Previously people with high blood pressure, high blood sugar, arthritis, asthma, heart disease and the like, were told to "take it easy", “don’t exert yourself”, "stay in bed" and take several medications in order to stabilize these conditions.
Today, we know exercise is not merely important, it is absolutely essential in order to stay healthy. We begin to see and understand the cause-effect relationship between lack of exercise and the resulting decline in functional ability. There is little doubt how the impact of lifestyle changes, including exercise, can dramatically prevent, treat and even cure many of these ailments.
Exercise is a critical component of good health, especially as you age. If we don’t exercise, we gradually lose muscle tissue as we age, becoming weaker, and less flexible as a result. This results in a decrease in metabolism thus an increase in body fat, a primary risk factor for heart disease and several other serious health conditions such as diabetes and osteoporosis. Of course, diet and other factors play a part too.
Exercise is always associated
with weight loss but research shows that the heart is helped by exercise even
when there is no weight loss.
When you exercise, you repeatedly move large muscles in your arms, legs and hips.
Breathing is faster and more deeply. Your lungs take in more air and this maximizes the amount of oxygen in your blood. .
Your heart will beat faster and your small blood vessels (capillaries) will widen to deliver more oxygen to your muscles and carry away waste products, such as carbon dioxide and lactic acid.
This helps your heart to grow
stronger and is able to pump more blood with fewer heartbeats. When the heart is beating, the blood can’t flow in the coronary arteries-it only flows between beats, when the heart is relaxed. Therefore the longer the pause from beat to beat (ie slower pulse), the greater the blood flow to the coronary arteries, which nourish the heart.
Exercise also enlarges the coronary arteries, adding to the blood flow and can cause collateral arteries to form when the coronaries are becoming clogged with plaque.
Lymphatic flow
When the heart pumps blood, the blood flows through the circulatory system of arteries and veins, and through the lymphatic
system (part of the immune system). The lymphatic system has very small vessels that are present in all tissues and usually run alongside small veins and arteries.
The lymphatic system is extremely important in eliminating toxins and lipoproteins from the body and also in maintaining the body’s immune defences.
Exercise improves the lymphatic flow. The circulatory system depends upon the heart pumping blood but the lymphatic system depends upon muscle contractions for adequate flow. This is because the lymphatic system flows upward against gravity in all areas of the body except the head and neck and the muscle contractions actually push the fluid through the lymphatic channels.
Exercise increases lymphatic flow 3fold. That means 3 times the amount of cellular waste, pathogens, arterial plaque and LDL cholesterol can be removed with adequate exercise.
C-reactive Protein
Exercise
lowers the level of inflammation marker CRP in the blood. This means that
exercisereduces inflammation in the body
Regardless of your age, weight or athletic ability, aerobic exercise ( anything
that makes your heart beat faster) such as
swimming, jogging, cycling, walking, skiing, jumping is good for you. This type
of exercise has been strongly linked to improved immune function. As your body adapts to regular aerobic exercise, you'll get stronger and more efficient.
Aerobic exercise is good for our bodies in many ways:
• it keeps muscles, ligaments and other soft tissues supple, it tones the muscle
• provides aerobic exercise for the heart and lungs
- size of your arteries and vessels increases
• it helps raise metabolic rate
- by increasing muscle mass, exercise raises the body’s basal metabolic rate.
• improves blood supply to the vital organs, including the brain.
• it may lower your high blood pressure
• it has been shown to reduce the risk of bowel and breast cancer.
• it's also a good way of counteracting feelings of lethargy and helps release tension,
• raises your good cholesterol-the HDL and lowers the concentration of low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol in your blood resulting in less buildup of plaques in your arteries.
• helps prevents blood clots
• it reduces the dangers of diabetes
- improves blood sugar control in non insulin-dependent diabetics and
- decreases insulin requirements in insulin-dependent diabetics
• it increases perspiration
- a vital method for the body to rid itself of waste products.
Perspiration helps keep the skin clean and supple and it also regulates the temperature of
the body.
