Exercising for health

Benefits of Exercise: MedlinePlus

We have all heard it many times before - regular exercise is good for you, and it can help you lose weight. But if you are like many Americans, you are busy, you have a sedentary job, and you haven't yet changed your exercise habits. The good news is that it's never too late to start. You can start slowly, and find ways to fit more physical activity into your life. To get the most benefit, you should try to get the recommended amount of exercise for your age. If you can do it, the payoff is that you will feel better, help prevent or control many diseases, and likely even live longer.

What are the health benefits of exercise?

Regular exercise and physical activity may:

Help you control your weight. Along with diet, exercise plays an important role in controlling your weight and preventing obesity. To maintain your weight, the calories you eat and drink must equal the energy you burn. To lose weight, you must use more calories than you eat and drink.

Reduce your risk of heart diseases. Exercise strengthens your heart and improves your circulation. The increased blood flow raises the oxygen levels in your body. This helps lower your risk of heart diseases such as high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, and heart attack. Regular exercise can also lower your blood pressure and triglyceride levels.

Help your body manage blood sugar and insulin levels. Exercise can lower your blood sugar level and help your insulin work better. This can cut down your risk for metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. And if you already have one of those diseases, exercise can help you to manage it.

Help you quit smoking. Exercise may make it easier to quit smoking by reducing your cravings and withdrawal symptoms. It can also help limit the weight you might gain when you stop smoking.

Improve your mental health and mood. During exercise, your body releases chemicals that can improve your mood and make you feel more relaxed. This can help you deal with stress and reduce your risk of depression.

Help keep your thinking, learning, and judgment skills sharp as you age. Exercise stimulates your body to release proteins and other chemicals that improve the structure and function of your brain.

Strengthen your bones and muscles. Regular exercise can help kids and teens build strong bones. Later in life, it can also slow the loss of bone density that comes with age. Doing muscle-strengthening activities can help you increase or maintain your muscle mass and strength.

Reduce your risk of some cancers, including colon, breast , uterine, and lung cancer.

Reduce your risk of falls. For older adults, research shows that doing balance and muscle-strengthening activities in addition to moderate-intensity aerobic activity can help reduce your risk of falling.

Improve your sleep. Exercise can help you to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.

Improve your sexual health. Regular exercise may lower the risk of erectile dysfunction (ED) in men. For those who already have ED, exercise may help improve their sexual function. In women, exercise may increase sexual arousal.

Increase your chances of living longer. Studies show that physical activity can reduce your risk of dying early from the leading causes of death, like heart disease and some cancers.

How can I make exercise a part of my regular routine?

Make everyday activities more active. Even small changes can help. You can take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk down the hall to a coworker's office instead of sending an email. Wash the car yourself. Park further away from your destination.

Be active with friends and family. Having a workout partner may make you more likely to enjoy exercise. You can also plan social activities that involve exercise. You might also consider joining an exercise group or class, such as a dance class, hiking club, or volleyball team.

Keep track of your progress. Keeping a log of your activity or using a fitness tracker may help you set goals and stay motivated.

Make exercise more fun. Try listening to music or watching TV while you exercise. Also, mix things up a little bit - if you stick with just one type of exercise, you might get bored. Try doing a combination of activities.

Find activities that you can do even when the weather is bad. You can walk in a mall, climb stairs, or work out in a gym even if the weather stops you from exercising outside.

Aerobic Exercise: Top 10 Reasons to Get Physical (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Exercise: 7 Benefits of Regular Physical Activity (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Health Benefits of Water-Based Exercise (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
Physical Activity and Health: The Benefits of Physical Activity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
Real-Life Benefits of Exercise and Physical Activity (National Institute on Aging)

Staying Active at Any Size (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
Step It Up! Get Active for Your Health (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
Why Exercise? (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Why Physical Activity Is Important (for Girls) (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)

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Benefits of Physical Activity | Physical Activity

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Reduce Your Health Risk

The good news is that moderate physical activity, such as brisk walking, is generally safe for most people.

Cardiovascular Disease

Heart disease and stroke are two leading causes of death in the United States. Getting at least 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity can put you at a lower risk for these diseases. You can reduce your risk even further with more physical activity. Regular physical activity can also lower your blood pressure and improve your cholesterol levels.

