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Get some exercise every few days could dramatically cut the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
According to researchers at the Heriot-Watt University in Scotland, say they found that brief but intense exercise every day or two may help reduce the risk of diabetes. People with higher than average risk for type 2 diabetes are those who are overweight and people who are not physically active.
Type 2 diabetes — where people gradually lose the ability to use insulin, a hormone crucial to converting glucose into energy — accounts for most cases. It’s increasing at epidemic proportions as Americans get older, fatter and less active.
The researchers found that people can reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes by as much as 50%, simply by accumulating one hour of moderate physical activity per day. This exercise can be incorporated into daily life as easily as walking up and down the stairs at work or by commuting via bicycle.
The researchers note that moderate exercise, exemplified by brisk walking, accumulated throughout the day, can lower risk of type 2 diabetes in women by nearly 50 percent.
The activity can come from a variety of sources throughout the day: walking to the bus stop in the morning, taking the stairs at work, or running errands.
Physical activity helps to reduce risk of Type 2 Diabetes two different ways. The first, Physical activity often reduces bodyweight. Overweight is related to a higher risk of diabetes, so losing weight cuts risk. Secondly, physical activity improves insulin sensitivity, allowing the body to make better use of its own insulin.
Exercise adds life to your years! It will not only keep you in shape, but you will feel better and enjoy life more. As well as the many benefits mentioned above, by keeping you fit, exercise will help you stay more independent.
* The information in this Fact Sheet is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Evidence for the benefits of exercise in managing depression
Regular exercise can be an effective way to relieve some forms of depression and is often a neglected strategy for treatment of depression. Numerous studies have shown that people who exercise regularly experience fewer depression and anxiety than those who do not exercise regularly. Several trials have shown that regular exercise of moderate intensity can be an effective treatment by itself for mild to moderate depression. Two trials have found that 16 weeks of regular exercise is equally effective as an SSRI antidepressant medication in the treatment of mild to moderate depression in older adults who have been inactive. Research also suggests that exercise can further assist depression in individuals with depression who have responded only partially to an antidepressant medication. Both aerobic exercise (e.g. brisk walking, cycling or jogging) and resistance or strength training (e.g. weight-lifting) have been found to be beneficial for depression.
How does exercise help depression?
Research suggests that regular exercise may increase levels of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter involved in mood, sleep, libido, appetite and other functions, and has been linked to depression. Exercise may also increase endorphins, which are chemicals in the brain with ‘mood-lifting’ properties. Regular exercise may also help depression by:
- Increasing energy levels – Helping to get a good night’s sleep – Providing distraction from worries and rumination – Providing social support and reducing loneliness if exercise is done with other people – Increasing a sense of control and self-esteem, by taking an active role in the individual’s own recovery.
Key points about the role of exercise in treating depression
Regular exercise can be an effective treatment by itself for non-melancholic depression (particularly for people who were previously ’sedentary’ or inactive). For more severe melancholic depression, exercise may be a helpful adjunctive strategy alongside other treatments (e.g. medication or psychological therapies). Exercise does not need to be extremely vigorous to be helpful for depression – simply briskly walking each day can be beneficial. For those with a melancholic depression and experiencing a distinct lack of energy in the morning, immediate exercise on getting out of bed can be beneficial.
Other benefits of exercise
In addition to being helpful for depression, there are numerous physical health benefits of regular exercise that are well-established by research. These benefits include prevention of numerous (including life-threatening) medical conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, strokes and certain types of cancer. At a population level, physical inactivity is ranked just behind cigarette smoking as a cause of ill health. Therefore, regular exercise as a treatment for depression has the added benefit of improving general health and preventing serious diseases.
Exercise recommendations
The National Physical Activity Guidelines for Australians recommend:
- A minimum of 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise on most, preferably all, days of the week (an example of ‘moderate intensity’ exercise is brisk walking where you notice a slight increase in breathing and heart rate) .
- Exercising for at least 10 minutes at a time – the 30-minutes total does not need to be continuous – you can combine short sessions of different activities to a total of 30 minutes or more each day.
