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Exercise: A program you can l... Health Article

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Exercise: A program you can live with

Whether you're 9 or 90, abundant evidence shows exercise can enhance your health and well-being. While many of us know this, far too few act upon it. Years ago, practically every American could count on getting a good dose of physical activity from everyday tasks and recreation. Today, cars, industrial machinery, and labor-saving appliances eliminate much of the physical work of daily life. Sedentary pastimes, such as watching TV, surfing the Internet, or playing computer and video games, have replaced more active pursuits. Millions of Americans simply aren't moving enough to meet the minimum threshold for good health — that is, burning at least 700–1,000 calories a week through physical pursuits. For most people, this translates into getting at least 30 minutes of moderate activity a day — the current government recommendation. Yet fewer than half of American adults meet this goal. Worse, more than one in three is completely sedentary.

Just how much difference does staying active make? Literally hundreds of studies conducted over more than half a century demonstrate that regular exercise pares down your risk for developing some of the most lethal health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and some forms of cancer. It eases the toll of chronic ailments like high blood pressure, diabetes, and arthritis. Put simply, exercise helps you feel better and live longer.

Perhaps you're not sure how much exercise you must do to reap these gains or which activities will prove most helpful. Must you take up jogging? Spend hours huffing and puffing on treadmills at a gym? Neither is necessary. Just half an hour of moderately intense activity on all or most days of the week delivers solid health benefits. And you needn't perform this activity all at once; you can break it up into three 10-minute segments if you wish. A blend of activities is important, too. Cardiovascular workouts, muscle-strengthening exercises, and stretching and balance sessions all work together to help ward off or ease disability and illness. Ultimately, this helps you stay independent and enjoy a high quality of life in your later years.

Quite possibly, you have additional questions. How does exercise change your body? Which diseases can it help prevent? What's the best way for you to get started and stay motivated? What sort of exercise equipment do you need?

Not only will this report answer these questions, it offers a compact, well-illustrated guide to starting and sticking with an exercise program that suits your abilities and lifestyle. You'll find advice on being a savvy consumer of fitness products, as well as tools and tips designed to help make exercise work for you.

The inside scoop: Exercise and your body

What's going on inside your body when you pedal a bike or walk around the block? These activities set off complicated physical processes that affect nearly every organ system. When you exercise several times a week or more, your body adapts so you're able to do so more efficiently. Knowing a little about this process helps explain why physical activity has so many benefits.