Exercise Is a Key to Good Health for All of Us

There's plenty of evidence that an essential component of a healthy life is physical activity. It has been shown that exercise has a positive effect on both your body and mind.

  • Exercise helps blood flow, pumping more blood through your arteries. First of all that means your lungs will become better conditioned for work bringing more oxygen for your body cells. Then, more blood increases the size of your arteries and veins preventing fat from clogging them and helping to lower your blood pressure.

  • There is an inverse relation between the level of exercise and the presence of cardiovascular disease. Regular exercise is a way your heart learns to work harder so you are less likely to have a heart attack. On the other hand, exercise reduces blood concentration of C-reactive protein lowering the risk of periodontal disease and inflammation in the heart. Physical exercise has a positive effect on the severity of many cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia and obesity. By increasing the coronary blood flow, exercise also limits the atherosclerotic lesions extension.

  • Physical activity can help elderly people prolong their independence and improve the quality of their life. Exercise is an opportunity for middle-aged and older adults to slow some of the consequences of aging on the cardiovascular system.

  • You probably know that every bad health condition starts with obesity. When physical exercise is combined with healthy nutrition, it can help control weight and prevent obesity.

    A very important thing to remember:

    People forget that regular exercise can be used as a drug. Physical activity is one of the best therapy for insomnia, weight control, and reducing insulin resistance. Exercise may also be as effective as medication for battling depression. It has been demonstrated for a long that people who exercise regularly live longer and are healthier than sedentary people.