- Being active in as many ways you can each day (e.g. use the stairs).
At least one study has shown that exercising at around the above level for 12 weeks can significantly reduce symptoms of depression amongst people who are inactive and experiencing mild to moderate depression. For people who are very inactive, health benefits can be gained by becoming even slightly more active. A little activity is better than none, and more is better than a little. For extra health and fitness, it is recommended that adults (who are able) should also do vigorous activity that makes them ‘huff and puff’ (e.g. jogging, squash, rowing). For best results, vigorous exercise should be done for 30 minutes or more on 3-4 days per week (on top of moderate exercise).
Getting started
Feeling tired and being less motivated in general are two very common symptoms of depression. This means that exercise is often the last thing that people feel like doing when they are experiencing depression. Therefore, it can be useful to use some of the strategies below to help with motivation to gradually become more active:
Make a plan
Start slowly and build up gradually. For example, if you have not been exercising at all, start with a 10-15 minute walk each morning, and gradually increase this to 30 minutes per day. Set short-term realistic goals for exercising each week (e.g. 3 x 20 minute walks per week). Plan to exercise at specific times of the day that fit in with your lifestyle and write your plan down.
Keep motivated
- Keep an activity diary each day. – A pedometer can be helpful in keeping track of your activity levels. – Reward yourself when you achieve your short-term exercise plan. – Get other people involved – ask a friend, partner or relative to join you. Although it is common to not feel like socializing when experiencing depression, it can be helpful to include others in exercise, to gain support and help with motivation. – Write down the specific benefits that you would like to gain from exercise, and refer back to these to help with motivation (e.g. reduce stress, improve mood, get in shape, and improve sleep). – Write down the situations that you would expect to make it more difficult to exercise, and a plan to address these (e.g. if it rains, go for a walk in a shopping centre; if feeling tired, go for a 10 min walk)
Keep it up
You don’t have to join a gym – try a variety of different types of activities to find those that you enjoy (e.g. swimming, walking the dog, jogging whilst listening to music, riding a bike, gardening, bushwalking, yoga, weight-lifting). Give yourself a break – if you don’t stick to your exercise plan, simply start again from where you left off. Remember that it can take time for the benefits of exercise to occur. (Most exercise studies showing a significant reduction in depression have examined exercise programs of at least 8 weeks).
SEEKING MEDICAL ADVICE:
If you are new to exercise, are pregnant, a smoker, are overweight, have heart disease or major health problems, it is recommended that you see your doctor for medical advice before commencing vigorous exercise.
Dr Mark Rowe
MB.BS., FRANZCP
Dr Mark Rowe is the Clinical Director of The Lawson Clinic, Sydney Australia. Dr Rowe was previously the Acting Director of a Mental Health Unit at a major public hospital and was also in private practice. He was the Director of ECT at Redland Hospital, Brisbane and has trained at the Black Dog Institute where he has visiting rights. Last year he was invited to attend the prestigious Lundbeck Institute in Skodsborg, Denmark to exclusively discuss recent advancements in the assessment and management of depression. Dr Rowe has a particular interest in sub-typing depressive illnesses, bipolar disorder, psychopharmacology and mood disorders which may be persistent, only partially responsive to treatment or treatment resistant. Dr Rowe sees patients from 14 years of age.
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No time to exercise? Are you using the same old excuse of “I have no time to exercise?” We are made to move, not sit at a desk for hours on end. Sitting produces back pains, headaches, and listlessness. You become less productive. The U.S. surgeon general recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise per day five times a week, yet most people don’t even come close to that. What if I told you that you could exercise at your desk at work?
Stretching, muscle strengthening and even short periods of aerobic exercises can be done in your cubicle. Even if you raise your heart rate for 60 seconds it is better than being flat lined the entire day. These exercises should not be a replacement for the gym, but they are better than doing nothing. Start by sitting on an exercise ball at your desk – be sure to use sit up straight and activate those abdominal muscles.
