Focus on Fitness, Not Exercise
I’ve said it many times: Exercise is the best medication. I say that because of all the wonderful things it does, such as decreasing blood pressure, cholesterol, sugars and weight. It increases serotonin, and makes you feel good, and helps you to sleep better. It doesn’t cost anything either, except the time to make it happen. In a recent study, including a total of approximately 750,300 people over a 10-year period, the lowest mortality risk occurred in those who had the greatest physical fitness. Not surprisingly, there was an impact on those with the lowest physical fitness. These people had a 4-fold increased risk of dying.
Being physically fit is probably the most critical piece to living a long healthy life no matter who you are.
When analyzed, the study was independent of age, sex and race. This means that being physically fit is probably the most critical piece to living a long healthy life no matter who you are. In order to reach this level of physical fitness, it requires cardiovascular exercise. In other words, it requires that you need to get your heart rate up on a regular and routine basis. The American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes, 5 days a week of moderate-intensity exercise. It doesn’t matter what you choose to do, it just means you must do something.
The effect of exercise impacts longevity even for those people over the age of 70.
Those who are more physically fit actually live almost 3 years longer than those who are not. Why? Because physical vitality decreases not only the incidence of heart disease and stroke, but also reduces the incidence of cancer, dementia, and lung diseases, which are all major causes of death.
The longer you have physical fitness and exercise in your life, the more powerful and potent its effects.
The time is now. The sooner you begin, the sooner you reach those physical fitness goals. Pick anything. Pick more than one thing. Find something that makes you feel invigorated and good. You don’t have to do something that exhausts you or makes you feel sweaty, short of breath and uncomfortable. You find something that gets your muscles moving, your blood flowing, and your heart beating to a moderate level.
Think about it. Is there a place where you can dance your heart out, walk or run, skip and jump, do leg lifts, sit-ups, jumping jacks or leg kicks? Basketball, tennis, soccer, jogging? Aerobics class, tai chi, boxing? The list continues.
Find your thing and stick with it. You will eventually become physically fit, and the benefits exponentially blossom. As I said, “Exercise is the best medication!”
What’s your favorite way to stay fit? Comment down below to share your physical fitness routine.