Exercise - the New Wonder Drug...

Question: My recent checkup at the doctor didn't go so well. He said that if I didn't make better choices by giving up fried foods and sweets I would be a diabetic within the next six months. Also going up a flight of stairs leaves me breathless. I know I'm overweight but I'm only 50 and need to get in shape. I've joined a gym and I am currently using the treadmill to get myself started. I wish I had started this 15 years ago. Thanks for the workout you sent.

Answer: In the near future, exercise is going to be recognized as one of the major factors in prevention of diseases associated with aging and carrying excess body fat. Susan Steinbaum,MD, the spokeswoman for the American Heart Association flatly said, "You have to exercise. It's now an established fact and if you don't incorporate it into your lifestyle you're going to see the effects. You will get sicker sooner. Exercise is the most potent medicine around." After a lengthy study the American Heart Association and Social Security Administration came to the conclusion that exercise kept people younger. People who exercise were younger biologically than they were chronologically which means people who exercised and were eating healthier may have been on the planet 50 years but their bodies were like those 10 to 15 years younger. The study clearly pointed out that the effects of smoking, obesity, sedentary lifestyle and poor food choices quickly robbed an individual of their capacity for work by eroding their aerobic capacity. In the average person this erosion occurs at a consistent curve until about 45 years old then the rate of loss of aerobic capacity nearly doubles in both men and women except in those who exercised.

Exercise changes the rate of the aerobic loss curve greatly and the rate of loss does not double at 45 but remains at that reduced rate of loss if the individual is exercising and healthy. Whenever you begin to exercise and change to a healthier lifestyle our bodies begin to reap the benefits immediately. Within one or two workouts you begin to feel stronger and better other than the initial muscle soreness. Every workout begins to undo some of the damage done by a sedentary lifestyle, smoking and poor eating habits. The reason Social Security was involved in this study is that if people age more quickly due to an unhealthy lifestyle they tend to get sick or disabled earlier adding people to an already overextended system.

If you tend to get side tracked easily and quit exercising because you just can't find the time or really just don't feel like eating the grilled chicken instead of the fried chicken with mashed potatoes get accountability with a trainer or an organization like Weight Watchers which will do all they can to keep you on track. If you don't think you need help, then make an excuse list and keep it handy at the refrigerator every time you decide to eat something unhealthy or break your workout rules. It could be like," I had a bowl of ice cream - I was bored and the commercial on television made me hungry." Hold yourself accountable and set higher standards for yourself. You can make definite changes in your health with small changes to your lifestyle and reap the benefits as you age more slowly.

Daryl Laws

Personal Training and Sports Performance Excellence Blog

Exercise - the New Wonder Drug...