Exercise - The Benefits

• Exercise keeps the brain young.

• Exercise increases the size of the part of the brain involved in memory, and slows cognitive decline.

• Among the lifestyle factors leading to the three most common causes of death in the United States (heart disease, stroke and cancer, poor diet and physical inactivity) are second only to smoking.

• Physically active people increase their HDL (good) cholesterol and decrease their risks for osteoporosis and colon cancer.

• Exercise improves mood, raises self-esteem and increases longevity.

Building Muscles and Bones

If you are having trouble getting yourself started with a strength-training program, maybe demystifying a few misconceptions may help remove some barriers.

Myth: Strength training is only for the young. It is of little benefit to older people and the risk of injury is too high.

Fact: Older people need it even more than the young, in order to counteract the decline in muscle strength that usually occurs with aging. Studies have shown that strength training in the older population is safe as well as beneficial.

Myth: It’s for body builders only.

Fact: A moderate program of doing 1 to 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions 2 to 3 days/week for each targeted muscle group isn’t going to give you huge, bulging muscles. Besides, the purpose of strength training is not just to build muscle, but also to reduce body fat and increase bone.

Myth: Women need a different program from men.

Fact: Women and men can follow the same program of weight lifting exercises. How much and what you do should be designed for your body size and level of strength, not your gender. What you do for your program depends on your level of ability. There is something for everyone.

Myth: It’s very time consuming; a good program takes hours per week.

Fact: You can accumulate good benefits with 2 to 3, 15 to 20 minute sessions a week (not consecutive days).

Myth: If you lift weights, you don’t need to do any other exercise.

Fact: You still need to do aerobic exercise; one is not a substitute for the other. Combining both into your weekly exercise program is highly recommended and results in great health benefits.

Myth: You have to go to a health club to do successful weight training.

Fact: Going to a health club is certainly one option, but you really only need a little space and some inexpensive equipment to do weight training at home. You can buy dumbbells at sporting good stores. Light, Velcro weights can be wrapped around ankles or wrists. You can buy adjustable dumbbells, to which you can add or remove weighted metal discs. You can also use exercise (elastic) bands. Or you can use objects found around the house, such as soup cans, plastic milk cartoons filled with water, or plastic bags filled with sand. Some strength training routines require no equipment (sit-ups, push-ups, lunges, shallow squats, etc.).

Courtesy: Mind Body Medical Institute