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Fitness; Overview.

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If a friend told you that delaying the aging process, controlling your weight, feeling happier and less
anxious, sleeping better, and warding off illnesses like heart disease, some forms of cancer, high
blood pressure and diabetes was as easy as walking briskly for 30 minutes each day, would you
believe her?
It's true. You can receive all these benefits simply by taking that 30-minute daily walk. The American
Heart Association reports that not being active is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke,
and research studies find that people who start a regular physical exercise program after a heart
attack have better rates of survival and an improved quality of life compared with those who remain
inactive. Studies also find that walking at a brisk pace for three or more hours a week or exercising
vigorously for 1.5 hours a week can reduce the risk for coronary heart disease coronary heart
disease: see coronary artery disease.
coronary heart disease
or ischemic heart disease
Progressive reduction of blood supply to the heart muscle due to narrowing or blocking of a
coronary artery (see atherosclerosis). by 30 to 40 percent. And if walking isn't your cup of tea,
there are endless options, all with the similar results.
What's missing in this age of modern conveniences and desk jobs are ways to get our bodies up and
moving on a regular basis.
That's why a 2005 government report found that 37 percent of American adults (39 percent of
women) ages 18 years and older get insufficient physical activity, and more than 53 percent of
women and 51.3 percent of men get less than the recommended amount of exercise per day.
Overall, less than half of adults engage in regular, leisure-time physical activity (light to moderate
activity at least five times per week for at least 30 minutes each time, or vigorous activity at least
three times per week for at least 20 minutes each time).
Being sedentary has several negative health consequences. Your muscles, including your heart and
lungs, become weak; your joints become stiff and easily injured; and you can develop high blood
pressure, fatigue, obesity and osteoporosis. Lack of physical activity can also contribute to anxiety
and depression. Being physically fit, on the other hand, reduces the risk of heart disease, some forms
of cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and other diseases. Exercise may also reduce bone loss
after menopause.
The good news is that it's never too late to take up exercise. At any age, at any level of health, even
if you already suffer from a chronic disease, you can improve your level of fitness. In fact, according
to according to
prep.
1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.
2. In keeping with: according to instructions.
3. the U.S. Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health, women with heart disease or
arthritis actually experience improved daily function from involvement in various modes of physical
activity.
What, exactly, is fitness? Physical fitness has five components:
Cardiovascular fitness cardiovascular fitness Fitness A benchmark of a subject's cardiovascular and
respiratory 'reserve', assessed by exercise testing; improved CF ? risk of acute MI. See Aerobic
exercise, Exercise, MET, Thallium stress test, Vigorous exercise. Cf Anaerobic exercise. . Your level
of cardiovascular fitness determines your body's ability to use oxygen to help provide energy. It
provides the stamina or endurance to be active without gasping for breath.
Muscular strength. Muscular strength is the ability of your muscles to exert force during an activity.
Muscular endurance. Muscular endurance is the ability of the muscle to continue to perform without
fatigue.
Flexibility. Flexibility refers to maintaining an optimal range of motion in the joint areas, making
bending and stretching easy.
Body composition. Body composition refers to the ratio of lean muscle tissue to fat.
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1. a connecting structure.
2. jugum.
yoke
n.
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Keywords: fitness, low-level activity, high blood pressure, physical activity, cardiovascular fitness,
muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, heart disease
COPYRIGHT 2007 National Women's Health Resource Center
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the
copyright holder.
Copyright 2007 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.
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