The Benefits Of Physical Activity And Exercise

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Size, age, or ethnicity doesn’t matter when you look at the overall health benefits of physical activity or exercise. The statistics supporting the need to exercise are profound. “Only one in three children are physically active every day. Children now spend more than seven and one-half hours per day in front of a TV, playing video games, or using a computer. Nearly one-half of high school students play video computer games for three or more hours on an average school day. Less than five percent of adults participate in thirty minutes of physical activity each day, and only one in three adults receive the recommended amount of physical activity each week (www.fitness.gov). From young children to older adults, exercising is a good habit …show more content…

Lack of physical activity is a major factor for developing coronary disease. Physical inactivity also increases the risk of stroke and other major cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, low HDL (good) cholesterol and diabetes. Numerous scientific studies conducted in the last four decades have looked at the relationship between physical activity, physical fitness, and cardiovascular health. “There are more than twenty-five thousand deaths each year attributed to the lack of exercise and its link to a healthy heart (Willis, Gao, Leonard, Berry, 1335).” The positive side of the studies found that physical activity has a protective effect on diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis and colon cancer (Myers, e3). The American Heart Association recommends that healthy children and adolescents participate in at least sixty minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise every day (www.heart.org). Just like adults, increased physical activity is associated with an increased life expectancy and a decreased risk of cardiovascular diseases (Myer, e2). As little as thirty minutes of cardio exercise, three to five times per week will add six years to a person’s life according to research at Cooper Institute in Dallas (Rimmer, …show more content…

The body also begins to burn calories, and there is a boost in the person’s mood (Fitnessmagazine.com). Within one hour the body begins to protect itself against colds and flu by elevating its level of immunoglobulins, the proteins that help bolster the immune system and ward off infections. Within one day the blood pressure may be lowered up to sixteen hours. Within one week, exercise will lower the blood oxygen levels, and cutting 500 calories a day through exercise and diet will help a person lose one pound a week. Continuing to exercise for a year, lowers the cancer rate, slows down the aging process and reduces depression

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