Benefits of Physical Activity

 

The 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans reveal multiple benefits for all adults:

 

Lower risk of dying from any cause

Lower risk of developing disease:

• Cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke
• Hypertension
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Problems with Cholesterol/lipid profile
• 8 types of cancer: bladder, breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, lung, & stomach

Improvements in cognition and mental health:

• Reduced risk of dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease)
• Reduced anxiety (this includes relief for short-term anxiety  after an acute bout of exercise)
• Reduced depression
• Improved quality of life

Improved sleep:

This includes improvement even after an acute bout of exercise

Improved bone, muscle, and joint health

Positive impact on weight:

• Maintenance: Exercise will slow or reduce rate of weight gain
• Weight loss: Exercise has a positive effect on weight loss, especially when combined with dietary changes
• Lost weight? Exercise has been shown to be important to avoid regaining the weight

Additional Benefits for Pregnant Women:

• Reduced risk of excessive weight gain
• Reduced risk of gestational diabetes
• Reduced risk of postpartum depression

Additional Benefits for Older Adults:

• Improved cognition including memory, attention, executive function (planning and decision-making), processing speed, and chrystalized intelligence (ability to retrieve and use information acquired over time)
• Decreased risk of falls and of fall-related injuries
• Improved physical function (ability to carry out normal daily activities such as carrying groceries or climbing stairs)

You can read more about the benefits of meeting the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans pp 28-45, & specifically p32   here .

Additional benefits for people with chronic conditions:

Osteoarthritis

• Improvement in pain
• Improvement in physical function
• Better quality of life
• Improved mental health
• “When done safely, physical activity does not make the disease or the pain worse.” p 82

Type 2 Diabetes

1.  Can reduce risk of death by heart disease, the leading cause of death for people with type 2 diabetes by 30 to 40 percent.
2. Physical activity helps reduce factors related to the progression of Type 2 diabetes:

• Hypertension
• Weight
• Cholesterol
• Elevated A1c :  The benefcial effects on blood glucose (indicated by hemoglobin A1c) may also reduce other complications of type 2 diabetes.” p 83

Hypertension

• The benefts of physical activity are actually greater in people with hypertension than in those with normal blood pressure.

Adult cancer survivors:

During treatment:

• Physical activity  plays a role in reducing the adverse effects of cancer treatment.

Cancer survivors who are physically active have:

• A better quality of life
• Improved fitness
• Improved physical function
• Less fatigue.

For adults with breast or colorectal cancer, greater amounts of physical activity after diagnosis:

• Help to substantially lower the risk of dying from their cancer.
• Help to substantially lower the risk of dying from any cause.

For adults with prostate cancer, greater amounts of physical activity after diagnosis:

• Help to substantially lower the risk of dying from their cancer.

For cancer survivors whose treatment resulted in an increased risk of heart disease:

• Physical activity can help reduce the risk.  p84

Parkinson’s disease

Improved physical function including:

• Walking
• Balance
• Muscle strength
• Disease-specific motor scores

Multiple sclerosis

Improved physical function including:

• Walking speed and endurance
• Fitness

Physical activity does not appear to exacerbate MS

Spinal cord injury

Improved:

• Walking function
• Wheelchair skills
• Muscular strength
• Upper extremity function.

Benefits can be seen with recent or older injuries and across severities of spinal cord injury.

Stroke

• Improved walking function, such as walking velocity or endurance.  p 84

 

What does it take to get these benefits for yourself?

Hint: you can change your health by even a small increase in physical activity!

• Any increase in the amount of physical activity will have some benefit
• Meeting the minimum exercise guidelines gives you substantial benefit
• Exceeding the minimum exercise guidelines gives even more benefit

Click the link above to read the guidelines and start self-coaching your way to improvements in your fitness!