Exercise Is Good Medicine
We live in an era where there are many competing tasks for the limited time we have in our day. One of the most important goals we must have right if we are to meet these demands is to remain in good health-both mentally and physically.
How often have you heard someone say “I am far too busy – I don’t have time to be sick”? The irony is that if you don’t look after yourself you will suffer some illness and then have plenty of time on your hands whilst try to recover from your stress attack.
Despite the wealth of established evidence supporting the role of exercise and physical activity in health promotion, Australia has only 57% of our population who regularly engage in any form of fitness pursuit. Add to this the fact that 67% of males and 57% of females are overweight or obese and you can see why we are a nation with high rates of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and stroke.
Too many people have the philosophy that”It won’t happen to me”. That is, until it does happen to you and you realise that many of the ill health or killer conditions in our society creep up on you silently. Sometimes you will get a second chance to return to full health – all too frequently you don’t.
Rather than wait to treat illness once it occurs, it makes more sense to be on the front foot and take some responsibility for protecting your health.
The health benefits of regular moderate intensity exercise are well established. A consistent program based on aerobic activity three to five times each week is a great start. You need to devote at least thirty minutes each session but it does not matter whether you walk, swim, skip, run, cycle, row – in fact, any activity that uses large muscle groups in a rhythmic fashion will get you there. You should gradually increase the time as your fitness improves.
If you combine the exercise with some gentle stretching, good nutrition and gradual resistance training you have the perfect blend of activities for improving your health.
If you have existing health concerns then chat with your GP or a sports and exercise physician to see if you need any specific tests before embarking on your fitness program.
Why delay? Start your program today and you will be on the way to improving both your physical well-being and emotional health.