Why do we Exercise?
Why do we need to exercise more?
Exercise is integral to one’s well-being. It is vital for maintaining healthy weight, tolerance, endurance, and cardiovascular health. Regular exercise also releases endorphins or feel good hormones that help alleviate stress and help protect against anxiety and depression
Overweight and obese states have been linked with most diseases including Heart Disease, Diabetes, and Cancer. Today’s tech-enabled lifestyle has almost completely abolished the need to walk for basic needs. This, along with sedentary lifestyles so prominent in the work place has led to an increase in health issues. Newer research shows that a sedentary lifestyle may be comparable or even worse than a lifestyle that includes smoking or ailments like heart disease or diabetes. It’s crucial to incorporate some form of exercise in our everyday lives in order to maintain our health.
Strength Training (or Resistance Exercise): Helps tone muscles, build strong bones
Aerobic (or Endurance) Exercise: Critical for cardiovascular endurance and stamina. Regular aerobic exercise helps promote collateral blood flow to the heart over time even with existing blockages.
Flexibility (or Mobility) Exercise: Helps prevents injuries with changes in posture;These exercises promote balance and coordination.
It is recommended to consult with your physician before starting any exercise program to ensure cardiovascular health.
Some screening questions that may include: When you exercise, do you have: Chest pain; Feeling faint; Heart palpitations; Nausea; Swelling in hands and feet; Shortness of breath.
These symptoms may alert your physician to underlying diseases that may need to be addressed prior to starting an exercise program.
It is important to start slow with a relatively low-impact exercise like walking. Focus on increasing your frequency, intensity and duration over time. Aim for at least 30-minutes of exercise, at least 4-5 times weekly.
