What Are the Specific Health Benefits of Exercise?

Regular physical activity is not only great for weight loss and staying in shape, it can also provide many different health benefits.

Research has shown that regular physical activity can help improve the quality of your life as well as reduce the risk of disease.  Studies have also shown that people who are inactive have an increased risk of chronic diseases and of course, obesity.

So what exactly can regular exercise prevent? Daily physical activity can help prevent stroke and heart disease because it lowers your blood pressure, raises your good cholesterol, lowers your bad cholesterol and strengthens the muscles in your heart.  Regular exercise can also reduce blood pressure in those with hypertension, prevent bone loss and osteoporosis, improve back pain by increasing flexibility and helping with posture, prevent and control Type 2 Diabetes by reducing body fat and even improve your mood.

You might wonder how much exercise is recommended. The U.S. Surgeon General, the CDC and the American College of Sports Medicine recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise on most days of the week. Moderate-intensity physical activity is the kind that causes a slight increase in your heart rate and breathing.  It is usually just enough to break a sweat. An example of this kind of activity would be a brisk walk, which is usually where a person is walking at a rate of 3 to 4 miles per hour.

If it has been a while since you have been active, it's a good idea to begin with low-impact activities such as swimming or walking. Once you have gotten in better shape, you can begin introducing more strenuous activity into your routine.

Millions of people suffer from illnesses every day, but the good news is, many of them can be improved or even prevented through regular exercise and physical activity.