As we move into a new year, here is some interesting news that confirms what most of us would guess to be true, but often has little impact on how we view our health.
Nobody wakes up in the morning and thinks "I want to gain weight, feel horrible and look even worse today!" So if losing weight and looking better isn't enough motivation to inspire you to exercise today, how about the fact that the latest research shows that regular physical activity may be "the best preventive drug we have" for many health problems.
Exercise and a healthy diet are able to do what most medications struggle to do - control the chronic health conditions that slowly steal away your quality of life. Studies show that exercise reduces the risk of early death, helps control weight and lowers the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression, some types of cancer, anxiety disorders, cognitive decline and hip fractures. It can help improve sleep, memory, concentration and mood. It works in perfect concert with all of your body systems and there are no adverse side effects!
And not only will it stop destructive reactions in the body, it also adds benefits that help the body heal itself! One study found that supervised exercise may help relieve treatment-related pain among some breast cancer patients. Another study showed physical activity may be as effective as medication in preventing early death in people who've had heart attacks or strokes. Amazing! The odds of developing the top 2 killers in Americans (heart disease & cancer) can be reversed with diet and exercise! While medications struggle to only slow the progression, you can actually change the course of your life with a little exercise and some sensible eating!
Exercise "works from tip to toe, and it prevents and in some cases treats the most common diseases we see in America," says Jordan Metzl, a sports-medicine physician at New York City's Hospital for Special Surgery and author of The Exercise Cure. "Exercise is the best preventive drug we have, and everybody needs to take that medicine."
Timothy Church, a physician and director of preventive medicine research at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, agrees. "Exercise strengthens the entire human machine — the heart, the brain, the blood vessels, the bones, the muscles. The most important thing you can do for your long-term health is lead an active life."
Only about 21% of adults in the USA meet the government's recommendations for aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercise, recent federal data show. Other research indicates that people are less active than those statistics suggest. Scientists with the National Cancer Institute, using motion sensors, found that fewer than 5% of adults in the USA get at least 30 minutes a day of moderate-intensity physical activity in bouts of at least 10 minutes. (Are you kidding me! And this is from the people who treat the most rapidly advancing killer in our society today!)
The government's physical activity guidelines advise getting at least 2½ hours a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity such as brisk walking, or one hour and 15 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, such as jogging. Plus, the guidelines recommend that adults do muscle-strengthening activities, such as push-ups, sit-ups and/or lifting weights.
Walking is the most common exercise, but many people could stand to pick up the pace. Metzl suggests making sure you get your heart rate elevated during the walk which may mean doing a few jumping jacks every few blocks or weaving in some short bouts of running.
Some accelerometers and step counters measure intensity, Church says. "The goal is a pace greater than 100 steps per minute."
Everyone has a different reason to be motivated to exercise, but most people need to get a plan or program that they can stick with, Metzl says.
This is where Bradley Fitness fits into the picture. We have programs that work. One of our current clients, Linda, just got her 8 week assessment done. After years of struggling with fad diets, confusing health tricks & tips, and misleading claims by health & fitness products, Linda came to us for help. She was gaining weight, losing mobility, and at risk of being put on medications.
In just 8 weeks she has lost 8 lbs! Now the excitement has really kicked in! She is as motivated as ever! In 8 weeks with our trainers she accomplished more than she was able to do in years of attempts to slow down the weight gain, control joint pain and get control of her lifestyle and habits. Kudos to Linda for deciding to do something different than the same old routine she had fallen into!
We put together a consistent, purposeful plan for her, and we can do the same for you! Even if you are not in our area and available for personal training like Linda. We have options available that provide all the support you need to get results! All you have to do is be willing to do something different with your life that has yielded how you feel today.
Diet and exercise will work, and the recent studies prove it out. But even more convincing than studies about other people, is when you begin to feel and see the changes in your own life! If you haven't had success on your own yet, change your plan!
Get some help to move beyond your current failures to get healthy! You can get the results you thought about resolving to get this year but are afraid of failing again. Exercise and diet do work, and so does asking Bradley Fitness for help!