Type 2 Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome

Regular physical activity can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is some combination of too much fat around the waist, high blood pressure, low high-density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol, high triglycerides, or high blood sugar. People start to see benefits at levels from physical activity even without meeting the recommendations for 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity. Additional amounts of physical activity seem to lower risk even more.

Strengthen Your Bones and Muscles

As you age, it’s important to protect your bones, joints, and muscles – they support your body and help you move. Keeping bones, joints, and muscles healthy can help ensure that you’re able to do your daily activities and be physically active.

Muscle-strengthening activities like lifting weights can help you increase or maintain your muscle mass and strength. This is important for older adults who experience reduced muscle mass and muscle strength with aging. Slowly increasing the amount of weight and number of repetitions you do as part of muscle strengthening activities will give you even more benefits, no matter your age.

Improve Your Ability to do Daily Activities and Prevent Falls

Everyday activities include climbing stairs, grocery shopping, or playing with your grandchildren. Being unable to do everyday activities is called a functional limitation. Physically active middle-aged or older adults have a lower risk of functional limitations than people who are inactive.

For older adults, doing a variety of physical activity improves physical function and decreases the risk of falls or injury from a fall. Include physical activities such as aerobic, muscle strengthening, and balance training. Multicomponent physical activity can be done at home or in a community setting as part of a structured program.

Hip fracture is a serious health condition that can result from a fall. Breaking a hip have life-changing negative effects, especially if you’re an older adult. Physically active people have a lower risk of hip fracture than inactive people.

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Increase Your Chances of Living Longer

See physical activity recommendations for different groups, including:

Children age 3-5.
Children and adolescents age 6-17.
Adults age 18-64.
Adults 65 and older.
Adults with chronic health conditions and disabilities.
Healthy pregnant and postpartum women.

An estimated 110,000 deaths per year could be prevented if US adults ages 40 and older increased their moderate-to-vigorous physical activity by a small amount. Even 10 minutes more a day would make a difference.

Taking more steps a day also helps lower the risk of premature death from all causes. For adults younger than 60, the risk of premature death leveled off at about 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day. For adults 60 and older, the risk of premature death leveled off at about 6,000 to 8,000 steps per day.

Manage Chronic Health Conditions & Disabilities

Regular physical activity can help people manage existing chronic conditions and disabilities. For example, regular physical activity can:

Reduce pain and improve function, mood, and quality of life for adults with arthritis.
Help control blood sugar levels and lower risk of heart disease and nerve damage for people with type 2 diabetes.
Help support daily living activities and independence for people with disabilities. Also see:
- Health Benefits Associated with Physical Activity for People with Chronic Conditions and Disabilities [PDF-14. 4MB]
- Key Recommendations for Adults with Chronic Conditions and Disabilities [PDF-14.4MB]

12 simple exercises for every day

August 15Sports and Fitness

A set of exercises from the father of American football Walter Camp will take only 8 minutes, will help strengthen the body, increase flexibility and maintain health.

Iya Zorina

Lifehacker author, athlete, CCM

keep the body healthy and agile, but not exhausting.

Camp came up with this complex in part because he found the existing calisthenics exercises too difficult and boring. Another reason was the already familiar idea that modern technologies take away from people the health and agility that were characteristic of our distant ancestors.

After the war, this set of exercises spread throughout the world. Brochures describing the "daily dozen" sold in millions of copies, as did audiotapes with instructions. The Camp complex became known all over the world.

What is the "daily dozen"

This is a simple workout that should be easy and enjoyable. It develops flexibility, improves posture, muscle coordination and a sense of balance.

Camp argued that exercise has a positive effect on the functioning of internal organs, in particular the intestines, and also pumps cognitive functions, improving brain function.

"Daily Dozen" is suitable for any adult, but is especially useful for middle-aged people who have some tightness in the body and sit most of the day.

Since the exercises do not cause fatigue and do not require a lot of time, Camp recommended doing them every day at least once, and ideally three times: in the morning, afternoon and evening.

Camp also advised supplementing exercise with ten hours of outdoor exercise per week (a little less than an hour and a half a day) to support health and longevity.

What exercises are included in the "daily dozen"

1.

Arm circles Photo: Lifehacker

Develops the muscles of the shoulders, back and chest, improves posture.

