We’ve all heard before, either from a doctor, friend, or family member, that exercising daily improves your overall health. Within the last few decades, varying professionals have found research to back up these claims. This new research confirms philosopher’s, scientist’s, and doctor’s suspicions that exercise incorporated into your daily routine will benefit your overall health and well-being.

Mark Tarnopolsky is a genetic metabolic neurologist, which is a doctor that specializes in the nervous system and the disorders that affect it. In 2011, he performed an experiment on mice to determine how exercise effected their health. Specifically, the experiment was to see if exercise affects the process of premature aging in the mice. A control group was exercised routinely, while the variable group had no exercise in their routine. The sedentary (variable) group developed tumors and excess fat, whereas the group that exercised was very healthy. The conclusion Tarnopolsky drew from the experiment is that the most effective form of therapy for the body is exercise.

Consequences

Even with these clear results, only about 20% of Americans (over the age of 6) exercise the recommended 150 minutes of strength and cardiovascular physical activity a week. This means that nearly 80.2 million Americans are not active at all. The main consequence of this high level of inactivity is the damaging effects on a person’s body, including stiff and immobile joints, high blood pressure, heart disease, and strokes. Even though the consequences have been made known, most American’s still ignore public health campaigns. This is because everyone wants immediate results, or a “miracle weight-loss pill”. A majority of people are just not willing to put forth the time it takes to stay healthy.

Benefits

Now that we’ve covered the physical consequences of living an inactive lifestyle, it’s time to find out what the actual benefits of putting in 150 minutes per week of physical activity are. Exercising regularly can decrease depression, improve memory, and lead to a faster learning ability and brain improvement. Exercising the recommended amount per week has even increased the average person’s life span by as much as five years.

Stay tuned for next month, where the second part of this blog series will explore which type of exercise will work the best for you and your body based on your genetic makeup. For more content about how to lose weight, get in shape, and stay healthy, connect with us on Facebook and Instagram! If you’re interested in Getting to a Healthier Place and joining Anytime Fitness, please call us at (262) 248-2422, or email us at lakegenevawi@anytimefitness.com to get started!