Dr KK Aggarwal
Padma Shri and Dr B C Roy National Awardee
President, Heart Care Foundation of India
There are enough medical reasons to exercises.
1. Reduces the chances of getting heart disease. For those who already have heart disease, exercise reduces the chances of dying from it.
2. Lowers the risk of developing hypertension and diabetes.
3. Reduces the risk for colon cancer and some other forms of cancer.
4. Improves mood and mental functioning.
5. Keeps the bones strong and joints healthy.
6. Helps maintain a healthy weight.
7. Helps maintain independence into later years
8. Age is no bar
9. Exercise can enhance health and well-being.
10. The minimum threshold for good health is to burn at least 700 to 1,000 calories a week through physical pursuits.
11. Adding as little as half an hour of moderately intense daily physical activity can help one avoid a host of serious ailments, including heart disease, diabetes, depression, and several types of cancer, particularly breast and colon cancers.
12. Regular exercise can also help one sleep better, reduce stress, control weight, brighten mood, sharpen mental functioning, and improve sex life.
As per Harvard researchers a well-rounded exercise program must have all the four components-
1. Aerobic activity
2. Strength training
3. Flexibility training, and
4. Balance exercise
Aerobic activity: is the centerpiece of any fitness program. Most benefits of exercise revolve around aerobic cardiovascular activity, which includes walking, jogging, swimming, and cycling. One should work out at moderate intensity when performing aerobic exercise— brisk walking that quickens the breathing is one example. This level of activity is safe.
Strength training protects bone: Strength or resistance training, such as elastic-band workouts and the use of weight machines or free weights, are important for building muscle and protecting bone. Bones lose calcium and weaken with age, but strength training can help slow or sometimes even reverse this trend.
Flexibility exercises ease back pains Muscles tend to shorten and weaken with age. Shorter, stiffer muscle fibers make one vulnerable to injuries, back pain, and stress. But regularly performing exercises that isolate and stretch the elastic fibers surrounding the muscles and tendons can counteract this process. And stretching improves posture and balance.
Balancing exercises prevents fall: Balance erode over time, and regularly performing balance exercises is one of the best ways to protect against falls that lead to temporary or permanent disability. Balance exercises take only a few minutes and often fit easily into the warm-up portion of a workout. Many strength-training exercises also serve as balance exercises. Or balance-enhancing movements may simply be woven into other forms of exercise, such as tai chi, yoga, and Pilates.
