Physical Fitness

By:
National Women's Health Resource Center

If you found the fountain of youth — the secret to delaying the aging process, controlling your weight, feeling happier and less anxious, sleeping better and warding off illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and other diseases — would you partake? What if you had to walk briskly for 15 minutes each way so you could drink this magical elixir every day?

Unfortunately, there's no such fountain, but you can receive all these benefits by simply taking that 30-minute daily walk. Studies have suggested that walking at a brisk pace for three or more hours a week can reduce the risk for coronary heart disease by 65 percent. And if walking isn't your cup of tea, there are endless options, all with the same results. What's missing in this age of modern conveniences and desk jobs are ways to get our bodies up and moving on a regular basis.

It's no wonder, then, that in several studies, about 25 percent of American adults — and an even greater percentage of women — report that they are sedentary and engage in no physical activity during leisure time. After age 44, upwards of 30 percent of women are sedentary, and by age 65, the proportion increases to almost 35 percent. And by the time they reach age 75, about 50 percent of all women are sedentary. Only about 22 percent of American adults engage in regular, sustained physical activity for at least 30 minutes five times a week, and only 15 percent exercise both regularly and vigorously.

Being sedentary has several negative health consequences. Your muscles, including your heart and lungs, become weak; your joints become stiff and easily injured; you can develop high blood pressure, fatigue, obesity, osteoporosis, constipation, and increased sensitivity to pain, anxiety and depression. Being physically fit, on the other hand, actually reduces the risk of heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other diseases.

The good news is, it's never too late. At any age, at any level of health, even if you already suffer from a chronic disease, you can improve your level of fitness. In fact, according to the U.S. Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health, women with heart disease or arthritis actually experienced improved daily function due to involvement in various modes of physical activity.

What, exactly, is fitness? Physical fitness has four components:

Cardiovascular fitness: Your heart, lungs and blood all need oxygen to work. Your level of cardiovascular fitness will determine your body's ability to use oxygen as a source of energy. It gives you the stamina or endurance to be active without gasping for breath.

Muscular strength and endurance: This is the force your muscles can exert and their ability to keep moving without becoming exhausted.

Flexibility: Flexibility helps to maintain the optimal range of motion in the joint areas, making bending and stretching easy.

Body composition: There should be a healthy ratio of lean muscle tissue to fat.

Facts to Know

1. Studies have suggested that walking at a brisk pace for three or more hours a week can reduce your risk for coronary heart disease by 65 percent.

2. About 25 percent of American adults — and an even greater percentage of women — are sedentary. After age 44, upwards of 30 percent of women are sedentary, and by age 65, the proportion increases to almost 35 percent. And by the time they reach age 75, about 50 percent of all women are sedentary.

3. Only about 22 percent of American adults engage in regular, sustained physical activity for at least 30 minutes five times a week, and only 15 percent exercise both regularly and vigorously.

4. No matter how poor your current level of fitness, you can start an exercise routine and become more fit and healthier. Even 90-year-old women who use walkers have been shown in studies to benefit from light weight training.

5. Simply adding movement into your daily routine can increase your level of fitness. For example, if you park in the last row of the parking lot and walk briskly five minutes each way between your office and your car, walk up and down the stairs at your office during your 10-minute afternoon coffee break, and walk the dog for 10 minutes when you get home, you've racked up 30 minutes of exercise for the day.

6. Women with heart disease or arthritis actually experienced improved daily function from involvement in various modes of physical activity.

7. Fitness consists of four components: your body's ability to use oxygen as a source of energy, which translates into cardiovascular fitness; muscular strength and endurance; flexibility; and body composition.

8. To address all the components of fitness, an exercise program needs to include aerobic exercise, which is continuous repetitive movement of large muscle groups that raises your heart rate; weight lifting or strength training; and flexibility exercises or stretching.

9. Walking at a brisk pace burns almost as many calories as jogging for the same distance. The benefit of jogging is that it takes less time to cover the same distance; however, it may be too strenuous for some.

10. It takes about 12 weeks after starting an exercise program to see measurable changes in your body. However, before 12 weeks, you will notice an increase in your strength and endurance.