Introduction
Types of Exercise
When
Should You Ask a Doctor?
An Exercise
Prescription
Summary
Introduction
If you are an older person who has become more sedentary
over time, you might well ask, “Why exercise?” Many of my older patients
look at me skeptically when I suggest they exercise more. Yet the evidence
supporting the beneficial effects of exercise is growing, and almost every
day a new article appears in medical literature to suggest the same. The
Surgeon General has declared that a sedentary lifestyle is hazardous to
your health, and the American Heart Association has added lack of physical
activity to its list of preventable risk factors for coronary heart disease,
which is by far the number-one killer of people over 65 years of age. Exercise
has been shown to build muscle and bones, reduce high blood pressure and
the incidence of heart disease, diabetes, and colon cancer, and alleviate
the pain of arthritis and depression. It improves the quality of sleep
and one’s sense of well-being. And many, many studies have shown that exercise
contributes to longevity, even for someone who goes from being a couch
potato to slightly more active. So what are you waiting for?
