Graeme Lanham asked: Many of our diseases are the result of a sedentary lifestyle as well as an unhealthy diet. Your body is meant to be used and will quickly deteriorate if it is not.
Physical activity should be a high priority in your daily program. Try to engage in some form of aerobic exercise at least five days a week and some form of resistance exercise at least two or three times a week. Here’s why.
Aerobic exercise is essential for building stamina and cardio-respiratory fitness but you also need strength training. The Australian Council on the Aging has listed the following benefits, based on medical research, of strength or resistance training:
1 Regain and retain muscle strength, no matter what your age.
2 Improve strength, balance, gait, flexibility and coordination, which in turn improves your ability to lift, walk, bend, climb stairs and enjoy life.
3 Is an effective method of preserving bone density and combating osteoporosis.
4 Is an effective strategy for fat loss and management of type 2 diabetes.
For the purpose of this article, I will focus on items three and four.
PRESERVING BONE DENSITY.
Osteoporosis is caused by the gradual loss of calcium from bones after the age of 35, when the bone building cycle changes and bones start to break down faster than they rebuild.
Osteoporosis is preventable and its progress can be halted even after calcium loss has started.
Dozens of studies show that weight bearing exercise, even something as simple as walking, actually strengthens your bones. Resistance training slows down the loss of bone mineral content thus reducing the risk of osteoporosis.
Keeping your bones and muscles strong means you maintain functional strength for everyday activities. Loss of muscle and strength is a natural part of aging, but this will speed up with inadequate diet and lack of exercise.
To be fully effective your exercise should be combined with a bone building diet. Your diet should include plenty of calcium rich foods. Good sources of calcium include tinned fish, green vegetables, sesame seeds and paste, oysters, almonds and baked beans. If you take calcium supplements, it is important that you combine with magnesium and vitamin D. Magnesium helps keep calcium in the bones and vitamin D helps keep your bones strong. A major source is sunlight which enables your body to make vitamin D in your skin cells. This is crucial for calcium absorption.
FAT LOSS AND DIABETES MANAGEMENT.
Weight training has much to offer those who are overweight, due to the role of muscle in increasing metabolism. Muscle tissue is a huge user of your available energy supplies and will burn calories even when you are at rest. So the more lean muscle you are able to develop, the more fat you will burn even when you are not exercising.
Those with type 2 diabetes will benefit from resistance training. There is a strong correlation between obesity and insulin resistance, where the body develops an inability to metabolise sugar. Insulin resistance hinders the absorption of glucose from the bloodstream into human cells.
Never start a new treatment before consulting your doctor, especially if you are currently taking medication. The information published in this article is not intended as a substitute for personal medical advice from your physician or other qualified health-care practitioner. It is for information purposes only.
Angela
