Consistent physical exercise, extends far beyond weight management and is believed to be one of the most important things one can do for good health, particularly in the prevention of non-communicable diseases.
Going by figures from the World Health Organization (W.H.O), 24 per cent of deaths in Nigeria occur, owing to non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases.
Research shows that regular physical activity can help reduce your risk for several diseases and health conditions and improve your overall quality of life.
Although such information seems rather cliché, it is necessary to re-iterate the importance of exercise as well as other lifestyle changes that can be imbibed for sustainable health.
According to fitness trainer, Jane Amuta, “fitness is a lifestyle, its not something that you touch one day and you leave it because these benefits come over time with consistency.
“I always marry fitness with diet because you need to feed this body with the right things to be able to function properly.”
Benefits Of Exercise
Heart Disease and Stroke: Daily physical activity can help prevent heart disease and stroke by strengthening your heart muscle, lowering your blood pressure, raising your High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) levels (good cholesterol) and lowering Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) levels (bad cholesterol), improving blood flow, and increasing your heart’s working capacity.
High Blood Pressure: Regular physical activity can reduce blood pressure in those with high blood pressure levels. Physical activity reduces body fat, which is associated with high blood pressure.
Obesity: Physical activity helps to reduce body fat by building or preserving muscle mass and improving the body’s ability to use calories. When physical activity is combined with proper nutrition, it can help control weight and prevent obesity, a major risk factor for many diseases.
Back Pain: By increasing muscle strength and endurance and improving flexibility and posture, regular exercise helps to prevent back pain.
Osteoporosis: Regular weight-bearing exercise promotes bone formation and may prevent many forms of bone loss associated with aging.
Self Esteem And Stress Management: Researchers have found that exercise is likely to reduce depression and anxiety and in ultimately, improve one’s self-image as well as help you to better manage stress.