Walk during your lunch break or go to the gym during your lunch. Better yet, start a walking club with your coworkers or rally for an hour long fitness class in the office once a week. Set a reminder for yourself in your electronic calendar, email or on a note to get up and go for a brisk walk. Butt clenches and ab squeezes can be done while sitting in a chair and no one will ever know. Simply just hold a few seconds, then release and repeat 15 times. Women can do Kegels, tightening, then holding, then loosening the pelvic floor muscles. This will help prevent leakage and other problems down the line.
Find an empty office or conference room and do lunges or squats. Go up the stairs instead of taking the elevator. While seated, pump both arms over your head for 30 seconds, then tap your feet on the floor for another 30 seconds and repeat 3-5 times. Someone might come over and try to perform CPR on you, but don’t worry! Do a football-like running drill for 30 seconds. Don’t be embarrassed if others look at you like you’re crazy at first. They are probably just envious that they didn’t think of it themselves. Who knows, you might even start a new trend! You are sure to get the CEO’s attention now!
The best thing you can do to maintain muscle mass is to use your muscles, and it is never too late to start. It does not matter whether you are thirty-nine or ninety-nine. Nor does it matter that you have not exercised in years. What is truly remarkable about even moderate exercise is that, like the simple workout program itself, it can benefit us all. I hope that you are ready to begin the workout. One note of caution, if you are over forty, or have history of a medical problem, call your physician before beginning this or any other exercise program. Chances are that your doctor will be delighted you want to exercise, but in some cases he or she may want you to take a simple exercise stress test to check your heart function.
This workout routine lets you choose from five different activities, treadmill walking, outdoor walking, and stationary cycling. You can pick one of these activities or mix them up. It does not matter as long as you exercise at least three times a week. Obviously, I want you to select the activities that you will enjoy best. Each particular exercise in the workout routine has its advantages and disadvantages. Here are some things you need to know before devising your routine.
The advantage of treadmill walking is that it is done indoors and therefore you can exercise in any kind of weather. You may find outdoor walking boring, but when you are on a treadmill, you can read a magazine or even watch television to pass the time. The disadvantage is that you either have to own a treadmill or have access to one at your local gym or health club. Since treadmills are incredibly popular, you will find that most gyms and health clubs have at least one, if not several. The downside is that you may have to wait to use a treadmill if you tend to go to the gym or health club at peak hours when it is crowded. And if you are trying to fit your workout in during your lunch hour or before work, this may get aggravating which defeats the whole purpose of exercise. Another advantage to treadmill walking that you should tale into consideration, during your workout routine, you will be monitoring your heart rate. You can program your training heart rate on a computerized treadmill, which will make it easy for you to control the intensity of your workout.
Outdoor walking is a wonderful way of exercise. It requires no special equipment other than a good pair of walking shoes and a pedometer to measure your speed. It is easy and free, and being outdoors on a great day can send your spirits soaring. Walking outdoors on a bad day, however, can be downright depressing, and only the most committed walkers are motivated enough to do it. If you have access to an indoor track plan, plan to move indoors in inclement weather. If you don’t, perhaps you will want to use a treadmill on nasty days and walk outside on nice days. Whatever you do, don’t let the weather come between you and your workout. If you walk outdoors, do not walk in isolated areas by yourself and try to vary your route so that you don’t get bored with the scenery. You can listen to music through headphones if you like, but be sure that you can still hear traffic noise. If possible, try to find someone who will walk with you. It is a relaxing way to keep up with friends, and it makes the time go faster.
There are many advantages to stationary cycling and only one bid disadvantage. It is not a weight-bearing exercise and has minimum benefits for maintaining bone strength. Therefore, it is not the best choice if you are worried about osteoporosis. Because it is not a weight-bearing exercise, stationary cycling is recommended for people with knee or foot problems. It spares the joints the kind of wear and tear that can cause arthritis flare-ups. Also, since it is done indoors at home or at the gym or health club, you don’t have to worry about bad weather breaking your routine. You also don’t have to worry about traffic as you do if you cycle on the roads. Similar to treadmill walking, on most stationary cycles you can program in your training heart rate, which makes it easy to control the intensity of your workout. You can also read or watch television while you are cycling, which makes the time go faster.
