Since the beginning of time, mankind has been in pursuit of a magic pill to achieve good health and long life. The early Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon accompanied Christopher Columbus on his voyage to the New World and later discovered what became known as the state of Florida while searching for the Fountain of Youth. An exorbitant amount of money is spent annually on research projects worldwide to determine how the human body ages, and how we can increase our chances of a long and healthy life. The “magic pill” for long life has yet to be developed by our pharmaceutical companies and probably never will be, but something very close to it does exist and is accessible to everyone. EXERCISE.
Frank Hu, an epidemiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health, states that exercise has strong and universal benefits. According to an article appearing in the New York Times several months ago, consistent exercise lowers the risk of heart attack, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, dementia, osteoporosis, gallstones, diverticulitis, peripheral vascular disease, falls, and 12 kinds of cancer.. But what if you already have been affected by one of these maladies? Can exercise help you? According to the book Age Defying Fitness by Professor Marilyn Moffat and Carole B. Lewis, you most certainly can improve, and possibly even cure, your condition with exercise.
Exercise will not only extend your life; it will greatly enhance the quality of your life. Additionally, people with joint disorders such as arthritis can, instead of becoming crippled by stiff and deteriorating joints, actually improve their function, balance and range of motion. And when you increase your strength and cardiovascular capacity, you can also reduce pain, depression and anxiety. On the emotional side, releasing those feel-good hormones – serotonin and dopamine – will help prevent you from falling into depression and will make you a more productive and happy person all around.
The great news is that you don’t have to become an Olympian to reap the benefits mentioned above. Study after study has concluded that a consistent, moderate-intensity, well-rounded exercise program is an excellent pathway to achieving better health, longer life, better quality of life and a better outlook on life. Many people find that the more you exercise, the more you actually want to exercise. So once you get going, maintaining consistency becomes less of a problem. The same hormones that make you feel good also make you want to keep exercising.
Exercise is an extremely powerful tool in and of itself. I personally have witnessed clients who were not yet successful weight controllers, but for whom exercise lowered their blood pressure, their blood sugar and their cholesterol. In fact, one obese client, even before he began losing weight, was able to cure his chronic lower back pain completely through exercise and stretching alone.
An exercise program must be tailored to one’s needs and abilities. Rather than starting to exercise on your own, it is advisable to see an exercise specialist or personal trainer who can help develop a program that meets your needs and will therefore yield the best results. And since finding time to exercise can be difficult, strive to make your exercise regiment efficient, balanced and compact. Making the most of your exercise time will help you achieve the results you are seeking.
We will soon be entering that time known as “after the holidays.” This is the time to make a commitment that will not only change your life, but also will lengthen your days and enhance your quality of life. So, get started! Because a good exercise regimen will most definitely “add hours to your day, days to your year and years to your life.”
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Alan Freishtat is an A.C.E. CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a LIFESTYLE FITNESS COACH with over 10 years of professional experience. He is the co-director of the Jerusalem-based weight loss center Lose It! together with Linda Holtz M.S. and is available for private consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. He can be reached at 02-651-8502 or 050-555-7175, or by email at [email protected].
(Alan Freishtat – YWN)
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One Response
While doing my rounds of shopping for the Yomim Tovim, I noticed with concern how many of my fellow frum women are overweight and in not very good shape.
I urge women to take a good look at their lifestyles and see if they can fit a little exercise into their busy lives. Get a partner and walk a few miles a week. Take the stairs instead of an elevator. Park the car as far away from the store as you can.
And maybe, instead of preparing feasts with several different dishes and courses, they might try to make some dishes that are healthful. Vegetables instead of kugels, or fruit instead of cakes for dessert. Meat dishes do not have to be soaked in gravy. You can substitue margarine with oil and apple sauce.
Heart disease is a silent killer and a very real threat to women’s health.
Jewish women – please take care of *yourselves* for a change. For the sake of your families and the wonderful homes you’ve built with so much love.