Okay, so here's a news flash again: exercise can be the key to eliminating many of the maladies plaguing your otherwise potentially healthy self. That's right; thanks to prodding by medical groups, insurers and even government officials, what we as health professionals have been extolling for years is now infiltrating the rest of society.

Elevating to unsightly proportions - Two-thirds of adult Americans, at a minimum, are overweight. The billions in revenue lost annually due to illness in the work place have prompted allopathic doctors to prescribe exercise to everyone. Your eyes are not deceiving you, and unfortunately this notification does not elicit hysteria, although it should: exercise is still the magic pill most of our comatose societal community has been ignoring.

Fortunately for the negligent, the trumpets are sounding (no that's not accurate; they've been blaring for years now) and it would behoove the sedimentary to acquiesce, comply, submit. Here's why:

  • Exercise reduces the risk of premature death.
  • Exercise reduces the risk of developing and/or dying from heart disease.
  • Exercise reduces high blood pressure or the risk of developing high blood pressure.
  • Exercise reduces high cholesterol or the risk of developing high cholesterol.
  • Exercise reduces the risk of developing colon cancer and breast cancer.
  • Exercise reduces the risk of developing diabetes.
  • Exercise helps reduces body fat and helps maintain healthy body weight.
  • Exercise builds and maintains healthy muscles, bones, and joints.
  • Exercise reduces depression and anxiety.
  • Exercise improves psychological well-being.
  • Exercise enhances work, recreation, and sport performances.

AMA President Ron Davis, MD, told reporters at a briefing in Washington, Exercise is really a free medication, exercise should not be an 'option', but should be as critical as blood pressure or cholesterol tests. A person's activity level should be regarded as a vital sign.

I am well aware of the perils associated with lifestyle alterations. Implimenting a fitness regime into one's seemingly busy lifestyle can appear formidable when ascending from the ranks of the sedimentary to the status of physically active. I would suggest that you approach this change gradually, beginning with activites that don't require an abundance of time or equipment.

Activities like walking and calisthenics can contribute to your overall wellbeing and don't cost anything but a few minutes a day. The concept is to gradually and steadily progress until you reach the point where you are exercising for 30 minutes five times per week at a moderate intensity level.

It is critical that you grasp the significance of daily physical activity. With the push to get society more physically active, we must use this impetus to initiate active lifestyles, this will surely enhance our lives on many levels. Go ahead take the first step!

Diseases like health, are rooted in thought - James Allen

The copyright of the article Exercise-Your Alternative Medicine in Aerobic Conditioning is owned by Chris Christian.