Raymond Lee is one of the foremost experts in the health and fitness industry and is the Founder of Bodyfixes Group specializing in body health, muscle development and dieting. He is currently the author of the latest edition of “Neck Exercises and Workouts.” Visit http://www.bodyfixes.com for more information. Powered by Wordpress Article Autoposter Plugin
We often think that fitness is very trendy and all the pop and Hollywood stars are getting in on the act of yoga, pilates and spinning. But the truth is that exercise has been a part of many people’s daily routine for many thousands of years. Aristotle was one of the people who helped define the standards of fitness some two and a half thousand years ago. There are many reasons why you should exercise as it affects our body’s health in several ways.
When you increase you physical activity you’re heart needs to work much harder than when you’re sitting about. When this happens, you blood flow increases and you’re issues become flooded with fresh oxygen. It also helps to remove waste products at a cellular level.
When you exercise the lungs are forced into drawing more oxygen into your body and tissues which helps to keep your heart going. When you exhale the carbon dioxide is also removed, carbon dioxide is actually a waste product caused by some reactions on a biochemical level.
Simply by doing some moderate exercise on a regular basis you’ll be able to increase HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein) cholesterol; don’t worry, this is the sort of cholesterol you want. Blood sugar levels can also be regulated much easier and fat which you have stored on your body can be converted into sugars which in turn is used to provide you with energy whilst you are working out. This of course is one of the reasons that overweight people are advised to exercise.
Of course all these health benefits are very well and good but one of the main motivators people use for exercising is that the want a better looking body. This might be that they want to slim down or they want to increase their muscle mass. Lots of people have areas which they really hate about themselves. It might be a large bottom, flabby abs or they might want a generally healthy glow about them. Side benefits of exercising include having much better strength, stamina and balance, along with a more positive mental attitude.
You will find that there are different types of exercise depending on what you want to be able to achieve. By doing aerobics you’ll increase you’re lung capacity and burn calories, whilst weight lifting increases you’re muscle tone and mass. Stretching exercises such as yoga and pilates will help with flexibility and balance. Some people choose just to use one form of exercise however for an overall health benefit it’s recommended that you do some stretching, cardio and weights.
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Scientific studies show that staying physically active and exercising regularly can help prevent or delay many diseases and disabilities. Scientists find that even moderate exercise and physical activity can improve the health of people who are frail or who have diseases that accompany aging. Exercise and physical activity are among the healthiest things you can do for yourself, but some older adults are reluctant to exercise.
Some are afraid that exercise will be too strenuous or that physical activity will harm them. Yet, studies show that exercise is safe for people of all age groups and that older adults hurt their health far more by not exercising than by exercising. An inactive lifestyle can cause older people to lose ground in four areas that are important for staying healthy and independent: strength, balance, flexibility, and endurance.
Research suggests that exercise and physical activity can help older people maintain or partly restore these four areas. Growing older doesn’t mean people have to lose their strength or their ability to do everyday tasks. Exercise can help older adults feel better and enjoy life more, even those who think they’re too old or too out of shape.
Increasing strength and endurance make it easier to climb stairs and carry groceries. Improving balance helps prevent falls. Being more flexible may speed recovery from injuries. If you make exercise a regular part of your daily routine, it will have a positive impact on your quality of life as you get older. For more details http://www.soundbodytrainer.com/
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued its first-ever Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Think of these as the “Food Pyramid” for healthy exercise and activity level. Experts now recommend two and a half hours of exercise (aerobic and strength training) for adults per week, and an hour a day for children. The plan seeks to offer science-based guidance to help us all improve our health by getting more active.
With a reported 59% of adults (aged 18 to 64) not getting enough physical activity, you can see why the government would be urging us to exercise a bit more.
Regular, moderate exercise has shown many health benefits in study after study. Lowering the risk of heart disease, different cancers, osteoporosis, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, depression and more are just a few of the benefits. Exercise also…
- improves your mood
- helps you sleep better
- boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the “good,” cholesterol while bringing down low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the “bad,” cholesterol
- helps manage your weight
- puts the spark back in your sex life
For children and adolescents, their bodies growing rapidly, the benefit of regular exercise to cardiovascular and respiratory fitness is well known. Active kids:
- have stronger muscles and bones
- have a leaner body and less likely to become overweight
- have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes
- have a better outlook
The good news is that young people can have these benefits without doing formal, regimented workouts.
