Exercise is Medicine

As someone who has been an exercise & health fanatic my whole life, I love seeing people find ways to incorporate proper exercise and nutrition into their daily lives.  Of course, I do realize that there is not a “one side fits all” approach and everyone has to find what works for them.  However, regular exercise really is life-changing from all aspects – physical, emotional, mental and even spiritual.  And once it becomes a habit, it’s a habit that you can’t give-up.  It’s routine, much like brushing your teeth and then you find  ways to be as healthy as possible in most aspects of your life.   Exercise and good nutrition should be part of our days, just has it was for decades before all the comforts and ease of transportation and online shopping that we have now.  So, if walking everywhere and fresh food markets are not our norm now, we have to find ways to get what is absolutely necessary for optimal health.  What I like about the study below is that is followed both men and women over 12 years, as well as it included a decent amount of people.  Facts are facts and evidence-based medicine is what so many people demand, so here it is… Not sure there is any way to argue this one. Exercise is medicine.
“It’s no secret that inactivity is bad for your health, but it may be worse than previously thought. According to a new study, it’s even more deadly than obesity—twice as deadly, in fact.
Researchers at Cambridge University studied more than 334,000 men and women over 12 years. After measuring height, weight, waist circumference and self-reported levels of physical activity over that time span, it was found that moderate physical activity helped to lower a person’s chances of premature death. Researchers concluded that exercise that burns around 100 calories a day, such as a brisk, 20-minute daily walk, can reduce the risk of an early death by 16 to 30 percent.
“This is a simple message: just a small amount of physical activity each day could have substantial health benefits for people who are physically inactive,” said study leader Professor Ulf Ekelund, from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at Cambridge University. “Although we found that just 20 minutes would make a difference, we should really be looking to do more than this—physical activity has many proven health benefits and should be an important part of our daily life.””
To read more, go to: http://www.acefitness.org/blog/5258/study-lack-of-exercise-twice-as-deadly-as-obesity