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Get Active, Stay Active
Preventing disease through exercise
Along with a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle, doctor-approved exercise is a key factor in staving off chronic illness. This is particularly true for those with diabetes.
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Being obese or overweight is a leading cause of type 2 diabetes, so at any age, exercising regularly is important. In fact, the National Institute of Diabetes and Kidney Diseases’ Diabetes Prevention Program found that lifestyle intervention, including weight-loss and exercise plans, reduced the likelihood of at-risk individuals developing diabetes by 58 percent. For adults over the age of 60, the reduction was even greater: 71 percent.
Exercise also can help lower your blood pressure and heart rate, thereby reducing your risk of cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary diseases. By challenging the heart and lungs to perform at greater-than-normal rates through moderate physical activities, you increase the strength of the heart muscle and expand lung capacity. That makes your heart more efficient, lowering your resting heart rate.
Other chronic illnesses that are preventable with regular exercise include:
ASTHMA With exercise, the lungs and bronchial tubes expand, reducing resistance to breathing.
ARTHRITIS Strength training can help keep joints lubricated, improving flexibility, and minimizing pain and stiffness.
CANCER The American Cancer Society suggests at least 30 minutes of exercise, five days a week, as it’s believed to reduce the risk of certain cancers, such as colon cancer and breast cancer.
EXERCISE AS TREATMENT
What about the benefits of exercise for people already living with a chronic illness? For many years, such individuals were advised to avoid physical activity and take it easy. Yet we now know that conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer are actually made worse by inactivity. So don’t let a chronic disease prevent you from living an active life. Talk to your doctor, and find an exercise plan that works for you.
THE ROAD TO BETTER HEALTH New research shows that losing weight and exercising can help delay or prevent the onset of diabetes.
Follow these tips to stay fit:
CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN Remember, keep safety first.
SET GOALS Start with modest goals and build slowly from there.
STICK TO A ROUTINE Whether it’s a 30-minute workout in the morning or a few 10-minute spurts of activity throughout the day, do what works with your schedule and comfort level.
HAVE FUN Biking, gardening, mall walking with a friend—do whatever inspires you to stay active.
GET MOVING THIS SPRING! Great classes like Kick It Up/Stretch It Out begin soon. Call 314-ANTHONY (268-4669) for more information.
For information, please call our Health Access Line at 314-ANTHONY (268-4669) or 800-554-9550 or visit find a physician online.
At St. Anthony's, our vision is to be the area's premier health care organization
— and your first choice for health care services.