Exercise for Specific Medical
Conditions
Regular physical activity has long been
recognised as an important component of a
healthy lifestyle. The human body thrives
on movement as it stimulates blood flow and
tissue growth in muscle and bone. It also
counteracts fatigue of nervous tension and
sedentary activity. The importance of
physical activity in reducing mortality and
morbidity from a variety of disease processes
is now firmly established in the scientific
literature.
Below are just a few medical conditions that
can be helped with exercise:
Osteoporosis
- Exercise can prevent and reverse bone loss
thereby protecting against fractures and
general bone degeneration.
Diabetes - Exercise
can improve blood glucose control and thereby
prevent or delay some of the serious vascular
complications of diabetes. In Type 1,
exercise can also reduce the need for insulin.
Coronary Heart Disease
- Exercise helps reverse the established
disease and helps control the risk factors for
heart disease i.e. high blood pressure, high
cholesterol and obesity.
Stroke - Exercise
helps prevent strokes and can help restore
function after a stroke.
High
Blood Pressure - Exercise
serves as a non-drug therapy for treating mild
to moderate high blood pressure and it helps
patients who are on drug therapy for severe
high blood pressure.
Arthritis - Exercise
improves endurance, strengthens muscles and
increases flexibility and joint range of
movement.
Asthma/Bronchitis
- Exercise provides both physical and mental
benefits to both types of sufferers through
improvements in respiratory function.
Stress/Depression - It
is worth noting that stress is now reaching
epidemic proportions in this country.
Exercise can reduce depression and anxiety,
increases feelings of well-being, improves
ability to handle stress and improves self
image.
Obesity - Exercise
aids people improving or optimising fat levels.
|
