Exercise is Medicine
When we talk about the benefits of exercise you need to know that it is really about leading an active and healthy lifestyle.
As health club owners and operators, you hope the activity part takes place in your facility and so do I. But the reality is that only 20% of the total US population actually goes to a Health Club or Gym. The major concern is a significant percentage of that 80% lead a sedentary lifestyle with many being either overweight or obese.
We have lived for two years with a disease that has shut down most of our country and caused so many deaths and just now, as I write this article, we are returning to somewhat of a normal existence again. No one would ever have foreseen something this devastating coming.
We were told during the pandemic that those who were most at risk were people over the age of 70 and people who had undergone an organ transplant. I believe that when the data is published, we will find that the number three cause of death from COVID-19 were people who lead a more sedentary lifestyle and, as a result, were severely overweight or obese.
Consider this fact: 70% of adults living in the United States are overweight, and 39% are obese.
I am reading Tony Robbins’ new book, Life Force and I find it fascinating. He talks about the innovation that is taking place in Restorative medicine; genomics and biotechnology and the amazing potential to cure so many debilitating diseases. He designated only one chapter, chapter 14 on exercise but it was an impactful one. He begins this chapter as follows: “What if I told you there was something you could do for just a few minutes a day that could…
What is this nectar of the gods? The answer is exercise.”
Exercising just fifteen minutes a day can slash the risk of death by 14 percent and boost life expectancy by three years on average, according to a study in the Lancet.
As we know, heart disease is the number one killer of Americans, accounting for one in four deaths. Globally, one out of five people will die of heart disease, more than any other disease. It accounts for about 18 million deaths per year. It kills almost 50,000 people every day.
As Tony Robbins points out, “You have the power to influence your heart health through factors that you control. These include choosing the right foods to eat and avoid, maintaining a healthy body weight, limiting your alcohol intake, not smoking, getting sufficient sleep, and exercising regularly.”
A major study from the U.K. showed that walking twenty to thirty minutes a day can cut the risk of dying from a heart attack in half! So something as easy as this can improve your overall health and quality of life tremendously by dramatically reducing your risk of many chronic illnesses, including cardiovascular disease.
And, in addition, exercise also increases the blood flow to your brain, improving your cognitive function. Bottom line: regular exercise does a wonderful job of improving your health and vitality. And two of the most important organs in your body, your heart and brain will perform much better if you eat healthy by consuming more fruits, vegetables and whole grains while staying away from fatty foods, refined carbs and sugar.
In football, the defense wins games. In health, prevention and wellness are the single best defense against heart disease and most other chronic health problems.
Stay active and remember that Exercise is Medicine!
smarthealthclubs.com
Founder & CEO of SHC | I help clubs & gyms boost revenue by making every service bookable and sellable.
3yOnce again a great article Mike. There is enough evidence that Exercise is perhaps the single most important factor in wellness, however, we still do not see enough of us doing it. A question to all of us here, what are the reasons why people do not exercise and what is the ways to change that...
CEO of Jack Taylor - a global brand and communications agency focused on solving big problems and elevating the human experience. {X Equinox and Blackstone}
3y💯