Keeping Us Healthy, Does Exercise Work?

Studies have shown that exercise can improve an individual’s physical, as well as mental and emotional well-being.

The onset of diabetes in people at risk can be reduced through moderate exercise.  Exercise may also be a big factor in reducing one’s risk of breast cancer, colon cancer and heart disease. Although studies have shown varying conclusions, exercise may also be beneficial for people suffering from osteoporosis. Exercise alone will not lead to reduced blood pressure or cholesterol, and it is not the only means of losing weight.

Through the years, exercise has been glorified as the be all and end all of one’s physical well-being.  It’s been said that walking 20 to 30 minutes a day will improve one’s health. A few minutes of walking here and there, just as long as you reach the 20 to 30 minute minimum is enough to keep you healthy.

• However, you choose to do this, will help you lose weight, keep your blood pressure under control and decrease the possibility of developing osteoporosis.

There is no doubt that exercise is beneficial to everybody. Exercise can be a fun activity, give you energy and put you in a good mood. However, there are certain findings that one has to consider before going into a fitness program.

• Walking and other forms of moderate exercise help reduce the risk of diabetes in people whose blood sugar is starting to rise. These people are usually obese and/or leading a sedentary lifestyle. This was the conclusion reached by researchers who conducted a large federal study wherein participants were assigned randomly to an exercise and diet program, take a diabetes drug or serve as controls.
• Despite all their efforts, the group who exercised and went on a diet lost very little weight. However, they were able to maintain a regular walking program and not all of them went on to develop diabetes.

People who change their lifestyle, from being sedentary to being moderately active, by means of walking, reaps the benefit of increased heart protection. In comparison, a more intense fitness regimen showed only slightly greater beneficial effects.

• It is an accepted fact that exercise may reduce the risk of heart disease. People who take part in an exercise regimen are very different from those who do not.
• Education seems to be a key predictor of good health and longer life, in general. Active people also tend to have more education. People who have an active lifestyle tend to be leaner and less likely to smoke.
• They eat differently compared to those who lead a sedentary lifestyle. With all these findings, it is therefore impossible to conclude whether exercise prevents heart disease or whether people who are at a lower risk of getting heart disease are the ones who are more likely to exercise.

Studies, similar to those done on heart disease, were conducted on the correlation of exercise and cancer, and these produced the same results.

• People who exercised are less likely to develop breast and colon cancer. However, they have not established whether that is cause or effect.
• There is no evidence to suggest that exercise alone will cause a decrease in blood pressure.  It does not make much difference in cholesterol levels either.
• Weight loss can aid in lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels but losing weight involves having a nutrition regimen too.

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