Nutrition is not the only thing that should be factored into a healthy lifestyle.  Exercise is just as important as a nutritious diet.  There are many benefits of physical activity besides the obvious advantage of having a better physical appearance.  Physical activity reduces the risk of dying from coronary heart disease and from developing high blood pressure, colon cancer, and Type Two diabetes. 

It also helps maintain healthy bones, muscles, joints, and a healthy heart.  Exercise can reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression and improve one’s mood and feelings of well-being.  Besides helping you look great it helps you feel great, too!

There are different types of exercises which give different results.  Strength training, such as lifting weights, produces dramatic differences in physical appearance and raises one’s metabolic rate (the rate at which one burns calories).  It also improves athletic performance and builds stronger bones. 

Cardiovascular training (also referred to as aerobic activity) builds a powerful heart and strong lungs.  It helps to prevent hypertension, obesity, heart disease, and Type Two diabetes.  When one’s cardiovascular system works efficiently he/she is able to do aerobic activities, such as running and swimming, longer, which helps to burn maximal fat and calories.