Why is Exercise Important
Have you ever heard the expression "use it or lose
it"? It's true! If you don't use your body, you will surely lose it.
Your muscles will become flabby and weak. Your heart and lungs won't function
efficiently. And your joints will be stiff and easily injured. Inactivity is
as much of a health risk as smoking!
Helps
Prevent Diseases
Our bodies were meant to move -- they actually crave exercise. Regular
exercise is necessary for physical fitness and good health. It reduces the
risk of heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and other
diseases. It can improve your appearance and delay the aging process.
Improves Stamina
When you exercise, your body uses energy to keep going. Aerobic exercise
involves continuous and rhythmic physical motion, such as walking and
bicycling. It improves your stamina by training your body to become more
efficient and use less energy for the same amount of work. As your conditioning
level improves, your heart rate and breathing rate return to resting levels
much sooner from strenuous activity.
 Strengthens and
Tones
Exercising with weights and other forms of resistance training develops your
muscles, bones and ligaments for increased strength and endurance. Your
posture can be improved, and your muscles become more firm and toned. You not
only feel better, but you look better, too!
Enhances
Flexibility
Stretching exercises are also important for good posture. They limber so that
you can bend, reach and twist. Improving your flexibility through exercise
reduces the chance of injury and improves balance and coordination. If you
have stiff, tense areas, such as the upper back or neck, performing specific
stretches can help "loosen" those muscles, helping you feel more
relaxed.
Controls
Weight
Exercise is also a key to weight control because it burns calories. If you
burn off more calories than you take in, you lose weight. It's as simple as
that.
Improves
Quality of Life
Once you begin to exercise regularly, you will discover many more reasons why
exercise is so important for improving the quality of your life. Exercise
reduces stress, lifts moods, and helps you sleep better. It can keep you
looking and feeling younger throughout your entire life.
How
Often Should I Exercise?
The
benefits of any exercise program will diminish if it's disrupted too
frequently. A "stop-start" routine is not only ineffective, but can
cause injuries. Being consistent with exercise, therefore, is probably the
most important factor in achieving desired results.
People often assume that
more is better. Wrong! Doing too much too soon or  performing intense exercises on a
daily basis will have deleterious effects, such as muscle/tendon strains,
loss of lean tissue, and fitness-level plateaus.
If you are a beginner,
start off slower than you think you should. Three days per week is realistic,
safe and effective. If you are experienced, do cardiovascular (aerobic)
exercises such as walking, jogging and bicycling for no more than 200 minutes
per week with no more than 60 minutes per session.
Weight training should
be done no more than three times per week, targeting the same muscle groups.
Exercise the same muscle groups on non-consecutive days because muscles need
adequate time to recover and cannot be effectively trained if they are tired
or sore.
Many people forget to
stretch, or make the excuse that they don't have the time. Flexibility is
important, so make the time! Stretching can be done every day, but stick to a
minimum of three times per week in order to reap the benefits. When the body
is warmed up, such as after a workout session, perform five to ten stretches
that target the major muscle groups. Hold each stretch for 10-30 seconds.
Article by:-
Member – Talebaat ul Kulliyaat il Moominaat (Kuwait)
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