The Benefits of Exercise, Plus a FREE Customized Exercise Diary (at end of post)

Dien recently mentioned his gratifying personal
observations of the benefits of exercising on the
board here.

Given that many people are in "resolution mode" this
month, maybe you too will consider starting an
exercise program if you haven't already.

Looking for justification for yourself or someone else
you are trying to motivate?

Interested in better sex? There's more
below...(sorry, I had to do something to get you to
read the dull stats that follow; use your
Edit/Find button on your browser to locate the word
"libido" to fast forward to those details).:-)

Apparently even small daily steps can make a big
difference in our physical and mental health over
time...so I thought I would provide you with some
positive benefits of exercising plus some creative
ideas for making it easier gleaned from some
recognized sources (below).

I have been a professional couch potato (not in
business, but yes, absolutely, regarding physical
exercise, for most of my life) but after reading some
of the study results I looked up for you I am now going for it too.

For example, did you know that someone at a so-called
normal weight for their size such as me who doesn't
exercise is in worse physical shape than someone who
is overweight but is moderately exercising regularly?
The Annals of Epidemiology recently reported the
following study results (Dec '02):

The researchers examined data on physical activity and
body measurements gathered from more than 9,000 men,
aged 35 to 79. The men were ranked according to their
activity levels and their body mass index (BMI), which
reflects a weight-to-height ratio.

The study found the men in the lowest activity
category had twice the risk of dying as men in the
second-lowest activity category. The men in the lowest
category had 38 percent more heart disease-related
deaths than the men in the second-lowest activity
category.

Men in the highest activity category lived the
longest, regardless of their weight, although being of
a normal weight offered the healthiest results
longterm.

According to the American Heart Association, exercise
offers LOTS of enjoyable and important benefits,
including:

* Lessening your chance of heart attack

* Strengthening your heart, lungs, bones and muscles

* Giving you more energy and strength

* Helping control your weight and blood pressure

* Helping you handle stress

* Helping you sleep better

* Helping you look better

* Making you feel upbeat

In addition, the association reports that exercise can
lower your risk of:

* Heart disease and heart attack

* High blood pressure

* High cholesterol

* Obesity

* Diabetes

On a more local level for resources (in your neck of
the woods, Dien):

The Centre for Physical Activity in Ageing of the
Royal Adelaide Hospital in Australia suggests several
exercizes you must avoid, even if you were brought up
thinking they were good for you--they
aren't--including some important but terrible leg,
back and stomach exercises:
http://www.cpaa.sa.gov.au/benefits_exercise/avoid.html

The Better Health Channel (established by the
Victorian Australia Government) reports that regular
exercise may also be an effective way to lift a
person's mood, including modifying depression and
anxiety, and affecting libido:
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/BHCLang.nsf/(LevelFour)/ED03FDAF069AA75C4A256B640083BE8B?OpenDocument

You will need to copy & paste that link and the one below, btw.

In fact, if increased libido is of interest to anyone
on the board, male or female, you will definitely want
to read this information, from several reputable US
studies:
http://www.outuk.com/index.html?http://www.outuk.com/content/features/exercise/index2.html

You've gotta love that one!;-)

Looking for a few EASY ways to not necessarily begin
an exercise program, but even to simply start to feel
better, more energetic?

Check this out--a friend of mine from work told me her
cousin took one TINY step--he just cut out all the
soda he was drinking each day--A LOT--and lost over 30
pounds over the course of a year! He switched to
flavored water and feels a lot better.

The US National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention
and Health Promotion (the CDC) provides a list of
other little everyday things (that add up) that you
can do to improve your health:
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/phys_act.htm

And also from the CDC, a simple chart (below), read
down for one set of qualifications, up for the
opposite combination (it will make more sense when you
glance through it):

Less Vigorous, More Time (read the below tasks for
this order)--
Washing and waxing a car for 45-60 minutes
Washing windows or floors for 45-60 minutes
Playing volleyball for 45 minutes
Playing touch football for 30-45 minutes
Gardening for 30-45 minutes
Wheeling self in wheelchair for 30-40 minutes
Walking 1 3/4 miles in 35 minutes (20 min/mile)
Basketball (shooting baskets) for 30 minutes
Bicycling 5 miles in 30 minutes
Dancing fast (social) for 30 minutes
Pushing a stroller 1 1/2 miles in 30 minutes
Raking leaves for 30 minutes
Walking 2 miles in 30 minutes (15 min/mile)
Water aerobics for 30 minutes
Swimming laps for 20 minutes
Wheelchair basketball for 20 minutes
Basketball (playing a game) for 15-20 minutes
Bicycling 4 miles in 15 minutes
Jumping rope for 15 minutes
Running 1 1/2 miles in 15 minutes (10 min/mile)
Shoveling snow for 15 minutes
Stairwalking for 15 minutes
--More Vigorous, Less Time (read the above backwards
for such)
(this was found here:
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/sgr/ataglan.htm )

Finally, would you like a TERRIFIC free personalized
exercise diary to chart your progress? The American
Heart Association offers one on their website, all it
requires is for you to fill out a short registration
form, and its free!

You don't have to fill out all the questions to
register, just your name, and make up a user name and
password.

Then for best results go to the "preferences" page and
customize your desires, next go to your "goals" page
and set your personal goals including one primary
activity (amount of time, weight, whatever, per your
chosen forms of exercise--you can include different
ones if you want).

Do your exercise that day then enter your workout
results for that day and you're all set, it will track
your progress, you choose your own rewards for
sticking with it (a big hot fudge sundae sounds like a
good treat doncha think? Hmmmm...I'm not getting the
hang of this yet, am I?):-)

Your Exercise Diary:
http://www.justmove.org/diary/login.cfm

Well, gotta go out and walk some now.:-)

TLC




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