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Each hour of exercise adds two to your life - Ready to start NOW?
By Christina | October 9, 2008
Regular exercise not only adds years to your life, but also makes the years you have more enjoyable. You have a choice, exercise and actually contribute to your well being or be a lump on the sofa, and enjoy your last years with medication cocktails to help you combat the state you allowed yourself to fall into.Â
We are a society who take no accountability for our lives. The cigarette companies made us smoke, fast food chains burned us with coffee when we spilled it on ourslves, our parents made bad choices therefore we are dysfunctional. When do the excuses stop and the responsibility kick in?
It’s time to become educated on the reality of how to live a longer, fuller life and make it our job to see it through. How many people start to exercise AFTER a heart attack or stop smoking AFTER a cancer diagnosis? Seriously?
Calculations based on the Harvard Alumni Study suggest that men who exercise regularly can gain about two hours of life expectancy for each hour of exercise. Over the course of a lifetime, that adds up to about two extra years. Maximum benefit does require regular exercise over the years, but it doesn’t mean a trip to the gym every day. In fact, just 30 minutes of brisk walking every day will go a long way toward enhancing your health.
Studies and observations were conduted on a wide ranging population. Men in Hawaii, Seventh-day Adventists in California, male and female residents of Framingham, Massachusetts, elderly American women, British joggers, middle-aged Englishmen, retired Dutchmen, and residents of Copenhagen were among the varying groups of participants. Although the details vary, the essential message is the same: Regular exercise prolongs life and reduces the burden of disease and disability in old age. Dr. J. Michael McGinnis of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion found that regular physical activity appears to reduce the overall mortality rate by more than a quarter and to increase the life expectancy by more than two years compared with the sedentary population’s average.
That’s a great reason to check in with your doctor and get started on the road to wellness!
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Topics: Fitness Tips |