More Movement = Less Medicine, Benefits of Exercise

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, exercise can be used to treat or improve a myriad of common health problems.

Some of these benefits may surprise you!

Cancer

• Exercise my decrease your risk of colon, breast, prostate or rectum cancer

• Improves quality of life and decreases fatigue

Cardiovascular

• Improves endurance

• Improves blood pressure

• Decreases your risk of coronary artery disease

• Improves lipid profile

• Decreases hospitalization rate due to congestive heart failure.

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2

• Improves glycemic control.

• Decreases the incidence of diabetes type 2

• Increases insulin sensitivity

• Decreases hemoglobin A_1C levels

Osteoporosis

• In postmenopausal women, exercise decreases bone density loss

• Decreases risk of falling

• Decreases hip and vertebral fractures

Osteoarthritis

• Decreases pain!

• Improves function

Neurophysiologic Health

• Improves cognitive function

• Improves short-term memory

• Improves quality of sleep

• Decreases rates of depression!

• Increases Beck depression scores

Other

• Decreases all-caused mortality

• Decreases all-cause morbidity

• Decreases risk of obesity

Almost all older persons can benefit from additional physical activity... in fact there are very few contraindications to exercise. In fact, many physicians are not just promoting physical activity, they are prescribing it! The prescription comes in 3 parts: aerobic exercise, strength training, and balance and flexibility.

Despite all of these benefits, up to 75% of older Americans are insufficiently active to achieve these health benefits. Let's change that! Get up and get moving! Tell a friend or an elderly loved one to talk to their doctor about the benefits of exercise.

Sources: http://www.aafp.org/afp/2002/0201/p419.html

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/herval/

For more information on the benefits of exercise for the elderly, please visit the resources library page:

http://www.americancompanioncare.com/resources/