Side Effects of Lack of Exercise
- Exercise can help you live a much healthier life.running image by Byron Moore from Fotolia.com
No matter your age or shape, exercise should be a daily part of a healthy lifestyle. It will help keep you in shape and strengthen your muscles, as well as promote mental stability and prolong your lifespan. The consequences of a lack of exercise may surprise you. - According to a study published in "The New York Times," people who suffered from depression were less likely to exercise and had a higher risk of heart problems. Researchers tracked the lifestyle of 1,017 people with heart disease and found that patients who suffered from depression had a higher percentage of additional heart problems. It showed that people who led a sedentary lifestyle often suffered from depression and had a 31 percent higher risk of heart problems. The same study found that those who did not exercise had a 44 percent higher risk of heart problems, whether or not they were depressed.
- Exercising regularly can also keep your cells young, according to "The New York Times." Dr. Christian Werner, an internal-medicine resident at Saarland University Clinic in Hohenberg, Germany, found that men who led an active life looked much younger than men of the same age who did not exercise. In addition, the white blood cells of the men who exercised resembled those of younger men.
- Lack of exercise can also affect mood and anxiety levels. A Princeton University study of rodents found that exercising created new cells in them that seemed to be immune to stress. The rodents who were active after a few weeks were less anxious despite being exposed to a laboratory stressor, which proves that exercising regularly makes you feel more relaxed and rested while reducing stress, tension, anxiety and depression.
