benefits of exercise

Some of the more tangible benefits from exercise include increased bone strength, increased physical work capacity, increased joint range of motion or flexibility, improved sense of well being, increased muscular strength, improved glucose regulation, decreased blood pressure, improved sleep patterns and levels of anxiety.
Exercise can in fact have a very profound effect upon older persons. When deciding on the form and level of exercise, 3 important factors, namely: intensity, duration and frequency need to be taken into consideration.

The intensity of exercise refers to the amount of effort that is put into an exercise. The intensity is usually measured by assessing the heart rate during exercise. The intensity of exercise should not exceed certain limits. While monitoring the heart rate it would be good to use the simple equation of (200 - Age) to estimate the working heart rate.
While exercising, listening to your own body is just as important and reliable in determining whether or not you are exercising at a sufficient intensity. A feeling of mild fatigue should be your aim immediately following a bout of exercise.

The duration of exercise refers to the actual time that is spent in performing an activity. It is a generally accepted rule that in order to improve the cardio respiratory fitness you need to achieve 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week. In fact favorable health benefits can be achieved from as little as 5 minutes of continuous exercise that is repeated several times per day. The frequency of exercise refers to the number of times per week that the activity is undertaken. The generally accepted frequency for achieving the heart fitness is 3 to 5 times per week. But positive benefits might occur from as little as 2 sessions per week.

Exercise is becoming increasingly important in the hectic lives that most of the Indians are leading nowdays. In fact it is becoming even more important because the Indians are being increasingly exposed to the western concept of junk food. The lifestyles therefore have become very unhealthy, not only in terms of exercise, but also in terms of quality of food. It is therefore very important for Indians to explore the benefits of exercise and balance the food quotient to ensure a healthier form of life.
 

~ author Lata S. Batra.

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