It improves circulation to the skin which brings nutrients to nourish the skin and remove cellular waste products. The nutrients to the skin help repair and rejuvenate the skin, usually causing more youthful appearance.
• improves digestion and helps elimination function
- it increases the frequency of bowel movements and act to stimulate the entire digestive system
• it promotes a more restful sleep
- A good workout reduces the ‘stress chemicals’ in your body. As a result, you are relaxed and able to fall asleep sooner and to have a “deeper” rest.
• Increase your stamina.
- may make you tired in the short term. But over the long term, you'll enjoy increased stamina (energy) and reduced fatigue.
• protects against falling and bone fractures in older adults
• it reduces stress and anxiety
- Exercise can ease the gloominess of depression and reduce the tension associated with anxiety, by elevating the endorphins produced in the brain. The endorphins also have the effect of making you feel good .
The right amount of exercise is important to observe. There are dangers to too much exercise just as there are dangers to too little exercise.
Avoid exercising immediately after a meal. Why? Blood from your stomach and intestines (where it is needed to help digestion) will be diverted to your muscles. This may result in heartburn and other digestive problems.
You should exercise either before you eat or 2 hours after and should feel energized and refreshed, not exhausted after the workout. It you are feeling drained, you may have gone through the routine too quickly or warmed up insufficiently.
Health like illness, does not affect particular organs in isolation-it affects the whole person. Regular exercise plays an important part in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
The intensity at which you work can be described as either strenuous, moderate or mild.
As scientists discover more about how the body responds to exercise programmes, they've recognized that for health purposes, mild to moderate levels of physical activity are all that's required.
Investing 30 minutes a day in aerobic exercise — such as walking, bicycling or swimming — can help you live longer and healthier.
Warm-up and cool-down.
Whatever exercise you're doing, remember to always warm up gently first and cool down after the exercise. A warm-up can be just taking some deep breaths, and stretching and relaxing the muscles involved or starting out at a slower pace for three to five minutes to gradually increase the heart rate and body temperature. This prepares the heart and muscles for activity. If the exercise causes pain or severe discomfort at any point, slow down and stop, as this may be a sign that it's too much for you.
These exercises make the body stronger.
You will probably use weights or machines to provide resistance so your muscles
will work harder, to build up muscle size and increase your ability to do
exercise. Weight-bearing exercise is important for building strong bones. Having strong bones helps prevent osteoporosis and bone fractures later in life.
Motion Exercise
The objective of these exercise is to maintain
joint flexibility. Joint mobility is dependent on many factors such as
tightness of joint capsule, ligaments and tendons. You need to mover your joints
on a regular basis, otherwise the joint will become stiff and interfere with
normal movement.
Stretching Exercise
Stretching exercise are recommended for muscles
and tendons that have lost their elasticity. These exercises help to
maintain the elasticity or stretchability of tissues and to prevent
contractures.
Fitness Exercise
These helps maintain general health and well
being.
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise are for cardiovascular
fitness. These increase heart rate and improve blood circulation and will
reduce fatigue.
Do I need to talk to my health care provider before I start?
While exercise is good for anyone, it is vital that you consult their doctor before you start an exercise program if :
• You have a heart condition or had a stroke or are at high risk for them
• You have high blood pressure
• You are an insulin dependent diabetic
• You have pain or pressure in your chest, shoulders, arms or neck at rest or with exertion.
• You feel breathless after mild exertion
• You have a history of fainting-spells or falling over due to dizziness
• You have a bone or joint problem that you could make worse with physical activity
• are obese (body mass index of 30 or greater)
• have an injury (like a knee injury)
• You are over 40 years of age, have not been physically active and planning a relatively vigorous exercise program
People who exercise regularly are less likely to get sick when confronted with stressful situation. The areas of the brain that are provoked by stress are the same ones activated by exercise. When you continually turn those parts of the brain on by exercise, it becomes harder and harder to turn them on by stress.
Mild to moderate exercise will do the trick. A mere 30 to 45 mins of workout is sufficient. Choose exercise that works your whole body muscles, swimming is one of the best.
