Health Course

2. Excercise

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 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.