A Gift of the Season:
Shaping Up for Health
Health experts all agree that there are numerous benefits of following a regular exercise program. This holiday season you can give yourself the gift of health by incorporating exercise into your lifestyle.
Even for men who are challenged by conditions such as joint pain, back pain, arthritis, osteoporosis, or injury, a program can be designed to fit most needs.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), regular physical activity can improve health and reduce the risk of premature death in the following ways:
- reduces the risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD) and the risk of dying from CHD
- reduces the risk of stroke
- reduces the risk of having a second heart attack in people who have already had one heart attack
- lowers both total blood cholesterol and triglycerides and increases high-density lipoproteins (HDL or the "good" cholesterol)
- lowers the risk of developing high blood pressure
- helps reduce blood pressure in people who already have hypertension
- lowers the risk of developing non-insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes mellitus
- reduces the risk of developing colon cancer
- helps people achieve and maintain a healthy body weight
- reduces feelings of depression and anxiety
- promotes psychological well-being and reduces feelings of stress
- helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints
- helps older adults become stronger and better able to move about without falling or becoming excessively fatigued
In addition, exercise helps to accomplish the following:
- increase flexibility
- tone muscles
- improve mobility and balance
- boost self-image
- relieve insomnia
- relieve tension and stress
- enhance cardiovascular fitness
- control appetite
- reduce the risk of disease, such as diabetes
- provide fun and enjoyment
- provide for a longer, healthier life
- reduce joint and muscle pain
Always consult your physician before starting an exercise program.
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Preparing for the upcoming ski season requires more than waxing your boards and buying flashy new gear.
Proper physical conditioning is essential if you want to avoid spending part or all of your winter at home nursing an injury, states the Massachusetts Governor's Committee on Physical Fitness.
Do not wait until those first few snowflakes flutter through the sky to begin the musculoskeletal tune-up that will prepare your body for the rigors of downhill skiing.
Start your conditioning program at least a few months before you hit the slopes.
Cardiovascular fitness is a good place to start, and it can be achieved through regular endurance exercise. That means low to moderate levels of exercise for 20 to 30 minutes at a time.
Muscle conditioning is essential because of the intense demands placed on your body during downhill skiing.
The muscles most affected by skiing are the quadriceps, hamstring and gluteal muscles in your legs, along with the oblique muscles of your midsection, according to the committee.
Bicycle exercise builds strength and endurance in your quadriceps; you should also do hamstring curls. Leg-press machines or squats help develop power and strength in your lower extremities.
Sit-ups, crunches, and back extensions strengthen your back and abdominal muscles, according to the University of Arizona. Flexibility, balance, agility and coordination are other areas you should work on before ski season starts.
Tennis, squash and other racquet sports help develop coordination skills, and soccer calls upon the same abilities.
Always consult your physician before starting an exercise program.
The following examples of levels of fitness are provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
Light-Intensity Activities
- walking slowly
- golf, powered cart
- swimming, slow treading
- bicycling, very light effort
- conditioning exercise, light stretching, or warm up
Moderate-Intensity Activities
- walking briskly
- golf, pulling or carrying clubs
- swimming, recreational
- mowing lawn, power motor
- tennis, doubles
- bicycling 5 to 9 mph, level terrain, or with a few hills
- weight lifting, Nautilus machines or free weights
Vigorous-Intensity Activities
- racewalking, jogging or running
- swimming laps
- mowing lawn, hand mower
- tennis, singles
- bicycling more than 10 mph, or on steep uphill terrain
- circuit training
Always consult your physician before starting an exercise program.
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