Benefits of Physical Fitness
Exercise is considered the most effective and simplest way you can improve your health and well being. The benefits of physical fitness have been proven to lower blood sugar levels and risk of heart disease. Still, Americans continue to live a sedentary life, and it can be hard to get them to exercise and become physically fit.
One survey shows a mere 30% of American adults engage in daily physical activity for at least 30 minutes while a staggering 25% do not do any physical activities at all. This inactivity is thought to be one of the main reasons that there is a surge of type 2 diabetes in the United States. It was found that inactivity coupled with obesity make one insulin resistant, thereby triggering diabetes and all other types of illnesses. In fact, a study that was published in the 2003 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism showed that inactivity and lack of exercise are key factors for obesity and a host of serious diseases.
Now is the perfect time to start becoming physically fit regardless of your age. If you don’t already have diabetes but you are overweight, don’t wait until you become a diabetic before you start exercising! Get yourself off the candidate list for diabetes, heart disease, cancer and stroke by exercising and losing weight.
So how do you get started? First, you need to talk with your doctor and together come up with a fitness exercise program for you to follow. Even if you are active in sports, it still pays to talk to your doctor. Your doctor may conduct a stress test to determine what is a safe exercise level is appropriate for you. Your doctor will also look at your current health condition to make sure that the right exercise plan is designed for you. For instance, if you have diabetic retinopathy, your doctor will advise you to not do any weightlifting, jogging or high impact aerobics.
Many health professionals also advise patients with severe peripheral neuropathy to go for swimming, biking and rowing — all low-impact exercises — instead of long-distance walking, jogging or step aerobics, which are all foot-intensive and weight-bearing activities.
Should you have a condition that would make exercising a challenge for you, your doctor may point you to an exercise physiologist and he or she can design an fitness exercise program that is tailored for your specific condition.
Starting on an exercise or fitness routine does not require you to buy expensive equipment or sign up for membership. Simply walking around your neighborhood or park every day can do wonders for your health and your weight. You can even integrate simple exercises into your daily routine. Try parking much farther from your office and taking the stairs. Compliment this with a healthy diet and you’ll be on your way to a more fit you!
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