It is important that you exercise and keep fit especially as you
grow older because it will greatly improve your health. Fitness
is just as important for the disabled although exercises will
have to be adjusted to suit.

Physical activity is just as important a part of a weight loss
program as eating the right food. A growing number of women are
overweight or obese. Being overweight or obese increases your
risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure,
stroke, breathing problems, arthritis, gallbladder disease,
sleep apnea (breathing problems while sleeping), osteoarthritis,
and some cancers.

It is not just how much “fat” you have but also where it is
located. “Pear” shaped women, have a tendency to store fat
around the hips and buttocks whilst “apple” shaped women store
fat around the waist. There is greater concern for women with an
“apple” shape because of carrying extra weight around their
waists. A waist larger than 35 inches raises health risks, for
example heart disease, diabetes or cancer. You can work out your
body shape by measuring your waist and hips in inches and then
divide your waist measurement by the hips measurement. A result
of 0.8 or more generally indicates an “apple” shape woman.

Exercise helps you to lose fat and build strong bones and
prevent osteoporosis. It has been found that bone density is
lost when weight loss is achieved through dieting alone.
Exercise not only helps to prevent bones from breaking but also
makes the body stronger and improves balance, and so helps to
prevent falls. Though care has to be given when exercising, it
is also important to ensure that the body has enough nutrients
to build muscle otherwise minerals could be leeched from the
bone and so make the bones weak. Therefore it is best not to
exercise on an empty stomach.

Exercising provides a lot of benefits to the body such as:-

help to reduce anxiety, depression, and improve moods

help to control stress

help to control weight

provide more energy help with sleeplessness

help you look better.

To reduce the risk of injury you need to do a slow aerobic
warm-up, then stretch before any aerobic or strengthening
activities. An aerobic activity is an activity that speeds up
your heart and breathing while moving your body at a regular
pace. If you have been inactive for a while you will need to
start slowly and gradually build up the pace without hurting the
body.

Before starting any sort of exercise routine make sure that you
talk to your health care provider especially if you have any of
the following:-

have or at risk of heart disease or a stroke

have or at risk of diabetes

are obese

have an injury such as a knee injury

older than 50 years

are pregnant

The best way to stay fit is to have a well-rounded workout plan,
which combines aerobic activity, muscle-strengthening exercises,
and stretching. The ideal plan is to do at least 30 minutes of
moderate physical activity three of four times a week, adding
muscle-strengthening activities to your aerobic workout two to
three times a week. Exercise is not just for weight loss but is
an important part of keeping and maintaining a healthy body.