Exercise and Diabetes
Fitness helps your blood sugar! If you have a family history of diabetes, or other risk factors, it?s time to get moving. A recent study showed women who exercised moderately or vigorously in a fitness program more than four times per week had half the risk of developing diabetes, and even lesser levels of exercise provided some protection. Other research shows exercise helps men avoid diabetes as well.
Weight Training and Your Heart
Weight training can help your heart and is even being recommended to many people with heart disease. When your muscles are stronger, your heart doesn?t have to work so hard when you do activities such as lifting, pushing, or shoveling. Heart rate and blood pressure response stay lower when a load is lifted.
Gardening for Health
Gardening is a great activity that can improve your functional strength and overall fitness and health. It?s a good idea to supplement gardening with a fitness program including some aerobic and resistance training for best results. Use sunscreen and be careful not to strain your back. Enjoy those fresh veggies!
Heart Health
Your heart is a muscle, and needs exercise. You also need to eat properly and keep your cholesterol down to keep the cardiac arteries clear. Your heart muscle and cardiovascular system get the most benefit from aerobic (cardio) exercise. You can use any aerobic exercise you like, including machines, walking or running, swimming, or programs that combine aerobics with conditioning exercises, like Slim in 6.
Cycle to Work
It's not just $3.00 a gallon at the pump that makes biking to work attractive.
Try riding a bike to work to improve your health and fitness. It worked for a group of fitness study participants in the Netherlands, after 6 months of commuter cycling. Traveling an average distance of 8.5 km (5-1/4 miles), more than 3 times a week was sufficient for improvement, and 3 km (about 2 mi.) was enough for improvement with those of low initial fitness. (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, Feb. 2000).
If commuter cycling isn?t practical for you, and you enjoy the sport, do a fitness program that includes some bike riding on the weekend or before or after work, along with your other workouts.
Preventing Colon Cancer
Active people have a lower risk of colon cancer than the sedentary. This is partially because fitness reduces incidence of obesity, and partly because because health and fitness activity affects certain prostaglandins (chemical messengers in the body), which aids colon health.
Controlling Blood Pressure
People with high blood pressure can benefit from aerobic exercise. A 45-minute run or power walk can lower blood pressure for up to 24 hours.
If you can?t go as long as 45 minutes, start with what you can do and increase the time gradually. Other aerobic exercise can also help blood pressure as well as overall fitness. Choose what you enjoy. New research shows that strength training also helps control blood pressure.
Fibromyalgia
If you have fibromyalgia, don't fear fitness. Although fibromyalgia is characterized by chronic pain, a fitness program relieves the symptoms, as well as improving overall health and fitness. For many people with the condition, exercise works better than any other treatment. Start slowly and avoid activities with a lot of impact. Weight training is good, but start with light weights and one set. Increase weight when you can without causing pain.
Heart Failure and Exercise
Most people with heart failure, a weakened heart muscle, can improve their endurance and activity levels as well as overall health and fitness through an aerobic exercise program. Get clearance and guidance from your doctor before you start. There may be special classes at a medical facility, or a qualified personal trainer can help you get started.
Plyometrics and Kenpo
Are you looking for extreme fitness without having to climb a cliff or jump out of a plane? The following two fitness programs can appeal to any adrenaline junkie.
Plyometrics, also known as jump training, has been proven to dramatically improve athletic performance. If your sport involves a ring, rink, field, court, or track, over 30 explosive jumping moves will give you the edge. Although all you need for this extreme fitness routine are running shoes, a plyometrics mat, a chair and a special plyometrics monitor, you¡¯ll feel as though you¡¯re training for an episode of ¡°Fear Factor.¡±
The Kenpo muscle fitness routine sounds like Tae Bo, for good reason. Martial arts are extreme fitness, and kenpo (a style of Chinese kung fu), is no exception. This fitness program was created to give P90X users a high-intensity cardiovascular workout packed with lots of punching and kicking combinations to improve balance, endurance, flexibility, and coordination, as well as self-defense.
Preventing Pancreatic Cancer
Exercise and fitness help prevent many cancers. Being physically active reduces the risk of pancreatic cancer, especially among people who are overweight, who may be at greater general risk.
Jump for Your Bones
Just jumping 30 times a day will make your bones stronger and improve your health and fitness. But don?t do it cold. Warm up until you break a light sweat. You just have to jump up and down, not off of anything. It's the impact that stimulates your bones. You need two things: a soft surface to land on and your doctor?s ok.
Immune Function
For years immune system studies have touted fitness as an immune booster, but that's not the whole story. It works this way. Imagine exercise and immunity on a health and fitness bell curve. Too little exercise and you will not have optimum immune function. Moderate exercise enhances immune function and too much exercise--overtraining-- can suppress immune function, at least temporarily.
Overcoming Anger
Too much anger can be bad for your health and fitness as well as your social life. When you're about to shift gears into road rage or take your co-worker's head off, exercise can be a healthy way to release stress and anger. Head for the gym or take a power walk.
Exercise Helps Your Brain
Fitness gives your brain a boost. Exercise, especially aerobic exercise, helps maintain or enhance cognitive power. So run and lift for mental fitness and health. Your brain cells love oxygen and stimulation.