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Exercise means regular physical activity which is a vital part of effective weight management by burning excess calories that otherwise would be stored as fat.  Exercise also helps prevent many diseases and improve overall health.  Weight = number of calories you eat each day minus number of calories your body burns.  All food contains calories, and everything you do uses calories.  Physical activity burns calories much faster than sleeping, breathing or working at normal heart beat rate. 

Vital to successful weight management and improved overall health is making physical activity a part of daily or weekly routine.

Regular exercise can help prevent:

*         Heart disease and stroke -

          (i)          strengthen your heart muscle;

          (ii)         lower your blood pressure;

          (iii)        raise your HDL ("good" cholesterol) and lowering LDL cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol);

          (iv)        improve blood flow; and

          (v)         increase your heart’s working capacity.

*         Obesity;

*         High blood pressure hypertension.
*         Type 2 diabetes.
*         Back pain by increasing muscle strength and endurance and improving flexibility and posture.
*         Osteoporosis by promoting bone formation and may prevent forms of bone loss associated with aging.

*         Depression, anxiety and lethargy.

All forms of exercise burn calories.  However, for many people, enjoyable exercise is more enticing than household chores, yard work, or work-related tasks, jumping on a treadmill or walking around the same neighbourhood block walked around many times before.

If you have been inactive for a while, you may want to start with less strenuous activities such as walking or swimming at a comfortable pace. Beginning at a slow pace will allow you to become physically fit without straining your body. Once you are in better shape, you can gradually do more strenuous activity.

Research consistently shows that regular physical exercise -

(a)        combined with healthy eating, is the most efficient and healthful way to control weight;
(b)        can reduce risk of several diseases and conditions;

(c)        improve overall quality of life; and

(d)        by most inactive people, can achieve greatest overall health benefits from

*           30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise 3 or more times per week; and

*           anaerobic exercise (ie. muscle building/strengthening activity and stretching twice a week).