Benefits of Exercise

Regular physical activity is strong medicine. Research shows that exercise is one of the best ways to prevent serious disease and improve the quality of health and life.

 Here are a few of the ways research has shown that regular physical activity can benefit your health:

• Reduce your risk of a heart attack. In Harvard's study of over 80,000 nurses, persons who walked briskly for 30 minutes a day cut their risk of a heart attack in half compared to persons who got no regular exercise.
• Cut your risk of diabetes. In a study of 2.478 young adults, those who took up exercise and remained active during the 15 year study, cut their risk of developing diabetes by 60% compared to those who didn't exercise.
• Protect yourself from cancer. The American Cancer Society states that regular exercise may be helpful in preventing some of our most common cancers, including breast, colon, prostate, and endometrial cancer. In a recent study including over a quarter million men and women, those who were most active had a 45% decreased risk of dying from any cancer over the five year study.
• Hip fractures. In a large study of older persons, brisk walking cut the risk of hip fractures by 65% in women and vigorous activity cut the risk of hip fractures in men by 62%.
• Strokes. In a large study of men, those who were most active and fit cut their risk of stroke by two-thirds (68%) compared to inactive men.
• Blood pressure. In a large study of men, regular physical activity reduced the risk of developing high blood pressure by 57%.
• Mood. Several large studies have shown that people who are physically active are happier and have less depression.
• Weight. Regular exercise is also one of the best ways to help you keep your weight in control over a lifetime.

Handout on health benefits of physical exercise (7 pages).

Enjoy Years of Added Life

With fewer health problems due to your active life, you can expect to live longer and enjoy a higher quality of life all your years. Here are some of the studies related to an active lifestyle and improved longevity.

The Alameda County Study was one of the earliest studies linking activity level to longevity. During the 9 years of follow-up of nearly 7,000 men and women, active men (less than 50 at the start of the study) had only one-third as many deaths as inactive men, and active women had only one-forth as many deaths. This resulted in several years of added life for both men and women.

The Adventist Health Study also found physical activity to be a strong predictor of longevity. Active women lived over two years longer, and active men over 3 years longer than inactive Adventists.

A study of 16,000 Harvard Alumni found that over a 15 year follow-up period, those who walked 6-9 miles weekly had a significantly lower risk of death, and those who walked 10+ miles weekly lived even longer. The researchers estimated that for every hour the alumni exercised, they lived an extra two hours longer. Not a bad investment! You don't lose time from exercise, you gain it! Another finding was that persons who were overweight but exercised, lived longer than those with a healthy weight but were not active.

The Framingham Heart Study, one of the earliest and longest health studies ever conducted found that men who got regular moderate exercise lived 1.3 years longer, but if they exercised longer and/or more vigorously, they added 3.7 years to their life. Women added 1.5 years from moderate activity and 3.3 years when they exercised longer and more vigorously.

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