No sweat workout, in your street clothes, with a coach

06/20/2007 EXERCISE IMPROVES HEALTH, FITNESS

If good health and fitness are important goals for you and your family, then regular exercise should be part of your daily routine.

The overall benefit of being active and fit is an improved quality of life and the ability to do things you enjoy for longer periods of time (for example, playing with the kids, gardening, dancing, or walking). Research repeatedly shows that fitness is a strong measure of health. In a study of more than 25,000 volunteers, researchers at the Cooper Clinic found that a person's fitness level was more important than body weight.

Men in the study who were overweight or obese, but who were physically fit, had a lower risk of death than men who were a healthy weight but were not physically fit. Being fit improves your overall health and reduces your risk of disease.

Benefits include:

A healthier heart. Physical activity makes demands on your heart that make it stronger and better able to function.
Healthy muscles, bones, and joints. Resistance training such as weight lifting improves muscular strength and endurance and increases bone density.
Increased burning of calories. Physical activity burns calories and helps you achieve a healthy balance of calories. Being fit may also lower your percentage of body fat and increase muscle strength and tone.

No matter what your size or shape, physical activity has important health benefits, including:

Better ability to cope with stress. People who are fit generally have less anxiety, depression, and stress than people who aren't active.
Improved ability to fall asleep and sleep well.
Increased energy
Increased mental acuity

Long-term benefits include reduced risk of:
Dying early.
Developing coronary artery disease. Non-active men have about twice the risk of developing heart disease as men who are regularly physically active.
Having a second heart attack. Also, people who get regular physical activity as part of a cardiac rehabilitation program have a lower risk of dying from a heart attack.
Developing high blood pressure.
Developing Type 2 diabetes. Physical activity may prevent Type 2 diabetes through its effect on insulin, how the body processes sugar, and maintenance of body weight.
Developing colon and other cancers.

Of course, before you begin an exercise program, you should consult a physician

Increased mental acuity
Dying early.
Developing coronary artery disease. Non-active men have about twice the risk of developing heart disease as men who are regularly physically active.
Having a second heart attack. Also, people who get regular physical activity as part of a cardiac rehabilitation program have a lower risk of dying from a heart attack.
Developing high blood pressure.
Developing Type 2 diabetes. Physical activity may prevent Type 2 diabetes through its effect on insulin, how the body processes sugar, and maintenance of body weight.
Developing colon and other cancers.

Of course, before you begin an exercise program, you should consult a physician