Vol. 3, No. 5
May. 12, 2006

Top 10 Motivators

Do you ever have enough reasons to exercise? Consumer Reports on Health lists the following research-supported reasons to start an exercise program or keep one going:

1. Prolong life

People who worked out just "once in awhile" were 60 percent less likely to die during the 10-year study than those who didn't exercise.

2. Protect your heart

Exercise raises "good" HDL cholesterol, lowers blood pressure, reduces body fat, and strengthens the entire cardiovascular system. It may also reduce arterial inflammation, thereby reducing heart-attack risk and slows coronary heart disease.

3. Protect against cancer

By speeding wastes through the gut and lowering insulin level, exercise may reduce colon cancer risk. In addition, by regulating certain hormone levels, it may protect against breast and prostate cancer.

4. Reduce the risk of dementia

Exercise boosts brain circulation. This helps prevent strokes and appears to stimulate the growth of neural connections.

5. Combat depression

Regular exercise relieves depression as effectively as anti-depressant meds and may have longer lasting effects.

6. Helps you sleep

Aerobic exercise in the morning – or stretching and relaxing exercise anytime – appears to improve people's sleep.

7. Minimize menopausal symptoms and changes

Active women are less likely to develop metabolic syndrome, a cluster of problems that often starts in menopause and raises the risk of diabetes and heart disease. In addition, it may help prevent bone loss and ward off migraine headaches and mood swings.

8. Protect men's sexual and urinary health

Exercise helps prevent erectile dysfunction and possibly benign prostate enlargement.

9. Reduce falls and fractures in seniors

Slow, graceful movements of tai chi help fend off fractures by combating three major causes: weak muscles, poor balance and fragile bones.

10. Energizes patients with disease

Many people with cancer, diabetes or heart failure experience an energy boost and less fatigue with even a little exercise.  

Bet on Your Health and Win

Speaking of motivation, how's a boatload of money for an incentive? A big hit at the recent World Gaming Congress and Exposition in Las Vegas, the ''Pedal 'N Play'' cycle and the ''Money Mill'' treadmill allow gamblers to work more than just their right arm.

See, these exercise machines are hooked up to slot machines. In fact, the machines are wired to make it impossible to play unless you’re pedaling or walking.

The Flamingo Hilton in Kansas City, Mo., is among the first to feature the exercise/gambling machines, while other hotels are making plans to add them to their spas or create specific exercise areas within their casinos.

Recognizing that motivation is the key to any successful exercise program, slot machines and exercise machines appear to be a perfect match. Do you feel lucky?

Stretching and Injuries

People often ask if stretching makes a difference in reducing injuries. According to a new study, it does not appear to do so. Australian researchers recruited 1,538 men in the army and randomly assigned them to stretch or non-stretch groups. Over the course of 40 sessions of physical training in 12 weeks, both groups started with warm-up exercises, but the stretch group also did additional 20-second stretches of the main leg muscles for a total of five minutes of stretching.

The researchers did not find a significant difference in the number of leg injuries reported between the stretch and non-stretch groups. What did make a difference was the men's level of fitness and age.

The five-minute stretching time used in this study may have been too short to result in benefits; still, the best way to prevent injury of any kind is to exercise consistently enough to stay fit.

Source: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, February 2000

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Thanks! LM