The more researchers learn about exercise, the better it appears to be for us.
We've known for years that exercise strengthens the heart and muscles, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, helps us lose weight, increases stamina and contributes to a feeling of general well being.
Now scientists have proven that it offers some lesser known benefits.
Among other things, exercise can:
Prevent vision problems.
Increase bone density.
Lower the risk of certain cancers and other diseases.
Alleviate pain.
Keep you from losing your marbles as you slip into old age.
"Things are coming up all the time that we've found exercise to be helpful for," said Dr. Martin Gabica, a founder of the Idaho Wellness Center and now a medical director for Healthwise. "Pain, sleep disorders, anxiety and other mental issues, diabetes, the list just keeps getting longer.
" The thing we're really pushing people to exercise for is diabetes. We now know that we can prevent as well as treat Type 2 diabetes with exercise. I've had two patients who have gone from diabetic to non-diabetic just by exercising and changing their eating habits. I dwell on that because diabetes and obesity are so much in our faces now."
Exercise, Gabica said, can lower the risk of colon and breast cancer and lessen the frequency and severity of headaches. Stress and tension headaches "can be prevented or relieved by exercise," he said, "and migraines can clearly be improved - much less frequent attacks and less severity and duration."
Headaches aren't the only pain exercise relieves. Mayoclinic.com reports that exercise can help alleviate chronic pain by prompting your body to release pain-relieving endorphins and by helping build strength. "The stronger your muscles, the more force and load you'll take off your bones and cartilage, and the more relief you'll feel."
That applies to arthritis pain as well. Exercise helps keep joints mobile and strengthens their supporting muscles.
January could well be known as exercise month. Gyms attract some of their biggest crowds of the year as the newly resolute struggle with New Year's resolutions.
What they may not realize is that in addition to shrinking their waistlines, they're increasing their mental agility.
According to "Science News," a weekly magazine, "new research suggests that physical exercise encourages healthy brains to function at their optimum levels."
That can be especially important late in life. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association compared sedentary elderly men walking less than a quarter of a mile and those walking more than two miles a day. Those in the less active group were twice as likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer's.
They 're also more likely to have trouble reading or driving. University of Wisconsin researchers studied 4,000 people, ages 43 to 86, and reported in the British Journal of Ophthalmology that regular exercise is "very effective against age-related macular degeneration."
It also can be an effective insomnia remedy.
"That's something we as a culture are failing on," said Boise orthopedic surgeon and sports-medicine specialist Paul Collins. He writes a weekly column for the Idaho Statesman. "We aren't getting enough sleep, in part because we aren't getting enough exercise. One of the best ways to get good sleep is to exercise regularly."
Research confirms that. A Stanford University Medical School study found that people slept better after adding regular exercise to their daily routines. After doing so for four months, they fell asleep about 15 minutes earlier and slept some 45 minutes longer than they had before.
The National Osteoporosis Foundation suggests weight-bearing and resistance exercises for increasing bone strength and density. And Science News cites surveys indicating that people who exercise moderately, such as walking an hour a day, are less likely to develop Parkinson's disease.
How much exercise is enough?
Answers vary. Gabica recommends 30 minutes a day five days a week. For losing significant amounts weight, he starts with that and increases it to an hour a day.
"I have former patients and friends who have lost 70 to 100 pounds by doing that and cutting back on food portions," he said.
Collins also recommends doing something every day.
"But you shouldn't work the same muscle groups every day., he said. "The classic example of that is the addicted runner who runs every day. It's better to run one day, bike one day, left weights one day and then take a day off.
"You also should stretch before you exercise. Everything you need to know about exercising you can learn from a cat. The first thing they do when they get up is stretch, and they exercise in one way or another throughout the day."
With all of its proven medical benefits, Collins says, one of the best things about exercise is the way it makes us feel.
"The psychological aspects are immediate. Exercise is one of the things in our lives we can take control of, and it gives us a feeling of accomplishment and well being. That's huge."
Tim Woodward: 377-6409
