Working Out: Can It Solve Your Other Health Problems?

Instead Of A Pill, Try Your Cross Trainers

By PEERtrainer Health and Fitness Team
Depressed?  Having a hard time falling asleep?  Instead of reaching for a pill, maybe you should reach for your cross trainers. 

Working out has long been proven to be an essential component in weight loss, however, weight loss is not the only benefit of regular exercise.  Numerous research studies scientifically prove there are several benefits of regular exercise including:

Reducing heart disease.  According to Reuter’s Health, May 26th, 2003, exercising just one hour per week reduces the risk of heart disease by 15%. Exercising between one and two hours per week reduces the risk by 40%. Exercising more than two hours per week reduces the risk by as much as 61%. That’s not the only cardio benefit of exercising.

Lower risk of strokes.  Based on research studies recorded by Medline from 1966 to 2002 people with moderate to high activity levels has a minimum of 27% lower risk of strokes.  The list of exercise benefits continues.

Control anxiety and lift depression.  Exercising just thirty minutes a day three to five times a week can drastically improve the status of anxiety and depression.  Some researchers have even touted benefits of exercise to be as powerful as anti-depressant drugs for controlling depression.

Control diabetes.  Are you trying to prevent or control diabetes?  Get moving.  Moderate exercise along with a healthy diet can reduce the risks of developing diabetes fifty to sixty percent.  Believe it or not there are still more benefits of regular exercise.   Other chronic conditions that can be prevented or improved with exercise are hypertension, high cholesterol and osteoporosis. 

Better sleep habits.  Along with preventing and controlling chronic disease exercise can also have many other positive effects.  For example, if you have trouble sleeping, try exercising five or six hours before you go to bed.  Researchers have found the natural drop in body temperature five or six hours after exercise can help you fall asleep. 

Memory improvement.  Want to improve your memory?  Exercise can help.  Regular exercise helps stimulate areas of the brain responsible for memory and learning. 

The natural make-up of our body dictates activity for optimal performance and health.  Consider our ancestors, for a moment.  They were constantly on the move searching for food and shelter.  It only makes sense that our bodies need similar activities on a regular basis for health.