Exercise vital to good health
Ma Kang- yao
Supplements writer
Photo courtesy of DOH
In modern societies, humans largely rely on
machines to do their work. This leads to lack of
adequate exercise and to obesity.
Research done by Harvard University shows
that exercise in a relaxed mood for one hour
can increase life span by two hours. Burning
up 2,000 calories every week through leisurely
activities such as walking, jogging and
climbing stairs can decrease 43% of deaths,
32% of cancer risk and a considerable rate of
Hou Sheng-mou, the minister of the DOH
encourages people to exercise during the
activity of "Ten Thousand Steps Per day."
depression. Exercise is crucial to good health and life quality.
Make exercise a part of your lifestyle
According to a survey conducted by the Bureau of Health Promotion under the
Department of Health, 40 percent of 5,069 respondents (representing a cross-section
of 6.07 million people seriously lack exercise. Males made up 38.8% and females up to
39.4%. This finding applied especially to white-collar workers from 26 to 45, who spend
seven hours sitting still daily on the average.
Health problems resulting from such lifestyle include heart disease, diabetes, cancer,
osteoporosis, stroke, obesity, backache, and depression.
In recent years the Bureau of Health Promotion has been encouraging people to
exercise by turning the concept of exercise from going to the gym for strenuous
exercise to the more moderate type of exercise that entails an active lifestyle.
Frequent walking, climbing stairs and doing household chores could be sufficient
exercise without having to go to the gym.
Why should we exercise?
Regular exercise is more important in middle age than in youth. A person who was
athletic in his youth but who barely exercises in middle age has the same risk of
coronary heart disease as someone who does not exercise at all. In contrast, a person
who exercises very little in his youth but a lot more in his middle age clearly improves
his health condition and ultimately his life span.
Doing exercise at least 30 minutes daily helps cut down the risk of cancer and heart
disease. You improve your quality of life and increase your life span. Besides,
appropriate exercise enhances body resistance, facilitates metabolism, brings about
weight loss, widens blood vessels and renders them more resilient, helping the heart
do its work. Anti-oxidants are generated, thereby retarding the aging process.
Depression caused by work pressure, cancer and AIDS are three major diseases in the
21st century. Many research findings show that exercise works like a good
anti-depressant. Appropriate exercise can effectively bring relief to pressure
How strong are you?
Four measures of a person's physical strength are: cardiopulmonary endurance, the percentage
of fat in the body, endurance and flexibility. If you can improve your body in these four aspects,
you can improve your health.
When the heart and lungs function well, the feeling of tiredness is reduced, the rate of coronary
disease is lowered, the symptoms of high blood pressure are eased, and the disposition to
diabetes and other chronic diseases minimized.
Improved physical strength increases your ability to lift things and reduces the risk of hurting
your muscles and bones.
Many people mistake endurance with muscular strength. Actually strength refers to the power of
a certain muscle or muscular group. Endurance refers to the power of a certain muscular group
to exercise repeatedly. Strength and endurance training thickens muscle fibers. Every motion of
the body depends on the muscles and the bones. Many adults suffer from lower backaches due
to their lack of developed muscles.
Exercises for the shank and thighs increases flexibility and can help prevent lower back and
joint aches. Flexibility refers to the extent to which the human joints can be made to move. A
person's bone structure, muscles, tendons, ligaments and cartilage affect physical flexibility. A
better flexibility means that the body can move, bend, stretch and twist freely without getting
hurt.
Exercises to improve cardiopulmonary endurance and body composition
The cardiopulmonary endurance as well as body composition can be improved through
long-term endurance training and exercise. Jogging, walking, swimming and biking are
suggested. Lifting weights can also increase the body's non-fat or muscle mass composition
and reduce fat. Exercising three times a week and for 20 minutes each time is recommended.
A body's high fat percentage and low muscle mass could lead to cardiopathy, high blood
pressure, gall bladder disease, diabetes, low lung capacity, and bone diseases. To maintain a
proper percentage and distribution of fat, balanced nutrition and exercise are important.
A person's cardiopulmonary endurance normally decreases year by year after age 25. This
means that at the age 75, the functions of the heart and the lungs are cut by half.
People who lack exercise would have 1.5 to 2.4 times more risk of getting heart disease than
those who exercise regularly.
Exercise improves muscle endurance
Sit-ups, pull-ups and exercises which require the use of the arms such as cleaning, washing
clothes, trimming, painting, and climbing stairs, strengthen muscle endurance. One to three
rounds of exercises two times a week are suggested.
Exercise improves flexibility
Joints without flexibility have a limited exercise range.
Some exercises force the joints to go over the range,
resulting in twitching muscle. Exercise at least three
times a week and for 20 to 30 minutes each time.
"Walking with Love," published by
Ways to stay healthy
DOH introduces 100 good places for
walking.
Walking everyday is the most basic and simple exercise
that scarcity of facilities does not affect. Walking improves the cardio-pulmonary function,
strengthens bones and muscles, brings relief to pressure, controls weight, and retards aging.
Since 2002, the Bureau of Health Promotion has been encouraging walks for good health and
has adopted the slogan: Walk 10,000 Steps to Stay Healthy. Good health should start with the
basic exercise of walking. Only three to ten minutes of casual walking each time can
accumulate to 10,000 steps per day.
It is never too late to start to exercise.
When walking, it is better to wear clothes made of materials which can absorb sweat, and
suitable sports shoes. Warm up for five minutes. Adopt the correct posture, keep your head up,
thrust out your chest, draw in your lower abdomen, straighten up your knees, and lean your
upper body forward.
Walking not only preserves good health. It is also good for people with diabetes.
Huang Chih-siang (黃志祥) retired at the age of 53 and was ready to enjoy life. Then he learned
that he had diabetes. After consulting a doctor, he started to walk twice a day, each time for one
hour. He walked after breakfast and lunch but not after 4 p.m. when his blood sugar was low, as
suggested by his doctor. Through exercise, he improved his blood sugar index.
Walking also helps people lose weight. Jhuang Te-siang (莊德翔) lived a fast-paced life,
working for a foreign company. Due to the high pressure from his job, he indulged in excessive
eating. He stood 172 centimeters in height but weighed 90 kilograms at one point. Then he
started to walk instead of taking the bus or riding the motorcycle to his work place upon the
suggestion of his nutritionist. Three weeks later, he lost 5 kg.
"Walking helps me not only lose weight but also effectively find relief from pressure," he said.
To promote walking, the Bureau of Health Promotion has launched a series of activities such as
"Walk Out of Depression, Step into Good Health," "Thirty Days One Kilometer Challenge" and
"Ten Thousand Steps Per Day." It has even published a book. "Walking with Love..." introduces
100 most suitable places in Taiwan for walking. Anyone who is interested in the information can
contact with the Bureau of Health Promotion.