In fact, the remarkable health benefits come from all those trusted staples of childhood… the jungle gym, tag, tug-o-war, kickball for at least 60 minutes each day.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16% of children aged 6-19 years old are overweight or obese – triple the number in 1980.
Now more than ever, we need to get kids up and moving… to help them now and in the future.
Of course, getting yourself up and moving isn’t any easier… there are lots of challenges to overcome. The first, and hardest, is getting started. The government provides a guide you can use to help you get more activity into your routine… help you choose the activities to try and ways to schedule workouts into your day.
If you’ve been inactive for a long time, talk to your doctor first before you make any changed. But once you get the okay, there are lots of ways, simple everyday things; you can do to be more active. Try to…
1. Walk as much, and as often, as you can.
2. Trade your sit-down mower for a push one.
3. Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.
4. Park at the far end of the parking lot.
5. Take a brisk walk during your lunch hour or break at work.
6. Walk the length of your favorite shopping mall.
7. Get off the bus a few stops before your usual one and walk.
8. Lift weights or use a treadmill while you watch your favorite TV shows.
None of these activities cost any more than your time and if you incorporate healthy exercise as part of your daily like it will increase your life span and the quality of your life.
Nothing can replace the treatment of exercise. Exercise has the proven ability to prevent and treat a wide range of ailments. Regular physical activity can accelerate the body’s natural healing process. It also lowers blood pressure and cholesterol and strengthens the heart muscles and thus significantly reduces the risk of heart disease.Physical exercise lets you feel better because the body releases endorphins which trigger positive feelings. People who exercise regularly are less likely to suffer from depression and stress. It is also effective against hypertension, obesity, osteoporosis, diabetes and cancer. It can delay the effects of ageing and ward off the common cold.The good news is that exercise is freely available to all who can move and it does not have to cost a thing. You do not have to join a gym, you do not have to buy expensive equipment and you do not even need to buy special clothes. Yes, all those extras can help to make it easier and you can get more motivated, but you can have a good workout in your garden every day, with the added benefit of a beautiful garden. You can take the dog to a field and run and play with him for an hour.The question many people ask is: how much exercise is enough? It is suggested by professional trainers that you should get at least 20 minutes of non-stop, vigorous exercise for three days of the week, or 30 minutes of moderate exercise for 5 days of the week. Further good news is that you can break up that 30 minutes of exercise per day into three 10 minute sessions, and you do not have to do it all on a treadmill. The best will be to also do another exercise in every session to make sure you get a whole body workout. Do some cardio training in one session, weight training in the next session and cardio in the last session again.You will soon start feeling better in your mind and body and you will be a step closer to your ideal body weight.
M du Toit has always been interested in all things related to health, weight control and fitness and has been researching and writing on these topics. Her web site http://www.healthfitnessmap.com also covers topics like natural remedies, nutrition and diseases. Powered by WP Robot Wordpress Plugin
If you are having trouble sleeping, and you don’t already have a regular exercise program, you should start one if you want to sleep better. Exercise is beneficial to sleep in several ways. For example, exercise raises the body temperature rhythm and allows your body temperatures to ‘peak’ at a higher level. This, in turn, increases your energy level during the day, so you’ll feel more motivated and alive. And just as body temperature reach its maximum at a higher level through exercise, the body’s temperature will also drop further and more easily. This lets you sleep more deeply without interruption.
A regular exercise routine prevents your body’s temperature rhythm from remaining relatively level throughout the day. With an appropriate body temperature rhythm, you will find that you can get a deep sleep even if you’ve had a stressful day or can’t perform your regular exercise on a certain day. Exercise also delays the drop in the body’s temperature in the evening, and this delay lets you remain awake and alert for a longer time without feeling drowsy or tired. And, as everyone knows, exercise is a great stress reliever, and stress is one of the main reasons for the development of sleep disorders.
