12 reasons to exercise besides losing fat or maintaining weight

[Guest guest]

Found some good information to keep us motivated to exercise if we

aren't losing fat quickly enough. Another interesting fact I found

that isn't noted below is that Starting at age 40 in women and at 60

in men, we lose six to eight percent of our muscle per decade.

However, after only two months of strength-training, women recover a

decade of loss and men recover two decades. Andyman

1. Sleep

A 16-week exercise program (30 to 40 minutes of brisk walking or low-

impact aerobics four times a week) improved the quality, duration,

and ease of falling asleep in healthy older adults.1 Exercise may

improve sleep by relaxing muscles, reducing stress, or warming the

body.

2. Gallstones

Active women are 30 percent less likely to have gallstone surgery

than sedentary women. In one study, women who spent more than 60

hours a week sitting at work or driving were twice as likely to have

gallstone surgery as women who sat for less than 40 hours a week.2

3. Colon Cancer

The most active people have a lower risk of colon cancer — in two

studies half the risk — compared to the least active people.3,4

Exercise may lower levels of prostaglandins that accelerate colon

cell proliferation and raise levels of prostaglandins that increase

intestinal motility. Increased motility may speed the movement of

carcinogens through the colon.

4. Diverticular Disease

In one of the few studies that have been done, the most active men

had a 37 percent lower risk of symptomatic diverticular disease than

the least active men.5 Most of the protection against diverticular

disease--pockets in the wall of the colon that can become inflamed--

was due to vigorous activities like jogging and running, rather than

moderate activities like walking.

5. Arthritis

Regular moderate exercise, whether aerobic or strength-training, can

reduce joint swelling and pain in people with arthritis.6

6. Anxiety & Depression

Getting people with anxiety or depression to do aerobic exercises

like brisk walking or running curbs their symptoms, possibly by

releasing natural opiates.7,8

7. Heart Disease

In one study, men with low fitness who became fit had a lower risk of

heart disease than men who stayed unfit.9 In another, women who

walked the equivalent of three or more hours per week at a brisk pace

had a 35 percent lower risk of heart disease than women who walked

infrequently.10 Exercise boosts the supply of oxygen to the heart

muscle by expanding existing arteries and creating tiny new blood

vessels. It may also prevent blood clots or promote their breakdown.

8. Blood Pressure

If your blood pressure is already high or high-normal, low- or

moderate-intensity aerobic exercise — three times a week — can lower

it.11 If your blood pressure isn't high, regular exercise helps keep

it that way.

9. Diabetes

The more you move, the lower your risk of diabetes, especially if

you're already at risk because of excess weight, high blood pressure,

or parents with diabetes. In one study, women who walked at least

three hours a week had about a 40 percent lower risk of diabetes than

sedentary women.12

10. Falls & Fractures

Older women assigned to a home-based (strength- and balance-training)

exercise program had fewer falls than women who didn't exercise. 13

Exercise may prevent falls and broken bones by improving muscle

strength, gait, balance, and reaction time.

11. Enlarged Prostate (men only)

In one study, men who walked two to three hours a week had a 25

percent lower risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged

prostate) than men who seldom walked.14

12. Osteoporosis

Exercise, especially strength-training, can increase bone density in

middle-aged and older people.15 Bonus: postmenopausal women who take

estrogen gain more bone density if they exercise.

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1 J. Amer. Med. Assoc. 277: 32, 1997.

2 N. Eng. J. Med. 341: 777, 1999.

3 J. Nat. Cancer Inst. 89: 948, 1997.

4 Ann. Intern. Med. 122: 327, 1995.

5 Gut 36: 276, 1995.

6 J. Amer. Med. Assoc. 277: 25, 1997

7 J. Psychosom. Res. 33: 537, 1989.

8 Arch. Intern. Med. 159: 2349, 1999.

9 J. Amer. Med. Assoc. 273: 1093, 1995.

10 N. Eng. J. Med. 341: 650, 1999.

11 J. Clin. Epidem. 45: 439, 1992

12 J. Am. Med. Assoc 282: 1433, 1999.

13 Brit. Med. J. 315: 1065, 1997.

14 Arch. Intern. Med. 158: 2349, 1998.

15 J. Bone Min. Res. 11: 218, 1996.