Are you taking responsibility for your health and wellness? This means not only taking care of your physical health but mentally, socially and financially. There are programmes on TV at the moment which give us reason to look closely at how we live and behave so we may lower our risk of major health diseases. Do you watch these programmes and think to yourself, "there's always someone trying to scare us with another reason not to eat certain foods" or "he's being paid by XYZ company to say these things"?
There's no shortage of information sources in the world today. This is both a blessing and a curse as the available information isn't always credible or reliable, particularly true when it comes to health, nutrition and fitness "advice". What you can count on is if we don't live an active and healthy life we will increase our risks of contracting disease at an earlier age.
Living an active and balanced lifestyle that includes a combination of aerobic, muscular strength and flexibility exercises will help ward off a range of diseases, slow the rate of muscle tissue loss and improve our daily lives. With advancing age, the heart must work harder to accomplish the same amount of work, both at rest and during activity. The lungs also lose some of their ability to supply adequate amounts of oxygen to the working tissues and organ systems. Regular exercise, however, helps increase systemic blood flow and oxygen supply.
Incorporating aerobic exercise can lower and control blood pressure, which reduces the overall stress on the heart. Activity also can help lower cholesterol levels and prevent atherosclerotic build up in the arteries. So, while you may not be able to outlive Father Time, you can certainly walk far enough ahead that it makes it difficult for him to catch you.
The brain is a truly remarkable puzzle. The brain is continually changing in size and functionality. Typical age-related changes include a decrease in brain weight, size and blood supply. The ageing brain also experiences memory loss, a decrease in spatial awareness and the development of balance issues. No one is immune to changes in the brain, but exercise and physical activity (along with proper diet) significantly slows the rate of cognitive dysfunction. Think about it in these terms — what's good for the heart, is also good for the brain.
To sum it all up, exercise improves memory, enhances thinking and problem-solving skills, boosts brain supporting hormones, enhances blood and oxygen flow to the brain, acts as a natural anti-depressant and stress reliever, and it improves focus, allowing you to concentrate on difficult or challenging tasks.
