Benefits
Of Exercise
Heart
Failure:
Traditionally,
heart failure patients have been discouraged from
exercising. Now, exercise is proving to be helpful
for many of these patients and, when performed under
medical supervision, does not pose a risk for a
heart attack. In one study, patients between the
ages of 61 and 91 increased their oxygen consumption
by 20% after six months by engaging in supervised
treadmill and stationary bicycle exercises. Performing
daily hand grip exercises may improve blood flow
through the arteries of patients with heart failure.
Diabetes:
Is
reaching epidemic proportions throughout the world
as more and more cultures adopt Western dietary
habits. Aerobic exercise is proving to have significant
and particular benefits for people with both type
1 and type 2 diabetes; it increases sensitivity
to insulin, lowers blood pressure, improves cholesterol
levels, and decreases body fat.
Regular exercise, even of moderate intensity, improves
insulin sensitivity. In fact, studies of older people
who engage in regular, moderate, aerobic exercise
(e.g., brisk walking, biking) lower their risk for
diabetes even if they don't lose weight. Anyone
on insulin or who has complications from diabetes
must take special precautions before embarking on
a workout program.
Osteoporosis:
Exercise
is very important for slowing the progression of
osteoporosis. Women should begin exercising before
adolescence, since bone mass increases during puberty
and reaches its peak between ages 20 and 30. Weight
bearing exercise, which applies tension to muscle
and bone, encourages the body to compensate for
the added stress by increasing bone density by as
much as 2% to 8% a year.
High-impact weight-bearing exercises, such as step
aerobics, are very protective for premenopausal
women. These exercises, however, increase the risk
for osteoporotic fractures in elderly patients,
who would benefit most from regular, brisk, long
walks. Even moderate exercise (as little as an hour
a week) helps reduce the risk for fracture, but
everyone who is in good health should aim for more.
Careful
weight training is beneficial as well for older
women. Low-impact exercises that improve balance
and strength, particularly yoga and T'ai Chi, have
been found to decrease the risk of falling; in one
study, T'ai Chi reduced the risk by almost half.
Lung
Disease:
Although
exercise does not improve lung function (except
for intense, regular aerobic exercise), training
helps some patients with chronic lung disease by
strengthening their limb muscles, thus improving
endurance and reducing breathlessness.
Cancer:
A
number of studies have indicated that regular, even
moderate, exercise reduces the risk of colon cancer.
Strenuous activity, in fact, adds only slight or
no additional benefit. Moderate exercise may also
help reduce the risk for prostate cancer and possibly
for breast cancer. A recent study of 100,000 nurses,
however, suggested that the benefits of exercise
on breast health may be greater or lesser at different
times in a woman's life, depending on her menstrual
status and estrogen levels. For example, the study
found no added protection against from exercise
in young adulthood (when the disease is uncommon
in any case).
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