Doctors recommend 30 minutes of exercise 3 times a week to stay fit and supple, keep healthy and feel good.

Carrying too much weight, or too many inches around the waist, puts increased load on the heart and significantly increases the likelihood of heart problems.  Exercise will help lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure.

Being overweight can lead to Type 2 diabetes – increased risk of heart disease, increased risk of stroke, poor circulation, eye problems.  Exercise improves glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity.

The more weight you carry, the greater the stress put on your joints.

Inactivity leads to a loss of muscle strength and muscle size.  Weak muscles, especially the legs and core muscles (abdomen and back) are a major cause of falls in older people and injuries in younger people.  If your muscles are not strong, everyday tasks may be that much harder – getting out of a chair, the car or off the floor, going up stairs, carrying shopping.

Without exercise ligaments and tendons become less elastic and joints become stiffer and less able to bend through their full range of movement.

Bone mass is lost as we age and bone density decreases, increasing the risk of fractures or developing osteoporosis.

Exercise boosts your levels of serotonin and can stimulate production of endorphins, lifting your mood and relieving stress.

 

 

Muscle burns calories much more efficiently than fat.  BUT from their early 30’s women start to lose muscle mass. The result of this is that the metabolism slows down and weight is put on even though you may be eating the same as before.  Resistance exercise increases the amount of muscle in your body.  This is good because muscle burns more calories than fat all the time – even while you are asleep.  In addition, muscle takes up less space than fat, so you will lose inches. 

Muscle doesn’t wobble – you will develop a firmer, more toned figure which will look good and so improve your confidence.

Resistance exercise will develop and maintain the strength of the muscles around the joints, so helps with knee and back problems.

Exercising your muscles will help strengthen your bones.

Resistance exercise keeps your joints working properly and increases mobility and flexibility.

 

 

Gym Heaven Ltd

Page last modified
20-Jul-2007