Health and Fitness

Like millions of Americans, you already know you can look and feel better, reduce stress, and increase your energy with regular exercise. And like 60 percent of Americans, you probably haven’t done much about it.

No Need to Sweat

You may not know that you don’t have to sweat and strain for hours on end. You can improve your health and well-being by starting with only three, 10-minute periods of moderate activity a day. Increasing your level of fitness, even just a little, can help you to feel better and be healthier.

Simple, everyday activities can be jumping off points for your exercise. Working in your garden, climbing stairs, and washing the car are moderate forms of exercise. As your strength and stamina improve, you can increase the intensity, frequency, or duration of your activities. You don’t need a gym to spend 15 minutes jumping rope or shoveling snow. Take 30 minutes to enjoy the outdoors while raking leaves or to lift your spirits dancing to your favorite tunes.

Increase Your Activity

Whether you’re a couch potato looking for a little more energy

, a fairly active individual hoping to shave a few pounds, or a retiree wishing to maintain your independence and physical mobility, just a few minutes of increased activity each day can help you achieve your goals.

Stick to It

But there’s more. If you stick to your daily exercise, you will also gain a host of other valuable medical benefits. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have collated decades of research and reported that regular physical activity:

Helps control weight

Reduces the risk of cholesterol
Improves endurance, strength and flexibility
Improves joint range of motion in people with arthritis
Aids sleep
Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety
Reduces the risk of developing many diseases, including:
Heart disease
High blood pressure
Diabetes
Osteoporosis
Colon cancer
Save Money
The CDC found that moderately active people have lower annual direct medical costs than those who are inactive. Based on 1987 dollars, the cost difference was $330.00 per person. If the 25 percent of the American adult population that is completely sedentary became physically active, the potential savings would be $76.6 billion in 2000 dollars!

Everyone Wins
Regular physical activity makes everyone a winner:

Adolescents and teenagers can improve strength and build stronger bones that will help prevent osteoporosis when they are older. They can build lean muscle and decrease body fat.
Adults can increase their energy, reduce their stress and gain a balanced and positive outlook on life.
Dieters can burn calories and preserve lean muscle mass.
People with High Blood Pressure can lower their blood pressure.
People with Arthritis can control joint swelling and pain.
People with disabilities or chronic conditions can improve their stamina and muscle strength. They can increase their ability to perform the activities of daily life and improve their psychological well being.
People who are anxious, depressed or moody can find relief and increase their feelings of well being.
Be a Winner
Add a dash of exercise to your day and start on the road to fitness. Whoever you are, whatever your condition, the more you move your body, the healthier you’ll be. You can reduce your chances of developing life-threatening diseases while lowering stress, shaping up, and improving your sense of well being. That makes you a winner.

If you smoke, are overweight, are over 40 and sedentary, or have a chronic health condition, remember to talk to your health care provider before starting any new physical activity program.