Stand up straight, raise your straight arms to the sides at shoulder level, palms facing up.
Slowly describe small circles about 15 centimeters in diameter with your hands. Most of the movement comes from the shoulders, the tension is felt in their back.
Perform five laps forward and five back.

2. Bent over with hands behind the head

Photo: Lifehacker

Stretches the abdominal muscles, strengthens the back, improves posture.

Stand straight with your hands behind your head.
With an exhalation, tilt the body forward to 45 degrees, the neck is in line with the back, look at the floor in front of you.
Inhale straighten up, raise your head.
Bend back slightly to feel the stretch in the abdominal muscles. The gaze is directed to the ceiling.
Straighten up. The head stays up.
Repeat 10 times.

3. Raising the arms

Photo: Lifehacker

Develops shoulder strength, strengthens the arch of the foot.

Stand up straight, raise straight arms to the sides at shoulder level, palms facing down.
With an inhalation, rise on your toes, raise your arms up 45 degrees.
With an exhalation, stand on your entire foot, lower your arms until they are parallel to the floor.
Repeat 10 times.

4. Deep side bend

Photo: Lifehacker

Develops the muscles of the shoulders and waist, stimulates the liver and intestines.

Stand up straight, raise your arms to the sides at shoulder level, palms down - this is the starting position.
Raise your left hand up, lower your right hand down along the body.
Start tilting to the right from the hips, the right hand crawls along the leg to the knee, the left twists around the head. At the extreme point, the left palm rests on or near the right ear.
Slowly straighten up, turning your arms to the starting position.
Do the same tilt to the other side.
Repeat 10 times.

5. Twisting

Raises and expands the chest. Stretches the abdominal muscles.

Stand up straight, bend your elbows while inhaling, place your fists under your armpits.
Continuing to inhale, take your shoulders back, slightly bend in the chest, expanding the chest, lift your head up and look at the ceiling.

Photo: Lifefaker

With an exhalation, move your hands forward, then spread them apart.
While holding your breath, bend forward until parallel with the floor, move your hands back.

Photo: Lifehacker

Straighten up and move your arms forward, and then spread them apart.
Repeat 10 times.

6. Toe Squat

Photo: Lifehacker

Strengthens the arch of the foot, calf and back muscles.

Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, raise your arms to the sides at shoulder level, turn your palms down.
Inhale as you rise up on your toes.
As you continue to inhale, lower yourself into a squat.
Exhale as you rise from the squat.
Continuing to exhale, lower yourself to a full foot.
Repeat five times.

7. Shoulder rotation

Photo: Lifehacker

Strengthens the muscles of the shoulders.

Stand straight, inhale and lift your shoulders.
Continuing to inhale, move your shoulders forward.
Lower your shoulders as you exhale.
As you continue to exhale, pull your shoulders back.
Repeat ten times.

8. Hand turn

Develops the muscles of the shoulders and chest.

Stand up straight with your arms crossed in front with palms facing you.
Raise your arms in a circle crosswise (the right palm outlines a circle on the left side, the left palm on the right side), at the top turn the palms outward.

Photo: Lifehacker

Lower your arms in a circle without crossing them (the right palm draws a circle on the right, and the left palm on the left).

Photo: Lifehacker

Repeat five times.
Lower your arms, do not cross them. The palms are next to the hips.
Raise your arms up in a circle, turning your palms outward.
Lower your arms crosswise, turning your palms towards you.
Repeat five times.

9. Head tilts

Photo: Lifehacker

Strengthens the muscles of the neck, improves control over them.

Stand up straight, tilt your head forward.
Tilt your head to the left.
Tilt your head back.
Tilt your head to the right.
Repeat five times.

10. Mill

Photo: Lifehacker

Develops the flexibility of the back muscles.

Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, straight arms raise to the sides at shoulder level.
Bend over, twisting your torso to the left and bending your right knee. The right hand touches the floor between the legs, the left is extended upward. The head is turned to the ceiling, the gaze is directed to the left hand.
Return to starting position and repeat on the other side.
Perform five times on each side.

11. Body tilts

Photo: Lifehacker

Strengthens the back muscles, opens the chest and stretches the abdominal muscles.

