Health @ Heart
It improves sex life too
(Last of two parts)
Daily exercise is a magic spice, a most significant ingredient in the healthy lifestyle recipe which includes eating the right quality and quantity of food, abstinence from tobacco, a disciplined moderation in alcohol intake, and a lust for the wonders of nature and, especially, for life itself.
Last week, we discussed seven reasons why one should exercise --- burning of calories, restful sleep, cuts depression, lessens risk of colon and breast cancer and colds as well as provides energy. This week, we will discuss five more reasons why exercise is a must.
1. Heart Disease – Walking up to 12 miles a week (meaning 30 to 50 minutes a day) significantly strengthens the cardiovascular system. An active lifestyle cuts by 50% the development of heart disease. For those with family history of diabetes (and especially for those without), exercising for about 20 minutes a day, together with a low-fat diet, reduces the risk of the development of diabetes by nearly 60%, according to a Duke university report.
2. Osteoporosis – Daily exercises, “especially resistance training, helps maintain and even moderately increase bone density to reduce the risk of osteoporosis.” Just like strengthening our muscles when we exercise, working out also strengthens our bone health.
3. Alzheimer’s – Simply working out 15 minutes a day, at least 3 times a week, can reduce dementia and Alzheimer’s by 30% to 40%, reports the Annals of Internal Medicine. For adults who are older but in relatively good health, a 6-month program of exercise can reverse the age-related loss of brain tissue (in the regions responsible for memory and higher cognition) by 2 to 3 years, which usually starts at age 40.
4. Life Span – exercising, like walking 30minutes 5 times a week, can lengthen your longevity by one and a half years. Running may add up to 4 years. The findings were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Indeed, it’s never too late to start exercising, even by easy walking or brisk walking. While jogging has its expected complications of injury to the spine, hips, knees and ankle joints, which could lead to, or aggravate, arthritis, brisk walking is not attended by those complications and also confers the same cardiovascular benefits from jogging.
5. Sex – Daily physical exercise strengthens the cardiovascular system and also enhances self-esteem. By improving the circulation to all organs of the body, including the sex organs (the largest of which is the brain!) more blood goes to those vital parts of the body, thus improving sex performance and enjoyment. A study revealed that “women who cycled vigorously for a mere 20 minutes before watching an erotic film has a significantly more vaginal response compared with those who were inactive.” Men and women who exercise daily also have more muscle stamina and muscle control than those who are sedentary.
And to imagine that all those fabulous health benefits we can get from exercise and a healthy lifestyle do not even require expensive machines and gadgets (except for our wonderful mind, body and soul), we do not really have even an iota of an excuse not to exercise daily.
Let’s minimize rice and potato and get off the couch and exercise!