Regan Wilson, RD

Get Moving

Physical activity is any movement you do with your body.  Walking around the grocery store, changing a tire, pulling weeds or carrying a baby are all forms of physical activity.  Exercise is physical activity that is planned, structured and repetitive for the purpose of conditioning any part of the body.  In this post I’m going to talk about the benefits of physical activity.  In later posts I’ll discuss ways to increase your activity, how to start an exercise program and what is meant by “moderate” or “vigorous” intensity.

Benefits

1. Prevent or treat obesity and overweight.  By using up extra calories through activity, our bodies rely on fat stores for fuel and we lose weight.  Also, most people who lose weight and keep it off develop consistent activity and exercise habits that can see them through times of overindulgence.

2. Decrease your chance of developing heart disease and stroke.  By increasing our activity, our hearts become stronger and don’t have to work as hard when we’re sleeping, watching a movie or talking on the phone.  Physical activity is also one of the only ways to increase HDL or good cholesterol (the other way is to do a good job of choosing our parents.)  HDL cholesterol “cleans up” some of the bad cholesterol that floats around in our blood vessels which can lead to heart disease and stroke.

3. Manage high blood pressure.  Physical activity can help prevent us from getting high blood pressure (or hypertension) and it is also a great way to help lower blood pressure that is too high.  If you do have high blood pressure, be sure to check with your physician about starting an exercise program.

4. Prevent or manage type 2 diabetes.  By being active our bodies are better able to use  the insulin our pancreas produces.  Also, the weight loss that goes with being active can really help people with type 2 diabetes.

5. Help manage back pain.  I know it’s hard to imagine that moving will help the pain go away, especially when you’re one of those people with chronic back pain, but it’s true.  By developing strength in your back and through your abdomen, your back can hold you upright without as much pain and strain.  For a lot of people just moving and increasing blood flow can help with the chronic pain, and for just about anyone increasing flexibility in the back and legs can help alleviate back pain.

6. Prevent osteoporosis.  Do you know what osteoporosis is?  It’s when our bones start to lose some of their material and become more like holey Swiss cheese rather than solid cheddar cheese.  Calcium from food and supplements helps to keep our bones strong, but weight bearing exercise such as running and lifting weights will “tell” our bones to build themselves up.  And men, osteoporosis isn’t just for women, men can and do have bone loss as well.  Activity that uses your body weight helps prevent osteoporosis so even though swimming is a great exercise, it’s not as good as walking, jogging and weight lifting at preventing osteoporosis.

7. Making you mentally healthy as well as physically healthy.  Regular exercise can help treat depression and anxiety, it can also help us concentrate better (no wonder they used to send us out for recess when we got antsy and rowdy in grade school) and handle stress.  By being active, stress doesn’t go away, but it gets knocked down to a manageable load and we feel better about handling it.

8. Improving digestive health.  Do you get irregular or constipated?  Drinking enough water and getting enough fiber are two things that can help, but increasing physical activity is one more thing you can do to make your insides feel better.

9. Help prevent many diseases such as colon cancer and breast cancer.

10. Decrease chances of falls as you age.  Much of our balance comes from our muscles and they have to be strong to be able to hold us up and keep us from tipping over.  By having muscles that are conditioned and strong, we are able to keep ourselves upright and avoid breaking bones and needing medical care.

11. Increase chances of living longer.  How many healthy people over the age of 80 do you know who aren’t active?  They may be puttering around the garden, going golfing or attending water aerobics, but healthy older adults are almost always doing some kind of activity every day.

If you haven’t been physically active for a long time, try going for 3 ten minute walks per day.  If you’re uncomfortable, stop and take a rest and then keep going.  Like anything, as you practice, it will get easier.

May you be happy and healthy,

Regan