Stand up straight, raise your hands above your head and interlace your fingers into the lock, turning your palms to your head. The closer the hands are to the head, the more effective the exercise.
Lean forward gently. The movement is controlled, without jerks and extreme inclinations.
Lean to the right.
Lean back.
Lean to the left.
Do five reps in each direction.

12. "Wings"

Photo: Lifehacker

Strengthens the muscles of the back and shoulders, develops the diaphragm.

Stand straight, feet together, toes slightly turned outward, arms hanging freely along the body.
While inhaling, raise your straight arms in front of you.
Continuing to inhale, spread your arms out to the sides.
As you finish inhaling, raise your arms above your head, palms facing forward.
As you exhale, bend over, put your hands behind your back and lift. The head is raised, the gaze is directed forward.
Return to the starting position and repeat the exercise nine more times.

Read also0038

How to fix round shoulders: a guide to posture correction

5 easy workouts for the laziest

4 most important health exercises that are easy to do at home

It will soon be exactly one year since the moment when the living space of millions of people was reduced to their own apartment or house. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we began to spend even more time within the four walls, but physical activity, which urban residents already have little, on the contrary, has become even less. With the advent of remote mode, jogging behind a departing bus and slalom on the escalator in the subway disappeared.

During lockdowns, fitness centers were closed, and even now not everyone is still at risk of visiting public spaces. Nevertheless, the lack of movement should not be underestimated. And it's not that it's time to prepare for spring: it's about health. We need physical activity, and we can make up for its lack at home. In our material, we have collected four of the most important exercises that can be easily done at home and which are simply necessary for our body.

Trainers and fitness apps are ready to offer us many different sports exercises to do to strengthen muscles and increase endurance. Nevertheless, Harvard University has identified basic exercises that you can do at home every day - regardless of your fitness level - and which have one important goal: to improve health and counteract the effects of the aging process. These exercises are simple and will take no more than 20 minutes to work out the daily rate.

Aerobics

If you are the type of person who finds it difficult to breathe while climbing the stairs to the third floor, this exercise should be included in your personal routine. In addition to improving flexibility, coordination, rhythm, and orientation, aerobic exercise strengthens the heart and lungs, increasing endurance and providing adequate blood supply to the muscles.

Other benefits of aerobic exercise include burning fat, lowering blood sugar and blood pressure, and simply improving your mood. As a result, the risk of heart disease, type II diabetes, chronic depression, as well as breast cancer, colon disease and stroke is reduced. It is recommended to spend 150 minutes per week on this exercise.

How is aerobic exercise done correctly?

Stand up straight with feet together and hands at your sides. Then bend your elbows and raise your knees. Remember the PE class when the teacher asked you to march in place. Take four steps forward and four steps back with your legs apart. To perform this exercise correctly, look forward and keep your abs tight without clenching your fists, but focus on your breathing. Don't try to push yourself too hard, move slowly and don't raise your knees too high.

Strength training

Strength exercises such as sit-ups or push-ups improve muscle resistance, which we lose as we age. These sports exercises also help improve overall body tone, control your weight, improve balance and posture, reduce back and joint pain, and stimulate bone growth. To achieve good results, it is recommended to perform them two to three times a week.

Stretch

Stretching should be part of a daily exercise routine two to three times a day to stimulate the flexibility of our muscles and tendons, which shorten with age. This, in turn, leads to pain in the lower back, joints and other parts of the body.

This is especially true for those involved in sedentary work. Experts recommend that computer workers take 30-minute breaks for basic stretching every two hours. It's about repetitive slow movements.

How to start basic stretching exercises?

There are many ways to stretch your muscles. One of them is the downward facing dog pose used in yoga, which is recommended for relaxation of the whole body. It is recommended to hold this position for 10 to 30 seconds while breathing calmly.

Another way to stretch is to lie on your back with your legs extended on the floor, and then pull up and press one knee to your chin. The idea is to stretch to mild tension, not pain. Then, pressing the knee to the chin, straighten the opposite leg with the heel up. You will feel the calf muscle stretch.

Balance exercises

Balance exercises such as tai chi or yoga help us to be less stressed and have more control over our bodies. In addition, they are useful for increasing the flexibility of the joints and muscles of the legs. One of the exercises recommended by Harvard University is to stand up straight, put your feet together and put your hands on your hips, and then raise your knee as high as possible parallel to the floor.

Learn more