Getting Fit and Healthier this New Year Through ExerciseLet 2013 be a year to improve your fitness and health and worry less about appearance and the weight number

“Starting in January, I’m going to eat healthier and start working out.” Does this sound all too familiar? If so, you are probably one of the millions of Americans who are dissatisfied with their physical condition at the end of yet another year. A new year typically brings with it hope and a fresh chance for a “do over”, an opportunity to change our course and get things right this time around. Congratulations for caring enough about your health to make getting fit one of your New Year’s resolutions; hopefully, the information presented below will help offer some guidance on how to reach your noble goal. It is important to realize that each one of us can and do make choices about the course of our lives.

The word health is derived from the Old English term hal, which means whole, or sound. The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Recently, health care professionals have shifted their thinking of health care away from an emphasis on illness, or the lack thereof, to one that stresses health, quality of life, function, and well-being. As a result, there has been increased emphasis placed on prevention and modifying a person’s lifestyle to reduce disease and obtain optimal health.

An often used, but so very true cliché is “exercise is medicine.” According to numerous studies, exercise is a “Best Buy” when it comes to improving an individual’s health and quality of life. Regular exercise not only aids in weight loss and weight management, but also reduces the risk for a number of chronic diseases and conditions. Here are just a few of the scientifically proven health benefits of exercise:

Obesity. Obesity is a major risk factor for many diseases Exercise helps to reduce body fat and increase muscle mass, which improves our body’s ability to burn calories. Lowering your body mass index is a proven way to reduce your risk of dying early and to live a healthier life.

Heart Disease. Regular activity strengthens your heart muscle and helps your heart function more efficiently, lowers blood pressure, increases "good” cholesterol (HDLs), and lowers "bad" cholesterol (LDLs).

Stroke. Multiple researchers have found that being active reduces your risk of having and dying from a stroke by at as much as 20%.

Type II Diabetes. Regular exercise can enhance weight loss and help prevent and control this condition by increasing insulin sensitivity, improving blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and reducing blood pressure. Results from a recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine showed that a brisk walk for one hour daily could reduce the risk of type II diabetes by as much as 34%.

Osteoporosis. Weight-bearing exercise (walking, stair climbing, dancing, or lifting weights) strengthens bone and helps prevent loss of bone mass, especially when combined with a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D. One study showed that women who

walked four or more hours per week had 41% fewer hip fractures than those who walked less than an hour a week.

Mood and Stress. Regular physical activity has been shown to stimulate your body to release chemicals (endorphins) that can improve your mood and the way you feel about yourself. Exercise can help you cope with stress and also help reduce depression and anxiety.

The American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association recommend that adults should be active 5 days per week and have at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity for cardiovascular disease prevention. Although this sounds like a lot, especially with our busy lives, the 30 minutes can be comprised of several shorter bouts of activity during the day (walking, taking the stairs, yard work, housecleaning, etc.).

Unfortunately, in the United States, physical inactivity is a major health problem, with approximately 70% of adults failing to participate in physical activity on a daily basis, according to data from the 2000 National Health Interview Survey. Sadly, the physical activity statistics for our nation’s youth and adolescents are just as discouraging.

Researchers from University of Pittsburgh discovered that people who exercised regularly and ate a healthy, modest-calorie diet lost weight and improved cardiorespiratory fitness, regardless of the length or intensity of their workouts. In another study, also published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, authors showed that it is never too late to reap the benefits of physical activity - sedentary women 65 years and older who began walking a mile a day cut their rates of death from all causes by 50%.

With the seemingly infinite types of exercises, products, and health fads we are continually bombarded with in today’s media, knowing what the “best” exercises are for us can be confusing. Many products or types of exercise will make exaggerations or misrepresentations as to why their type of exercise is best to lose weight, tone-up, live healthier, or get the body you have always wanted. Exercise babble aside, most research currently shows the type of exercise you do is of little importance; however, research soundly supports that exercising in general will make you healthier!

Here is a simple guide for starting an exercise program and selecting the “best” exercises for you:

Check with your health care provider and receive medical clearance before initiating any exercise program. This is especially important if you have a chronic health condition, a recent injury, or have been inactive for an extended period.

Set realistic goals and match your exercises to those health goals. For those that do little to no exercise currently, doing a little more of anything is an improvement. For the average person wanting to exercise to live a healthier life, the specifics of exercise are of less importance than making the time to exercise regularly. If you want to exercise for

athletic competition, you will want to perform exercises that match that specific event. Set goals and if you are unable to reach your goals, find an exercise professional that can help you.

Start out slowly and gradually progress your activity based on sound principles and your body’s response. Would you ever consider taking a vintage ’65 Mustang and running it all out on a drag strip after not having driven it in years while it stayed parked in your garage? This holds even truer with our bodies. After periods of inactivity, we lose strength, flexibility, balance, stamina, etc. It takes time for our bodies to adapt and become acclimated to increases in activity. The number one mistake people make when they begin an exercise program is they start out too hard, too fast, albeit with good intentions, only to cause an injury or so much pain that they lose all motivation and desire to continue.

Enjoy yourself. Finding activities that you enjoy and that become part of your daily routine is the key to a long and healthy life. If you do not like to do something, you simply will not stick with it.

Try exercising with a friend or loved one who shares similar health goals with you. Not only will this make exercising more enjoyable, it will also provide you with moral support and an accountability partner.

Exercise should never cause pain! Expect some “healthy” muscle soreness after exercise, particularly after starting a new exercise routine; this is your body’s way of telling you that you probably did enough activity to benefit from it. This type of soreness should “feel right” and resolve after a day or so. Joint pain, or aggravation of an old injury, is your body’s “check engine light” telling you to either slow down, decrease, avoid, or modify the activity that caused the pain. Do not try to “work through” this type of pain; if it does not resolve after a reasonable amount of time seek medical attention.

Stick with the three basics. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends a combination of:

1. Aerobic exercise that will increase your heart rate for a period of time and makes you breathe harder (walking, swimming, or jogging) for cardiovascular conditioning.

2. Strength training exercises that target specific major muscle groups (hips, thighs, and shoulders), specific activities, and general movements for increasing your muscles strength and power.

3. Stretching exercises for improving your flexibility (muscle length) and your joint mobility.

Strive for doing all three types, but remember that any exercise is better than nothing. Remember, exercise does not have to be complicated, dull, or painful. Exercise is medicine and is a sure way to increase your overall health and quality of life. The benefits of exercise are

countless and it is a sure way to increase your overall health and quality of life. Increasing your activity level this new year will pay great dividends and is one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your loved ones, now and in the future.

This article was written by Scott Crabtree, PT, OCS, Directors of Therapies and Fitness at Augusta Health. Lifetime Fitness at Augusta Health has affordable membership plans and numerous exercise options for everyone. As Augusta County’s only medical fitness facility, Lifetime Fitness is staffed with qualified exercise professionals and its programs are overseen by a Medical Director. For information about Lifetime Fitness and its programs, please call 540.332.5433 or visit the website, www.augustahealth.com/lifetime-fitness