Why Exercise Counts
Lack of exercise is killing us. We know that we should move more. It’s good for our health, it extends our functioning lives, and we feel better. A study by the professors at the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges in the UK have labeled exercise as more than just good for you. Their report, Exercise: The Miracle Cure and the Role of the Doctor in Promoting it, helps doctors promote exercise to their patients.
Here are some of the statistics:
31% reduction in cardiac mortality
90% improvement in self-esteem and well-being
25%-53% in pain symptoms among osteoarthritis patients
57% lower rate of prostate cancer progression
at least 10 mm Hg drop in blood pressure among 31% of patients
50%-80% reduction in risk of developing type 2 diabetes
30%-50% reduction in risk of falls among older adults
30% lower all-cause mortality rate
45% reduction in risk of bowel cancer
That’s a remarkable amount of good that is happening from exercise. When did work, family, and adult obligations overtake our need to function in a healthy manner? This is the cost of not moving, of not taking care of one’s self.
There is so much you can do. Exercise is any movement: walk more, take the stairs up and down one or two floors, put things on shelves for which you have to reach or bend down, practice sitting and standing tall, occasionally check your posture in a passing mirror and correct it when you are slouching, stand during commercials on television, put on your dancing shoes and dance more around the house, sit down, stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down, stand up……., stand on one foot and use your alternate hand to brush your teeth, park farther away than normal, carry your own groceries and packages, stand during phone calls, and every now and then try a push up, or twelve.
Oh the things we can do if we think about it. Look at the numbers again. What bothers you the most: falling, illness, self-esteem? There are so many small ways to help yourself. Rethink how you function and how you move. Try something easy, like parking farther away than normal. Once you get into the habit of doing that, add something else and before you know it, you have changed your attitude about moving, functioning, and aging.
That’s Aging Intelligently.