Exercise -- good for what ails you

Not be beat a dead horse (and yes, I am TOTALLY biased about the power of exercise!) -- but here is an a summary of 40 research article findings published between 2006 and 2010 that support the premise that exercise positively effects TWO DOZEN health conditions -- from cancer to dementia.

Here are some highlights:

•Regular moderate to intense physical activity is associated with decreased risk of coronary heart disease and ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke.


•A growing body of evidence suggests that increasing physical activity can also reduce the risk of certain types of cancers, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, depression, obesity and high blood pressure.

•Evidence of the beneficial effects of physical activity in the primary prevention and management of cancer is growing and there is an association between higher levels of physical activity and lower cancer death rates.

•Research has found that walking or cycling for at least an half-an-hour a day is associated with a reduction in cancer and that when this is increased to an hour cancer incidence falls by 16 per cent.

•Evidence is mixed when it comes to specific cancers. Research has shown a strong relationship between increased physical activity and reduced colon cancer in both sexes. And men who are more active at work -- not just sitting at a desk -- have lower rates of prostate cancer.

•Other cancer studies show that physical activity after diagnosis can aid recovery and improve outcomes.

•Studies have also shown that men who are physically active are less likely to experience erection problems.

•There is growing evidence that physical activity could decrease the risk of dementia in the elderly.

As a note: the highlighting is mine.  Sure...you probably know that exercise decreases the risk for Type II Diabetes but the C word (cancer) is SCARY!!  And if you can do something that will make you feel better immediately and decrease the risk of cancer -- I am all for that!!!

How powerful is exercise?

An extensive research review, published in the December issue of IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical Practice, says that apart from not smoking, being physically active is the most powerful lifestyle choice any individual can make to improve their health.

The most powerful choice you can make second to being a non-smoker!  Wow!