I just got done reading this article in the New York Times about how exercise can help the body, and couldn’t help but think about my neighbor that continues to complain about the ailments he has, but has done no exercise in years.¬† The shape of America is much rounder today that it was just some 30 years ago.¬† Fast Food and technology have made even the most ardent supporter of physical fitness go off the wagon at one time or another.

 We have become a society of obese individuals because food is not just for nourishment, but rather as fashionable as fashion.  We sit in our living rooms with clicker in hand, tuned into television and watching programs at different times of the day and on many channels devoted to cuisines from around the country and around the world.  We have an entire cable channel (now in High Definition) devoted to foods all day long.  Recipes keep churning out barbeque to wedding fare, salads to Peaking duck, and baseball park food to a full Christmas Dinner with all the trimmings; and you don’t even have to write anything down because they’ll either e-mail it to you or you can go directly to a web site to get it.

Exercise has become such a non necessary part of our life that individuals actually believe that they get theirs from watching a sporting event, usually right after the battle of two chefs prepare five meals. Technology is just as easily to blame for our nation’s girth since we have not forced a child to play outside since the invention of cable television.  Before that we had snowy TV with about 11 channels that most kids only got a glimpse of since there wasn’t any great programming.  Hey they used to shut the television stations down years ago, after the late-late show, and they ended the day with the playing of our national anthem.

 You might ask when this got out of hand, and there are some that point to television  programming such as MTV, Nickelodeon and even Sesame Street, but I blame 24 hour news channels and fear as the overriding factor.  As an example; if a kid in California gets hurt by falling off his bike, we pass a law in New York for all of them to wear helmets.  Muggers and pedophiles stories forced parents to keep kids inside because they didn’t want to put their child in harm’s way.  Those kids found other things to do other than expend energy, play hard and sleep well.

 

What does this all have to do with the true benefits of exercise?  Well, we have taken away the core which is our next generation that will take over for us when we’re gone.  We have replaced them with fearful individuals that eat too much out of boredom, culture and availability and exercise less because they don’t know how or never forced to.  From this article you can see that exercise is needed by everyone, even those that think they can’t move or they will get hurt.  The quote from Frank Hu, epidemiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health, said in the Harvard Magazine, “The single thing that comes close to a magic bullet, in terms of its strong and universal benefits, is exercise,”! He goes on to say  “It can lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, dementia, osteoporosis, gallstones, diverticulitis, falls, erectile dysfunction, peripheral vascular disease and 12 kinds of cancer”.

 

No wonder diet, colon cleanse, food gadget or any other infomercial product has a better benefit than exercise.  Here’s the best part, you can start this today.  You don’t need a thing to get started other than engaging your body in a physical activity that gets your heart rate up and oxygen in your system.  The return is almost immediate.  You’ll feel better, look better and have a better outlook.   Exercise helps you think clearer and allows you to live longer.  You won’t eat as much because the boredom will be replace by purpose.  Of all the previous articles and those to come in the future, this makes the most sense.  Do it for your family, do it for yourself, or do it for someone you love, but just do it.  EXERCISE!