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The Importance of Physical Activity
By: Amber Whitman
Regular activity, fitness and exercise, are critical for the health and well being of people of all ages. Research shows that everyone , young or old can benefit from regular exercise, either vigourous or moderate. Even very old adults can improve mobility and function through physical activity. It should be a priority for everyone. Millions of people suffer from chronic illnesses, that can significantly improve through activity. Exercise reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, and high blood pressure. People who are active outlive those who are inactive.
Despite the well known benefits, most adults and children lead relatively sedentary lifestyles. They are not active enough. A sedentary lifestyle is defined as engaging in no leisure-time physical activity (exercises, sports, physically active hobbies) in a two-week period. Typically alot of older people lead sedentary lifestyles. More than one-third of young people in grades 9-12 do not exercise regularly. They tend to watch too much television.
The cost to the medical establishment is in the billions for treatments of diseases, which could be lessened with exercise. Regular exercise should be 30 mins, 5 days a week. Or 20 mins of vigourous exercise 3 times a week. Physical activity maintains muscle strength, joint structure, joint functioning and bone health. Exercise has an effect on mental health as well, especially amoung young people. It increases the capacity for learning, increases self esteem and reduces anxiety and stress. Sports can introduce skills such as teamwork, self-discipline, sportsmanship, leadership and socialization. Lack of recreational activity may contribute to making young people susceptible to gangs, drugs or violence.
Obesity has become a nationwide epidemic. Regular activity, along with a nutritious diet, that incorporates portion control is the key to maintaining a healthy weight. Public and private sectors need to band together to encourage more activity. Walking programs for schools, worksites and the local community are some examples. The most important change has to come from the individual and families. Every person must realize the benefits of physical activity for the mind and body. Then commit to a lifestyle that is active for the whole family.
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About The Author
I live in Toronto, Ontario. I live with my partner of 11 years. I also have a 12 year old son. I have been writing since I was young. I write short stories, articles and poetry. I have been writing for Allwrite online magazine for sometime. I have won Poetry Choice Awards from, The National Library of Poetry. I attended a convention in my youth where I won medals for my writing. I have had a poem published in Webster's Online Dictionary. Currently I have many websites. My most current is at http://pages.ivillage.com/homebody2001. I hope to become a published author. My email address is restless80@hotmail.com, if you wish to contact me.
all articles, stories, etc, original works by Amber Whitman
2004
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This article was posted on September 13, 2004
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How to Benefit from the Mind-Body Connection
(excerpt)
You are about to gain insight into the
mind-body connection. The number of
people who truly understand these principles on our
planet are relatively few.
There is an undeniable connection between our minds and
bodies, you can learn
to use this fact to your benefit.
Dr. Bernie Siegel, author of "Love, Medicine and
Miracles" was once a
distraught cancer surgeon until he
began to understand the greater principles
of the mind-
body connection. He felt dragged down by the artificial
barriers
that existed between patient and doctor, and the
helplessness he often felt as
a result of his inability
to effectively serve those patients. Eventually, those
barriers
were disintegrated by Dr. Siegel's recognition
and growing understanding of the
mind-body connection and
how it could serve his patients and himself.
Dr. Siegel, or Bernie as he began to have his patients
refer to him, had some
startling realizations as a cancer surgeon. He found that
there were actually
quite a few people in the world that successfully beat
the statistics on cancer
survival. He began to recognize that a patient's ability
to defeat something as
serious as cancer had to do with the patient's mind and
attitude about their
disease.
If you would like to see the rest of
this article, please go here:
http://www.tobeinformed.com/repository/mind-body.html
copyright 2004 - David Snape
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