Get the Health Benefits

I've almost made it through my first week of classes (WOOHOO!) and I'm already learning things. Amazing! Anyway, I'm taking a class called Exercise Testing and Prescription and the first lesson was pretty much a review of things that I had learned and memorized at one time but had completely forgotten. Anyone want to guess what the most common cause of death in the US was in the year 1997? The answer is heart disease. Now, anyone want to guess what the 2 most common causes of the death in the US were in the year 1900? Pneumonia and Tuberculosis tied for first. Heart disease was number 4 on the list that year. Here are some statistics to think about: In 1996, according to a report of the Surgeon General, more than 60 percent of adults do not regularly participate in the recommended amount of physical activity. Now get this, 25 percent (that's 1 in 4) of adults ARE NOT ACTIVE AT ALL. Well, what are the benefits of acheiving the recommended amount of physical activity (30 minutes of moderately intense exercise most days of the week), you ask? Let me say this, they're good enough to make it SO, SO worth it! Here's the list and I'll let you decide for yourself:

*Reduces the risk of dying prematurely.
*Reduces the risk of dying from heart disease.
*Reduces the risk of developing diabetes.
*Reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure.
*Helps reduce blood pressure in people who already have high blood pressure.
*Reduces the risk of developing colon cancer.
*Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety.
*Helps control weight.
*Helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints.
*Helps older adults become stronger and better able to move about without falling.
*Promotes psychological well-being.
(This list taken from A Report of the Surgeon General: Physical Activity and Health. 1996)

Some ways that you can acheive these benefits are by walking at a 20 minute mile pace for about 2 miles, gardening for 30-45 minutes, riding your bike 5 miles in 30 minutes, raking leaves for 30 minutes, etc. And the really cool part is that you don't have to do your 30 minutes all at once. You can split it up through out the day and do 3 sessions of 10 minutes or 2 sessions of 15 minutes (it's recommended that you don't do less than 10 minutes at a time). I just thought I'd share this info with everyone because I found it really interesting and I hope you do to!