A Sluggish Nation
In the developed world today, and in the United States especially, people generally are overweight and unfit. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that almost half the U.S. adult population does not get enough aerobic exercise; less than 22 percent of adults ages 18 and over meet the CDC’s guidelines for physical activity levels.
The U.S. is not alone. Where America leads, other countries follow. As countries become richer, the general level of physical activity in the population becomes lower and lower. High income countries average around 55 percent of adults who get enough activity; low income countries average around 80 percent. Insufficient exercise leads to illness and a shorter life. People who don’t exercise regularly are at greater risk of suffering from heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Exercise, along with control of food intake, is essential for weight control, so when we learn that around two-thirds of the adult population is either overweight or obese, we should take notice.
We use technology to make life easier and assume that makes life better at the same time. Yet simple activities like walking to the store, doing housework and mowing the lawn used to boost our health levels. Today, we don’t even have to leave the house to shop; we can go online and order goods for delivery. We’ve made many physical tasks easier with tools and technology, but we’ve failed to recognize how that was our affecting our physical health.
This is not just laziness, although that’s part of the problem for some people. When we’re preoccupied or exhausted or just busy with day-to-day life, it’s easy to slip into convenient habits, like choosing to drive the car instead of walking, taking the elevator instead of the stairs—or sleeping an extra 30 minutes instead of going on that morning jog. The problem is that we can’t set daily exercise on a back burner. A life without activity and exercise, inevitably, will lead to health issues. But it doesn’t have to be like that. Activity levels are driven by habits. You can choose to take the easy road and not exercise. Or you can make healthy living choices, adopt better habits, and increase your strength, stamina and overall well-being.
In my book, Age Later, I lay out the benefits of regular exercise in some detail. Here is the summary. Exercise:
- … strengthens your bones
- … improves the flexibility of your joints
- … improves the health of your brain and nervous system
- … extends the life of your body cells
- … is an essential part of a weight management program
- … helps protect your heart and lungs from disease
- … reduces the risk (or slows down the progress) of near-deficiency diseases
- … improves your sleep patterns and the quality of sleep
- … reduces mental stress
- … develops strength, balance, posture, poise and flexibility
- … slows down the aging process
- … improves your skin’s health and appearance.
Put simply, if you don’t exercise, your health will deteriorate.
If you do exercise regularly, you will be more healthy—in mind and in body. You will live longer and delay the onset of the problems of old age. So: move your body!
Physical Exercise Suggestions
Getting Ready to Exercise
Everyday Activity: Exercise That Comes Naturally
From Zero to Active
Warming Up
Stretching Exercises
Strengthening Exercises
Aerobic Exercise
Useful Links
Physical Activity – Introduction
Physical Activity – Getting Started (CDC))
Dr. Marc Ronert - Age Later 