Exercise Essay, Research Paper

What is exercise? The actual definition of exercise is; to use repeatedly in order to strengthen or develop, but to make it simpler, exercise is doing programs and workouts to keep fit, for example, running, hiking, bicycling, and any active sport.

Most Americans do little or no exercise during work or rest hours. Today there aren?t many jobs requiring intense physical activity. Instead of walking, people use automobiles or public transportation. Instead of being physically active, people usually watch TV in their free time. Some sports such as bowling, golf, and tennis (doubles) provide some exercise, but do not provide as much exercise as other more vigorous sports.

Exercise is very important and is beneficial both physically and mentally. When you exercise, you feel better about yourself because you are fit or your getting fit and you feel that you have accomplished something that was hard to strive for. The benefits of physical activity is it gives you more energy, it helps you in coping with stress, it improves self-image, and it increases resistance of tiredness.

Exercise does not only keep you fit, it also reduces your chance of heart attack. Various studies have shown that the chance of heart attack is two times more likely to happen to an inactive person than a more active person. It really all adds up because with exercising, you burn off calories, which keeps you at your desirable weight, which lowers your risk of heart disease.

There are risks in exercising though. The major risk in exercising is injury to the muscle or joints. This happens when a person exercises too hard for too long, this mostly happens to people that have been inactive for a while.

In some situations, people have died while exercising. In these situations, most of the deaths have been by overexertion in people who have had heart problems. For people who are under the age of thirty, these heart conditions are usually from heart defect present at birth. For the people that are over the age of 40, the heart condition is usually coronary artery, which is the buildup of deposits of fats in the heart’s blood vessels. A lot of these deaths have followed by warning signs such as chest pain, lightheartedness, fainting, and extreme breathlessness. These are symptoms that should not be ignored and medical attention should be advised immediately.

Exercising too hard is not good for anyone, however, and is especially dangerous for out-of-shape, middle-aged and older people. It is very important for all people to follow a gradual and sound exercise program.

If you are wondering how long it would take to be in shape, think about this; look at how long you have been out of shape and it will take about that much time to get back in shape if you exercise properly.

With some of this information earlier stated, exercise seems pretty dangerous, but it?s not very dangerous at all, you just need to be careful. No research studies have shown that physically active people are more likely to have sudden, fatal heart attacks than inactive people. A matter of fact, several studies have shown a reduced risk of sudden death for people who are physically active.

BibliographyAmerica On-Line. http://www.uiuc.edu/departments/mckinley/health-info/fitness/exercise/fact-exe.html. Facts about exercise: How to get started. (1999) Washington, D.C.: McKinely Health Center, 5 Pages

America On-Line. http://www.nih.gov/health/exercise/index.htm Exercise and your heart: A guide to physical activity. (1993) Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of health and human services, 5 pages

“Exercise” 1999. Compton?s Encyclopedia online v3.0