8 Reasons to Exercise for 30 Minutes a Day
January 10, 2008 by Kristen King
Filed under Women's Health
Courtesy of the Mayo Clinic, 8 reasons to exercise for 30 minutes a day. Here’s the quick rundown with my commentary.
Exercising 30 minutes a day can:
- Lower blood pressure. According to the American Heart Association, some risks of high blood pressure include stroke, heart attack, heart and kidney failure, and atherosclerosis. High blood pressure triples the average 40-year-old woman’s risk of death from heart attack, and quadruples her risk of dying from a stroke.
- Improve cholesterol. The National Cholesterol Education Program asserts that high blood cholesterol is associated with increased risk of heart disease and heart attack. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in America.
- Prevent or manage type 2 diabetes. One of the best ways to avoid and control diabetes, in addition to diet, is exercise. It’s free, and highly effective. And since women’s death rates from diabetes are holding steady despite decreases for men, and considering that diabetes is No. 6 on the Top 10 Causes of Death in Women, this is kind of a big deal.
- Manage weight. Taking in and using the same amount of calories means maintaining your weight. Burning more calories than you take in means losing weight. Pretty straightforward.
- Prevent osteoporosis. Weight-bearing exercise in particular strengthens your bones and helps you maintain a strong skeleton throughout your life.
- Prevent cancer. Regular exercise reduces your risk of developing a whole host of cancers, including breast cancer and lung cancer.
- Maintain mental well-being. Exercise not only builds self-confidence and a sense of self-worth, but it also spurs production of feel-good chemicals called endorphins. It’s also associated with reduced stress levels.
- Increase energy and stamina. The more you exercise, the more energy you’ll have because your body will become accustomed to the activity and will function better.
So, no more excuses! Why not start today with 30 minutes a day? Leave a comment with your fitness goal for this year.
(hat tip – Fitness Tips for Life)
Contents © Copyright 2008 Kristen King
Tags: womens health, woman, health, mayo clinic, reasons to exercise, 30 minutes of exercise a day, diabetes, weight management, weight loss, osteoporosis, mental health, energy, stamina, heart disease, blood pressure, cholesterol, prevention
These are great reasons to exercise everyday
Exercise, in fact, is a very beneficial way not only to tone up those muscles but also to burn those excessive and undesirable fat calories away. Who could disagree to its incredible wonders and obvious advantages? It is just the cheapest and simplest way to workout. And 30 minutes daily shouldn’t be that hard and time-consuming. If you can allot some time to take in those unnecessary calories, why not give an effort to burn them down? With these reasons briefly presented, it should be enough to motivate not only those who struggle to lose some weight but more importantly to those who are just looking after their well-being.
A combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training is the best type of exercise for long term weight loss. In addition, the most effortless kind of exercise is walking. By just being physically active all day long, you’re actually subjecting yourself to exercise. So for those who would want to live a longer and healthier life, this post is a must-read.
As if we needed more reasons to start exercising. Nice post.