WE ARE all familiar with the phrase "exercise is good for you", but the truth is that most of us really do not know how very good exercise is for us. Traditionally, the goodness of exercise is gauged mainly by its ability to improve physical fitness and to control body weight. Climbing stairs provides a good example of the effectiveness of a relatively simple activity in improving our physical fitness. Only a few days after starting this activity, will enable us to run upstairs instead of walking and stopping as we climb.
The fact that the heart of a physically fit individual requires considerably fewer beats than that of an unfit person to do the same work within a specific period of time, is a striking example of how regular exercise is able to improve the efficiency of the heart. Regular physical activity also improves the function of the lungs and also improves the strength of both muscles and bones. The progressive loss of muscles, which often accompanies the ageing process, can be greatly minimised or even prevented, by engaging in regular exercise. In respect of the bones, women must know that much of the thinning of bones (osteoporosis) in the post-menopausal period can be greatly minimised by engaging in regular exercise.
In relation to weight loss, even walking, provided it is done regularly and at a brisk pace, will facilitate the process, but notable success will only be achieved when caloric intake is reduced over a period of time. It is worthy of note that maintenance of the exercise, even after the caloric restriction has been relaxed, will help to prevent fresh weight gain. A point of added interest is that regular exercise can, and does eventually, lead to a reduction of appetite.
Benefits of exercise, however, are far more in number. These include:
Control of blood pressure. Regular walking tends to reduce the rise in levels of blood pressure which tends to occur as we grow older. Aerobic exercises are also of value in the management of hypertension.
Control of blood sugar levels through a variety of mechanisms, including a process whereby the effectiveness of the body's insulin is enhanced.
Lessening the extent and severity of the process of "hardening and narrowing" of the arteries (atherosclerosis) which takes place in all of us and is responsible for angina and heart attacks.
Establishing desirable changes in the individual's cholesterol profile - including an increase in the good cholesterol which diminishes the impact of the bad cholesterol which promotes the atherosclerotic process.
Improvement in psychosocial well-being. Many can testify to the "good-feeling" experience by those who indulge in regular exercise.
Dr. Knox Hagley, Chairman,
Heart Foundation of Jamaica
