Saturday, April 11, 2009

Reducing Risk Factors

When I developed the Fitness Nut House™ eleven years ago my mission was to help educate people on the benefits of regular exercise.   I wanted to have a place where people could learn how to exercise and eat correctly to achieve their goals.  Most importantly I wanted to educate people on the importance of reducing risk factors. Risk factors are related to the way  a person lives their life in accordance to their health. Stress, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke  are the risks a person can develop if they live a non-preventative lifestyle.  Sedentary people who do not exercise are at risk of developing obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, early onset of disease.  Junk food eaters, smokers, alcoholics are at risk of  developing cardiovascular problems and/or disease.  Not to say that everyone who doesn't exercise or eat right will develop disease or illness, however, they are at a greater risk than those that do exercise and eat right.  

Exercise is a great way to boost the immune systems response to stress and strengthen the systems of the body. Here are some of the wonderful benefits of exercise:

* Increase strength and durability of the arterial walls
* Increased oxygen saturation / hemoglobin
* Increased myoglobin levels
* Improved digestion and nutrient exchange
* Endorphin and enkephalin release (natural pain relievers)
* Improved function and increased size of anaerobic and aerobic enzymes
* Better sugar metabolism / more burning from muscle less stored as fat
* Better fat metabolism
* Central Nervous System control: Improved Parasympathetic and Sympathetic Nervous System Tone
* Reduced blood pressure 
* Increased good cholesterol / reduction in bad cholesterol
* Greater productivity
* Enhanced neural synapse and motor unit sensitivity
* Hypertrophy of muscle tissue
* Bone building: Greater calcium uptake possibly reducing onset of osteoporosis.
* Improved lymphatic function
* Cleansing effect of metabolic wastes
* Cleansing effect of free radical development
* Reduced aging effect:  Enhancing Eustress, decreasing distress sympathetic response
* Increase libido (sex drive)
* Greater protein metabolism
* Improved sanity and psychological well-being
* Improved appearance 
* Increased flexibility
* Increased strength
* Increased endurance
* Improved body composition (fat to muscle ratio), BMI

There are a lot of great benefits of exercise that can help reduce risk factors as we age.   Exercise should be included in everyone's daily routine.  Many people exercise only for vanity purposes and often do not realize all the other great benefits that they are achieving when they exercise.   The Fitness Nut House™ was developed to help people of all ages to  achieve greater fitness and to reduce risk factors. It goes beyond just looking good.

tags:  immune system, fitness, exercise, muscle, strength, cardiovascular, risk factors, fat, fat loss, nervous system, benefits of exercise, health, bone building, body building
 

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