Any listing of the medical problems and health-related conditions
that can be at least partially treated and controlled by exercise would be
extensive. Among the most significant of these health concerns and the manner
in which exercise is thought to help alleviate each condition are the
following:
- Allergies. Exercise is
one of the body's most efficient ways to control nasal congestion (and the
accompanying discomfort of restricted nasal blood flow).
- Angina. Regular
aerobic exercise dilates vessels, increasing blood flow— thereby improving
your body's ability to extract oxygen from the bloodstream.
- Anxiety. Exercise
triggers the release of mood-altering chemicals in the brain.
- Arthritis. By forcing a
skeletal joint to move, exercise induces the manufacture of synovial fluid
and helps to distribute it over the cartilage and to force it to circulate
throughout the joint space.
- Back
Pain.
Exercise helps to both strengthen the abdominal muscles and the lower back
extensor muscles and stretch the hamstring muscles.
- Bursitis
and Tendonitis.
Exercise can strengthen the tendons— enabling them to handle greater loads
without being injured.
- Cancer. Exercise helps
you maintain your ideal body weight and helps keep your level of body fat
to a minimum.
- Carpal
Tunnel Syndrome.
Exercise helps build up the muscles in your wrists and forearms— thereby
reducing the stress on your arms, elbows, and hands.
- Cholesterol. Exercise will
raise your level of HDL (the "good" cholesterol) in the blood
and help lower your level of LDL— the undesirable lipoprotein.
- Constipation. Exercise helps
strengthen the abdominal muscles, thereby making it easier to pass a
stool.
- Depression. Exercise helps
speed metabolism and deliver more oxygen to the brain; the improved level
of circulation in the brain tends to enhance your mood.
- Diabetes. Exercise helps
lower excess blood sugar levels, strengthen your muscles and heart,
improve your circulation, and reduce stress.
- Fatigue. Exercise can
help alleviate the fatigue-causing effects of stress, poor circulation and
blood oxygenation, bad posture, and poor breathing habits.
- Glaucoma. Exercise helps
relieve intraocular hypertension— the pressure buildup on the eyeball that
heralds the onset of glaucoma.
- Headaches. Exercise helps
force the brain to secrete more of the body's opiate-like, pain-dampening
chemicals (e.g., endorphins and enkephalins).
- Heart
Disease.
Exercise helps promote many changes that collectively lower your risk of
heart disease— a decrease in body fat, a decrease in LDL, an increase in
the efficiency of the heart and lungs, a decrease in blood pressure, and a
lowered heart rate.
- High
Blood Pressure.
Exercise reduces the level of stress-related chemicals in the bloodstream
that constrict arteries and veins, increases the release of endorphins,
raises the level of HDL in the bloodstream, lowers your resting heart rate
(over time), improves the responsiveness of your blood vessels (over
time), and helps reduce your blood pressure by keeping you leaner.
- Insomnia. Exercise helps
reduce muscular tension and stress.
- Intermittent
Claudication.
Exercise helps improve peripheral circulation and increase your ability to
tolerate pain.
- Knee
Problems.
Exercise helps strengthen the structures attendant to the knee— muscles,
tendons, and ligaments— thereby facilitating the ability of the knee to
withstand stress.
- Lung
Disease.
Exercise helps strengthen the muscles associated with breathing and helps
boost the oxygen level in your blood.
- Memory
Problems.
Exercise helps to improve your cognitive ability by increasing the blood
and oxygen flow to your brain.
- Menstrual
Problems and PMS.
Exercise helps to control the hormonal imbalances often associated with
PMS by increasing the release of beta-endorphins.
- Osteoporosis. Exercise
promotes bone density— thereby lowering an individual's risk of suffering
a bone fracture.
- Overweight
Problems.
Exercise suppresses your appetite, increases your metabolic rate, burns
fat, increases lean muscle mass, and improves your level of self-esteem.
- Varicose
Veins.
Exercise can help control the level of discomfort caused by existing
varicose veins and help you prevent getting any additional varicose veins
Are the positive effects that result from exercising regularly
worth the required effort? Absolutely. Should you make exercise an integral
part of your daily regimen? Of course, you should. In countless ways, your life
may depend on it.