The Role of Regular Exercise in Preventing Chronic Disease

In this modern era and work culture, we are bound to sit for a long time, and due to that most of us are leading a sedentary lifestyle. Modern lifestyle has shown a decrease in physical activities. Due to these factors, every year many people around the world are diagnosed with chronic disease and it is predicted to increase by 17% in the coming years. Chronic disease is a type of disease that lasts at least one year or more and these diseases are everlasting and cannot be cured permanently.

Let us understand more about chronic disease.

Diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, and cancer are the major types of chronic diseases. These are often caused due to genetics, fitness, and socio-cultural factors.

• Heart Disease: Heart disease a condition of the heart in which heart functioning is affected due to various factors like smoking, alcohol, physical inactivity, unhealthy eating, cholesterol, obesity, and hypertension contribute to heart diseases such as Stroke, Coronary Heart Disease, arrhythmia, etc.
• Diabetes: Diabetes is a condition when your pancreas is not able to produce insulin or able to utilize the insulin produced by the pancreas. Diabetes is also considered a condition of excessive sugar content in the blood sugar because the human body is not able to restrict excessive sugar.
• Cancer: Cancer is a health condition in which body cells starts growing at a rapid pace spreading to the neighboring cells. These abnormal tissues spread to the neighboring tissues which eventually form tumors. Regular exercise helps the human body’s immune system stay healthy, which in turn helps lower the risk of developing cancer.
• Chronic respiratory disease: Chronic respiratory disease is a disease that is caused due to improper functioning of the lungs and airway passage. These diseases are caused by numerous factors which include such as smoking, having an occupation that includes smoke, and air pollution.

Benefits of Regular Exercise

Having a daily workout routine is necessary for every individual as it helps in maintaining health and wellness. Regular exercise not only improves physical health but also improves mental health, and cardiovascular health, improves the immune system, and strengthens muscles & bones.

• Cardiovascular Health: Regular physical activities involving aerobic exercises such as walking and cycling help increase the body’s cardiovascular functionality. Cardiovascular exercises not only improve blood circulation but also strengthen the heart, help maintain body weight, maintain blood pressure, and improve heart function.
• Diabetes Management: Exercise has many benefits such as insulin sensitivity improvement, maintaining blood sugar levels, and reducing cardiovascular health. The risk of cardiovascular health is higher among diabetic patients and hence regular physical activity is important to maintain health.
• Weight Management: An individual should take off their weight because having excessive weight can lead to overweight and eventually obesity. A BMI of 25-29.9 is considered overweight and a BMI of 30.0 & above is considered obese. Further obesity is classified into three distinct categories namely class 1 obese, class 2 obese, and class 3 obese. If an individual engages in physical activities, it will lead to various chronic health conditions due to excessive weight. Hence, having a daily fitness routine is important for any individual.
• Cancer Prevention: Cancer is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world. It is caused due to abnormal mutation of body cells. It helps in the regulation of hormones, reduction of inflammation, and improves the immune system.
• Mental Health: Mental conditions such as depression and anxiety can also lead to many chronic diseases such as stroke, Alzheimer’s, high blood pressure, increased heart rate, and many more. To prevent and overcome these diseases, an individual should have a fitness routine that should include aerobic exercise, strength training, yoga, hiking, etc.

Getting Started with Exercise

Initial days of exercise can be quite demotivating especially if you are a complete beginner. It is essential to have a regular exercise routine daily. There are a few steps that an individual should follow to maintain consistency. Some of them are listed below.

1. Setting a goal: One should not overcommit on their initial days of fitness routine. Setting up small goals will work efficiently to achieve the goal.
2. Choose fitness activities: A person should be wise when choosing exercise. Fitness activities like walking, jogging, cycling, dancing, and strength training are some of the most effective and important exercises that should be present in every fitness routine.
3. Schedule: Choose a suitable time for your exercise, whether it is morning, afternoon, or evening.

Regular exercise is necessary in our daily routine as it helps prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and obesity. Without physical activity, an individual’s body functioning depletes making them physically and mentally unhealthy. Exercise activities such as walking, jogging, cycling, playing outdoor sports, and weight training are some of the best forms of fitness activities that help keep the body fit and healthy.