WHY EXERCISE?

Paul B. Zukoff, MD, FACP

September 2001, Independent Press

We all see ads for health clubs, home exercise equipment, exercise videos, all promising to give us “that great body” that we are supposed to all want.  Is it worth it to spend the time, sweat, and probably feel sore?  Absolutely yes!  Do we have to spend the money to join a health club or buy home equipment? Absolutely not!

All of the benefits of exercise would not fit in this short article, let alone this entire newspaper, so I’ll just summarize a few.  People who exercise regularly have significantly less cardiovascular disease.  By toning the heart muscle, blood pressure is lower and the heart works more efficiently.  Exercise burns calories, which helps to lose weight more easily.  Even if you don’t lose weight, exercise lowers blood sugar (to reduce the chances of becoming diabetic), lowers total cholesterol, and helps your body to create more good cholesterol.  By accomplishing all of these things, people who exercise regularly have a much lower risk of a heart attack.  All of us have heard of people having a heart attack during exercise, but the chances of this will be much less if you begin exercise under a doctor’s care.

Exercise has a major benefit on mood.  A recent study looked at a large group of patients who were newly diagnosed with significant depression.  Half were given an antidepressant pill and the other half exercised 3 times a week under the supervision of a personal trainer.  At the end of 8 weeks, both groups had the same improvement in their depression!  Other studies have clearly shown that people who exercise regularly have a significant reduction in the rate of developing dementia. The emotional benefits of exercise are tremendous.

How exercise is defined and what is right for any one person is extremely variable.  My general approach is that anything that gets your body moving is good, and more is better.  One doesn’t have to join a health club or run marathons to exercise.  One of my favorite exercises is walking.  Almost every person can do this almost any time, and no fancy equipment is needed.  Vigorous activities such as mowing a lawn, raking leaves, or pushing a vacuum cleaner all count as exercise.  Pushing a TV remote control, computer mouse, or game controller doesn’t count as exercise.  More intense exercise such as running, biking, swimming or active sports such as basketball or soccer have even more health benefits.

Almost any person of almost any age and condition can improve their muscle tone by lifting weights.  Since muscle burns calories more efficiently than fat, this will help with weight loss.  Muscles that are in better condition help to protect the bones and joints, and can prevent osteoporosis.  Exercise to improve muscle tone can be done at home with light dumbbells or at a fitness center using machines to improve selected muscle groups one at a time.  It is very important to not lift more than you are comfortable with, or the risk of injury can be increased.

The amount of time spent exercising to improve fitness is variable.  I recommend spending approximately 45 minutes 4 times a week, with 30 minutes of the total on cardiovascular (e.g. walk, bike, treadmill, etc.) and 15 minutes on toning.  Any time spent on exercise is beneficial, so if you have limited time, take a short walk or do some calisthenics.

With a personalized exercise program, you can reduce the odds of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and depression.  You will feel better and probably lose weight, so, as they say on the sneaker commercial: just do it!

Dr. Paul Zukoff is an internist with New Providence Internal Medicine Associates, at 1252 Springfield Ave., in New Providence.  His office can be reached at (908) 464-7300.  Visit us on the web at: www.NPInternalMed.com.