Can you imagine knowing how to lower your chances of cancer, decreasing the risk of heart disease, or having stress and depression, pardon the pun, a worry of the past? How about having a stronger heart, being more alert? Your wounds healing at a faster rate or even make your sex life a little steamier? Is it a perfect pill? No. You’re standing on the answer, or at least you should be. Get up and walk. There are numerous pieces of research that say exercise is the key to all, and many more, of these issues. Even small increments of ten minutes a day can help promote healing, boost your immune system, and decrease the stresses and risks of heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, and many other ailments. There is evidence that exercise can help you to recover faster and return to work earlier, easier, and with more success.
How Exercise Helps:
Exercise enhances blood flow, which encourages faster firing of the neurons that help you concentrate. Getting up and exercising boosts your immune system too. This reduces the risk of getting the common cold, and brings up your core temp (a self induced fever of sort) that may even prevent bacterial growth. With this elevation of circulation, your body releases serotonin so you get a natural chemical effect that improves mood and decreases symptoms of depression.
The hardest part of exercising is just getting up on those two feet of yours. It has been recommended by many that 30 minutes of exercise a day is ideal, but if just 5 to 10 minutes are done the first couple of times, the results will motivate you to do more. Our Health and Wellness Rooms have times allotted during the day for such motivation. Sometimes if you aren’t the only one in the room going for a walk, it’s easier to get up and do it. Even people who exercise, but cannot rid themselves of all their stress, seem to at least gain the ability to manage it better.
Exercise also promotes bone growth and circulation that brings forth a decrease of swelling tissues. Over time, bone density weakens. But when the bone senses new loads, electrical impulses trigger the body to respond and grow more bone. This in turn decreases the chances of Osteoporosis. All in all, exercise is great to start at any age and to continue with at all levels of intensity.
After musculoskeletal injuries, exercise shows a remarkable ability to assist in the system regenerating itself. Many doctors order “R.I.C.E” (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation), gentle stretching, and simple range of motion exercises. These programs are vital in getting the patient’s blood circulating to the area and to expedite proper healing. In Health and Wellness Rooms we have equipment for low and no-impact exercises, ice and heat packs, and time for stretching. Malleability and good fitness are essential to recovering and evading musculoskeletal injuries of all kinds.
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could skip?