Watch the benefits of exercising regularly in this video.
Video Credit: MD Anderson Cancer Center
We all know the benefits of exercising regularly, it can help you lose weight, increase strength and boost immunity to name a few. But, there are still more benefits which everybody don’t know.
But do you know that 77 percent of Americans don’t exercise regularly, maybe because of lack of motivation or due to their hectic schedules? But a new study from Johns Hopkins gives us another important reason to do exercise daily.
Researchers analyzed the data from the Henry Ford Health System, where 49,143 patients who were between the age of 40-70 were suggested by a doctor to undergo exercise-stress testing, an accurate measure of person’s cardiorespiratory fitness.
Then, these patients were divided into four groups based on their physical fitness levels. None of the patients began the testing with cancer, but over the years, they found 388 cases of lung cancer and 220 cases of colorectal cancer.
According to the study, those people who were in the fittest group had a 77 percent lower risk of lung cancer and a 61 percent lower risk of colorectal cancer than the unfit people’s group. Any amount of fitness is important and creates a difference, but each level relates to an increasingly lower risk of both types of cancer.
Additionally, those who had cancer saw a greater protective effect according to their higher fitness level. Those who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer with the highest level of physical fitness were 89 percent less likely to die than the group of people who are least fit, and those with lung cancer were 44 percent less likely.
The study’s authors can’t put their finger on what the connection is between a person’s fitness level and such a drastically lower cancer and mortality risk.
They predict that it could be due to either improved respiratory function, decreased bowel transit time or lowered systemic inflammation. And these are all amazing benefits when you exercise regularly.
To be fit, try to increase the number of your physical activities.
If you’re currently inactive, start walking, or sign up for a Couch-to-5K program. Try activities like, hike once a week or mix jogging in every few minutes to your usual routine. If you like running or lifting weights go for it. The more you exercise the more your body will be healthy, and your fitness level will be higher.
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