Exercise Health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Exercise Health - Essay Example Kumar et al in their book Pathologic basis of disease, refer to cardiovascular disease as the single greatest killer of humanity in industrialized nations, accounting for more than 5 million deaths per year. Sedentary living and the associated cardiorespiratory diseases are regarded by Bouchard and Blair as the major factors responsible for premature deaths in this century. Hypertension and obesity are the initial manifestations of disease as the body starts accumulating fats due to the lack of physical activity. Soon the blood vessels become clogged due to the deposition of fibrous plaques, leading to increased blood pressure. Canlas describes hypertension as the silent killer, because it causes extensive damage internally long before the external manifestations of the disease. It is therefore important to realize the importance of exercise and incorporate it in a daily routine to nip the problem in the bud. Fletcher et al in their statement on exercise state the fundamental role of physical activity to counter the cardiovascular accidents. According to them, exercise increases the functional capacity of the heart and reduces the myocardial oxygen demand. Exercise minimizes the chances of adverse cardiac events in normal population and in rehabilitation of patients who have survived a prior attack. Regular routine improves calcium deposition in bones, thereby increasing bone density and reducing the risk of bone break disease, osteoporosis. Siscovick et al highlight the importance of adopting a regular exercise routine in order to maintain the bone strength and flexibility especially after menopause. The effects of exercise on muscular system are evident as an improvement in endurance and power on account of resistance training. Bouchard et al propose a regular exercise routine because it ensures an adequate fat distribution over the body and the normal body mass index as well as counter the metabolic disturbances leading to the development of diabetes and abn ormal lipid profiles. Chesley et al highlight the effects of exercise when accompanied by adequate protein intake, as it helps shed excessive fat and shifts the muscle protein turn over towards the synthesis of new proteins resulting in increased lean muscle mass. As evident, the benefits of exercise are numerous and the risks are minor or limited to some exceptional cases. Care should be taken when designing the exercise plan for hypertensive people or the survivors of congestive cardiac failure as they have limited reserve of cardiac and respiratory functional capacity. Siscovick et al describe the benefits of starting from light aerobics and moving onto resistance training exercises as they prove beneficial in the long run, as manifested by increase in strength and endurance, and a lower level blood pressure. Bouchard et al also advocate this approach as a step to reduce the over all chances of recurrence of adverse cardiac events and support the fact that a carefully designed ex ercise regimen should dismisses the myth about exercise being dangerous for health. When talking about the sedentary life style in developed countries, the referred target population is the one with great jobs and the policy makers who employ masses for the tasks to be performed, while their own job is limited to sitting at the desk behind a screen to make and manage the policies and