Sitting around is a very unhealthy state that will kill you. Half of women and one third of the men by age 70 do not participate in any physical activity. Expect most of them to die by age 74. Just increasing your activity levels a little bit will make your life healthier and more enjoyable.
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BETTER TO WEAR OUT THAN RUST OUT
Your body was always designed to be physically active. Your ancestors, through physical activity, provided the necessities of food, shelter, and water to help them survive. When you are inactive, your body organ system becomes totally disrupted, leading to poor health.
Half of women and one third of the men by age 70 do not participate in any physical activity. Expect most of them to die by age 74.
The father of medicine, Hippocrates, said in 400 BC: “Every part of your body has a function. When used in moderation it will become healthy and you will age more slowly.”
EXCUSES NOT TO EXERCISE
Stop making such excuses and make regular exercise an integral part of your life, like eating, sleeping, brushing your teeth, and drinking beer.
Hold a few walking business meetings, while watching TV --march in place, take lots of breaks during the commercials, walk around, climb stairs, and at least get up [from your easy chair and start standing.
CAN’T WALK? TRY JARMING
Don’t let grandma and grandpa just sit there. Get them to jarm.
Jarming is upper body jogging. It might be the perfect exercise while you watch the NCAA finals or the Olympics. Your heart will pump 50% better, and you will strengthen the muscles of your back shoulders, and chest, unlike regular jogging. Since you using the smaller muscles, your blood pressure will rise higher than when you exercises with your larger muscles.
If you are recovering from surgery, have a lot of joint disease in your knees and hips, or are disabled, walking is not an option. Start exercising in a chair. At least you can’t fall out of a chair while holding it. Perhaps even leg stretching and bike riding might be options.
THE BENEFITS OF EXERCISE
Exercise will lower your blood pressure, gets rid of some fat, lower your cholesterol, improve your diabetes, and relieve your stress. Your energy will be up. Your strength will be stronger, your physical appearance will improve, and overall you will feel better.
Your sleep will be deeper and your appetite will decrease. You will become more alert, work more productively, and develop more muscle tone and stronger bones.
If you are suffering from chronic ailments of heart or lung disease, arthritis, depression, diabetes, or even dementia, you can gain significant health benefits from exercise.
Merely by walking around the house, cleaning, or just plain moving, you will notice you breathe better and your heart, your heart will beat more regularly, and you will not tire so easily.
NOT MOVING MAKES YOU RUST OUT
Inertia is very hard on the heart. A link has been found between heart disease and the amount of time you spend in a chair, on the computer or watching TV. Even if you are slim, exercise regularly, and consider yourself in great shape ,you are more likely to die of heart disease within 12 years if you sit for continuous long periods of time.
Sitting around is a very unhealthy state that will kill you. When you sit, your muscles go silent and shutdown. There is a drop in a fat burning enzyme. Inactivity increases your risk of strokes, chronic disorders (increased by 50%), and gallstones (increased by 20%).
THE MESSAGE: JUST KEEP MOVING
The older you are the more you must perform some sort of regular physical activity. It need not be aerobic training. Just walking a bit faster will decrease your mortality. If you have limited mobility, resistance training may be the answer rather than aerobic training.
A brisk walk for 30 minutes a day, a walk inside the house, or walking up and down stairs, walking from room to room, or even moving in place, all result in increased brain volume, memory planning, multitasking, and physical endurance.
COMMENTARY
Choose an exercise you really enjoy and one that is pretty convenient, and fits your time schedule. If possible, break your exercise into two or three sessions a day. Make it the same time every day so it becomes routine. Start slowly, gradually build up in intensity and duration, and always remember to warm up, cool down, and stretch.
Pick a variety of activities to keep you motivated and your interest up. Make exercise a part of your lifestyle, and make some short and long-term goals to strive for. Just increasing your activity levels a little bit will make your life healthier and more enjoyable.
Visit www.drneedles.com for more discussion of controversial medical topics that are important for your health and well-being.
SOURCES
European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Jan 2010 (east Anglia study)
Archives of Intern Med, Jan 252010
Arch Intern Med. 2010; 170:179-185.
Dr. Wassersung .1984, book: “Jarm: How to Jog with your arms and live Longer”
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