If you don’t already have an exercise program, you really should consider starting one right away. The best time to perform exercise is in the morning because it encourages a quick rise in temperature. You should avoid exercise for three hours before you go to sleep, since your body’s temperature will likely still be rising, and you could find falling asleep or sleeping deeply to be more difficult.
You don’t have to run right out and join a gym in order to get regular exercise. It is possible to obtain the benefits that exercise brings through its effects on your body temperature by taking less dramatic actions. Research shows that even moderate exercise during the day has many healthful benefits. If you can’t seem to get motivated to exercise on a regular basis, you should find a less intense, but physical, activity you enjoy several times per week. The activity could include such things as taking a brisk walk, going for a bike ride, or going rollerblading. All of these activities will have a significant effect on your body temperature and encourage its rhythm to function at beneficial levels.
It seems as though many Americans are living a life that leads to high blood pressure or hypertension. As people age, the situation gets worse. Nearly half of all older Americans have hypertension. This disease makes people five times more prone to strokes, three times more likely to have a heart attack, and two to three times more likely to experience a heart failure.
The problem with this disease is that nearly one third of the folks who have hypertension do not know it because they never feel any direct pain. But overtime the force of that pressure damages the inside surface of your blood vessels.
However, according to experts, hypertension is not predestined. Reducing salt intake, adopting a desirable dietary pattern losing weight and exercising can all help prevent hypertension.
Obviously, quitting bad habits and eating a low fat diet will help, but the most significant part that you can do is to exercise. And just as exercise strengthens and improves limb muscles, it also enhances the health of the heart muscles.
Heart and Exercise
The exercise stimulates the development of new connections between the impaired and the nearly normal blood vessels, so people who exercise had a better blood supply to all the muscle tissue of the heart.
The human heart basically, supply blood to an area of the heart damaged in a “myocardial infarction.” A heart attack is a condition, in which, the myocardium or the heart muscle does not get enough oxygen and other nutrients and so it begins to die.
For this reason and after a series of careful considerations, some researchers have observed that exercise can stimulate the development of these life saving detours in the heart. One study further showed that moderate exercise several times a week is more effective in building up these auxiliary pathways than extremely vigorous exercise done twice as often.
Such information has led some people to think of exercise as a panacea for heart disorders, a fail-safe protection against hypertension or death. That is not so. Even marathon runners that have suffered hypertension, and exercise cannot overcome combination of other risk factor.
What Causes Hypertension?
Sometimes abnormalities of the kidney are responsible. There is also a study wherein the researchers identified more common contributing factors such as heredity, obesity, and lack of physical activity. And so, what can be done to lower blood pressure and avoid the risk of developing hypertension? Again, exercise seems to be just what the doctor might order.
If you think that is what he will do, then, try to contemplate on this list and find some ways how you can incorporate these things into your lifestyle and start to live a life free from the possibilities of developing hypertension. But before you start following the systematic instructions, it would be better to review them first before getting into action.
1. See your doctor Check with your doctor before beginning an exercise program. If you make any significant changes in your level of physical activity – particularly if those changes could make large and sudden demands on your circulatory system – check with your doctors again.
2. Take it slow
Start at a low, comfortable level of exertion and progress gradually. The program is designed in two stages to allow for a progressive increase in activity.
3. Know your limit
Determine your safety limit for exertion. Use some clues such as sleep problems or fatigue the day after a workout to check on whether you are overdoing it. Once identified, stay within it. Over-exercising is both dangerous and unnecessary.
4. Exercise regularly
You need to work out a minimum of three times a week and a maximum of five times a week to get the most benefit. Once you are in peak condition, a single workout a week can maintain the muscular benefits. However, cardiovascular fitness requires more frequent activity.
5. Exercise at a rate within your capacity
The optimum benefits for older exercisers are produced by exercise at 40% to 60% of capacity.
Indeed, weight loss through exercise is an excellent starting point if you wan tot prevent hypertension. Experts say that being overweight is linked to an increased risk of developing hypertension, and losing weight decreases the risk.
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