselves in front of a TV or computer screen. Fewer people are doing manual work, and most of us have jobs that involve little physical effort. Work, house chores, shopping and other necessary activities are far less demanding than for previous generations.
We move around less and burn off less energy than people used to. Research suggests that many adults spend more than seven hours a day sitting down, at work, on transport or in their leisure time. People aged over 65 spend 10 hours or more each day sitting or lying down, making them the most sedentary age group.
Sedentary lifestyles
Inactivity is described by the Department of Health as a “silent killer”. Evidence is emerging that sedentary behaviour, such as sitting or lying down for long periods, is bad for your health.
Not only should you try to raise your activity levels, but you should also reduce the amount of time you and your family spend sitting down.
Common examples of sedentary behaviour include watching TV, using a computer, using the car for short journeys and sitting down to read, talk or listen to music – and such behaviour is thought to increase your risk of many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, as well as weight gain and obesity.
“Previous generations were active more naturally through work and manual labour, but today we have to find ways of integrating activity into our daily lives,” says Dr Cavill.
Whether it's limiting the time babies spend strapped in their buggies, or encouraging adults to stand up and move frequently, people of all ages need to reduce their sedentary behaviour.
“This means that each of us needs to think about increasing the types of activities that suit our lifestyle and can easily be included in our day,” says Dr Cavill.
Crucially, you can hit your weekly activity target but still be at risk of ill health if you spend the rest of the time sitting or lying down. For tips on building physical activity and exercise into your day, whatever your age, read Get active your way.

Part 1 of 3: Exercising
1.
1
Start walking, jogging or cycling. No matter what your speed is, walking, jogging and cycling are very important parts of a healthy lifestyle as they are activities that keep your muscles active and your blood flowing. If you need to keep your knees strong or have body aches and pains then cycling is the best solution.[2]
• Come up with a daily walking, jogging or cycling routine that fits with your schedule (i.e. go for a jog everyday at 6:00 p.m.). After a while you can increase your distance, speed and eventually time.
• Go out of your way to walk more. For example, if you go to the grocery store try to park in the farthest spot from the entrance so you are forced to walk those extra steps to get there.
• Walk or bike to work/school. If you live close enough to work or school a good solution would be to start walking or cycling.
• If you jog you should jog at least a kilometer to keep the fat off, but it is very important to pace yourself.
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2
Exercise at home. Not everyone has the time or money to go to the gym and there is no need to. Working out at home is very easy and can be very beneficial. Some at-home exercises include:
• Push-ups. Use your weight against the floor or wall to work on your upper body strength.
• Sit-ups. Sit-ups can be done by simply laying on the ground or, with a more advanced technique, with a chair or exercise ball.
• Yoga. Yoga practices such as downward facing dog or sun salutations are easily done on the carpeted ground or on a yoga mat.

3
Exercise in the gym. If you like the gym atmosphere and can afford the membership then the gym is a great place to stay fit.
• Utilize the machines for cardio and weights, but be careful and never use a weight that is too heavy. Use smaller weights and you will find that you will progress through the weights very rapidly.
• Learn strength training and muscle toning techniques from an instructor or professional.

4
Join a local sport team. If you are not a fan of the gym or practicing random exercises then joining a local sports team may be a great solution to get outside, move around and have some fun! Many cities have their own recreational sports teams that meet and play on certain days.
• The most popular city sports are: Dodgeball, kickball, softball, basketball and ultimate frisbee.
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Part 2 of 3: Maintaining a Balanced Diet
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1
Get rid of any junk food. It is one of the most important components of a fit lifestyle. Many people ignore it, but if you exercise and eat a lot of junk food you will not get any fitter. This is because the junk food turns to fat almost immediately. Junk foods contain little to no nutrition and are high in sodium and sugar. Because of this, your body sugar levels drop after consumption and you end up feeling fatigued with a major lack of energy.[3] Foods to avoid are:
• High in sugar: Donuts, cakes, cookies, pudding, cereals, canned and dried fruits, and sodas.
• High in fat: Processed meats, butter, hydrogenated oil (coconut and palm kernel), shortening, cheese and animal fats. (Please note: although cheese is high in fat, it is also high in protein which is a great nutrient for the body. Aged and less processed cheeses are the best solution)[4]
• High in cholesterol: Egg yolk, fried foods and mayonnaise.
• Avoid anything containing: High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and Monosodium glutamate (MSG).

2
Eat healthy. Maintaining a balanced diet can be difficult to do if you do not have the time to cook for yourself every day. But, it is easy to find healthy solutions in restaurants and take-outs as well. You will find that maintaining a healthy and balanced diet can increase energy and productivity, boost your metabolism and make you a happier person because you will be consuming the nutrients and vitamins your body needs.[5] Foods to eat are:
• Fresh fruits and vegetables: Melons, bananas, apples, oranges, carrots, onions, broccoli and corn, etc. (Please note: These fruits and veggies should be fresh, not canned. You can sauté vegetables in extra virgin olive oil for better taste). If you make a salad, the more colorful the better!
• Organic meats: Fish, poultry and beef for protein. Instead of frying the meats, try to bake them with extra virgin olive oil or lemon juice with herbs.
• Grains: Whole wheat toast, oatmeal and pastas.
• Foods high in protein: Tofu, soy beans, egg whites, nuts, cottage cheese and quinoa.
• Foods high