Why Exercise?

Written by Dr. Lee Mancini on Tuesday, 15 January 2013. Posted in Fitness

Exercise and physical activity are good for just about everyone, including older adults. No matter your health and physical abilities, you can gain a lot by staying active. In fact, in most cases you have more to lose by not being active.

Here are just a few of the benefits. Exercise and physical activity:

Can help maintain and improve your physical strength and fitness.
Can help improve your ability to do the everyday things you want to do.
Can help improve your balance.
Can help manage and improve diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis.
Can help reduce feelings of depression and may improve mood and overall well-being.
May improve your ability to shift quickly between tasks, plan an activity, and ignore irrelevant information.

The key word in all these benefits is YOU — how fit and active you are now and how much effort you put into being active. To gain the most benefits, enjoy your exercise program, stay safe while you exercise, and be sure to eat a healthy diet, too!

About the Author

Dr. Lee Mancini

Lee A. Mancini graduated from Harvard as a two-sport athlete with honors in biology. Board certified in sports medicine and family practice, he works at the Family Health Center and UMass Sports Medicine Center in Worcester, Massachusetts. He trains select clients as a certified strength and conditioning specialist and sports nutritionist.