| 12 Reasons to Get Employees into the Gym (March 2010) |
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There's more to exercise than trying to achieve that ever-elusive six-pack. The following facts prove exercise is worthy of every drop of hard-earned sweat that gathers on your brow. It makes your ticker tick better Fit hearts pump more blood with less effort. They also benefit from a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke. It helps kids do better in school A 12-week study of third and fourth graders, as reported in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, found that children were more attentive and stayed on task better after being physically active. It shrinks fat cells Researchers compared the ability of dieting alone to that of diet and exercise, in its potential to shrink abdominal fat cells. Subjects maintained a caloric deficit of 2,800 calories a week through eating less and exercising more or by dieting alone. Everyone lost fat mass and reduced their waistline and hips, but only the diet-and-exercise group realized an 18% decrease in fat cell size. It helps kick the habit According to a review of several studies published in Addiction Journal, walking and weight lifting helped reduce withdrawal symptoms associated with quitting smoking. It beats the blues Study after study demonstrates that mood improves after exercise. So convinced is the medical community of exercise's mental health benefits, they now routinely recommend physical activity as treatment for depression and anxiety. It reduces the risk of cancer Men who participated in 30 to 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity a day most days of the week benefited from a 30% to 40% decrease in the risk of developing colon cancer. Women need only five or more hours of exercise per week to realize a decreased risk of developing invasive breast cancer, says a University of Southern California study. It strengthens your bones Bone, like muscle, gets stronger with exercise. Young men and women who exercise regularly build strong bones, which reduces the impact of age-related bone loss. Older exercisers also benefit by losing less bone mass than those who don't exercise. It gives you more bedroom get up and go According to the results of a study published in the 2003 Annals of Internal Medicine, exercise equivalent to running at least three hours a week or playing singles tennis five hours a week resulted in a 30% reduction in risk for erectile dysfunction when compared with men who didn't exercise. It improves memory Regular exercise enhances the brain's ability to bolster itself against age-related memory loss, suggests news from the 2007 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It gets rid of your sore back Bed rest used to be prescribed for back pain. Nowdays, physicians recommend light to moderate exercise to improve your back health. It boosts your immune system Moderate-intensity exercise boosts your immune system, making you less susceptible to colds, the flu and other upper respiratory tract infections. Be careful however: Too much exercise has the opposite effect. It improves sleep Fewer fit individuals complain of sleep problems. Studies suggest that it takes at least 60 minutes of exercise a day to improve sleep, which may be why regular exercisers are more likely to be better sleepers than those who don't work out. |
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