Exercise is medicine
Movement is Medicine:
Exercise is more than just for weight loss, it’s also for the prevention and management for chronic conditions. We need to stop thinking of exercise to adjust our “size” but more toward adjusting our health.
Exercise helps to reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some cancers. It also helps to protect against mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. It is also vital for brain health and can reduce your risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease as you age (Price, MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE THIS EXERCISE RIGHT WEEK, 2020).
How? You may be asking, let me give you some examples.
As you exercise and move, the body adapts and changes with you. Your bones become stronger due to the greater load placed on them helping prevent osteoporosis.
Your heart becomes stronger as it works harder during exercise to pump nutrients and blood around the body to supply the muscles and organs with what is needed.
Exercise helps stimulate enzymes to help clear the bad cholesterol from blood vessels
For people with cancer, your body increases production of the natural cancer killer cells in the body during exercise, how amazing is that! It also helps reduce fatigue and maintain muscle mass to help you through treatment.
For Diabetics, through resistance training the body allows the muscles to take in blood glucose as fuel allowing you to manage your blood glucose levels more efficiently
Exercise helps with hormone regulation in women suffering from PCOS as well has increasing endorphins to help mental health sufferers.
Exercise helps manage chronic pains, especially lower back pain. By strengthening and stabilising the point of injury and prevent pain flare ups.
Exercise is beneficial for all ages. It helps children to grow and develop coordination and a love for physical activity. Did you know the more a child plays and is physical the less likely they will develop obesity and the more likely they will continue being physically active as they age (Price, MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE FOR EVERY STAGE OF LIFE, 2020). For Teenagers exercise is especially important for their development during puberty. It helps with muscle hypertrophy, regulate moods and for girls managing period pains. Adults and the elderly exercise is needed to maintain flexibility as we all start to get a little stiff as we get to the wrong side of 25. Its important for posture so we don’t end up kyphotic, balance so we don’t fall over and importantly preventing some cancers, heart disease, dementia and diabetes so we can focus on healthy aging.
The message is simple; people who exercise regularly and maintain high levels of physical activity tend to live longer, happier, and healthier lives than those who are inactive. It does not matter what age or heath status; movement is for everyone (Price, MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE THIS EXERCISE RIGHT WEEK, 2020).
Bibliography
Price, S. (2020, May 26). MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE FOR EVERY STAGE OF LIFE. Retrieved from Exercise Right: https://exerciseright.com.au/movement-is-medicine-how-to-exercise-right-for-every-age/
Price, S. (2020, May 25). MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE THIS EXERCISE RIGHT WEEK. Retrieved from Exercise Right: https://exerciseright.com.au/movement-is-medicine-this-exercise-right-week/
