
Health Course
Chapter 1 - Taking Charge of Your Health
2. Exercise
You need to be physically fit to be able to meet the demands
and stresses of day-to-day life. Many people think of 'fitness' as
the ability to run a marathon, but it actually means being able
to do all the things you have to do each day and still having energy
left for family and relationships and feeling a sense of well-being
rather than constant fatigue.
Exercise has many other benefits, such as:
- Controlling your weight
- Managing stress
- Boosting your immune system
- Reducing your risk of heart disease
- Reducing your risk of cancer
- Perhaps even reducing your risk of premature death
Because the lifestyle of most people does not involve a lot of
physical activity, it is important that they include much-needed
regular exercise in their lifestyle. Older people generally get
less activity than those who work or go to school, so it's even
more important for them to have a regular exercise programme.
How to begin an enjoyable exercise programme that will benefit
your health is covered in chapter 4.