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Studies consistently show that regular exercise can help you look and feel better! Here are some of the reasons why:

Feel better about yourself! Science has proven that you really do feel better after exercise. Every time you exercise, there’s a surge in endorphins and enkephalins, the body chemicals that make you feel good!

Decrease your chances of becoming depressed! Exercise reduces the effects of stress on the body and stimulates the release of chemicals in the brain that affect mood. One of the best things you can do if you are feeling anxious, depressed, or stressed is exercise- go for a run, hit the gym, or find a great fitness class and work off your worries as you burn off those extra calories!

Sleep well at night! Exercise not only helps you sleep better at night, it can reduce feelings of fatigue and increase your energy and vitality level throughout the day.

Move around more easily! Especially as our bodies age, exercise can help us use and maintain maximum function. Get the most out of life by making physical fitness a part of your daily routine!

Have stronger muscles and bones! Weight-bearing exercise stimulates the growth of bone cells, increasing bone density. Thus, exercise is an important way to prevent and help treat osteoporosis.

Stay at or get to a healthy weight! Exercise is an essential component to managing a healthy weight. You can find out where you are and how to get where you should be by coming in and getting a free fitness assessment at any of our clubs.

Reduce the risk of heart disease! The risk of most cardiovascular diseases is reduced by exercise. Exercise lowers cholesterol and triglycerides while increasing good HDL cholesterol. It also helps reduce stress, the effects of which are another contributing factor to heart disease.

Have fun, be with friends, and meet new people! Heading to the gym, joining a fitness class, or simply going for a walk or playing in the park are all ways to have fun while being active. Grab a friend or two and these activities quickly become a great way to spend time with friends.

However you choose to do it, commit now to making physical fitness a part of your life. The benefits are well worth the effort! Make time every day to get up and get moving!

HONG KONG — Doing just 15 minutes of moderate exercise a day may add three years to your life, a large study in Taiwan has found.

Most people struggle to stick to the standard guideline of 30 minutes a day of exercise, five days a week, and experts hope that by identifying a lower dose, more people will be motivated to get off the couch.

Lead researcher Chi Pang Wen of Taiwan’s National Health Research Institutes said dedicating 15 minutes a day to a moderate form of exercise, like brisk walking, would benefit anyone.

“It’s for men, women, the young and old, smokers, healthy and unhealthy people. Doctors, when they see any type of patient, this is a one-size-fits-all type of advice,” Wen told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Wen and colleagues, who published their findings in medical journal The Lancet on Tuesday, tracked over 416,000 participants for 13 years, analyzing their health records and reported levels of physical activity each year.

After taking into account differences in age, weight, sex and a range of health-related indicators, they found that just 15 minutes of moderate exercise a day increased life expectancy by three years compared to those who remained inactive.

“The first 15 minutes … the benefits are enormous,” Wen said.

Daily exercise was also linked to a lower incidence of cancer, and appeared to reduce cancer-related deaths in one person in ten.

“Sooner or later, you are going to die. But compared to the inactive group, the low exercise group has a reduction of 10 percent in cancer mortality,” Wen said.

Wen said the Taiwan findings were consistent with similar studies in the past using Caucasian participants, but his team was the first to come up with the minimum level of exercise necessary.

“None of the other papers were able to conclude … what specific amount of exercise would be enough. Ours is the first one to say that 15 minutes would be enough,” he said.

“We hope this will make it more attractive for inactive people, that they can allocate 15 minutes a day, rather than 30, which is more difficult.”

http://www.naturalnews.com/z031067_whole_body_vibration_exercise.html

by Alex Malinsky aka RawGuru (NaturalNews)

Whole Body Vibration is believed to be the exercise staple of the future and may become as common as today’s treadmill. Here is some background, as well as facts, features and benefits of whole body vibration machines and why you might want to use one today along with your cardio routine for lasting benefits tomorrow and beyond.

Whole body vibration has become a respected form of therapeutic exercise in the last forty years as a result of the research done by Dr. Biermann on the use of cyclic oscillations on the human back in former East Germany. His therapies used a process called the Rhythmic Neuromuscular Stimulation or RNS. Around that same time a Russian scientist named Vladimir Nazarov used these same trials on athletes that resulted in better strength and flexibility in their muscles. The Russians also used vibrations on cosmonauts in their space program to counter the negative effects of zero gravity such as loss of bone density and muscle mass. And, in ancient Greece the metal end of a saw swabbed in cotton was held by a patient, while the handle end was held and shook by someone else, thereby sending vibrations up and throughout the affected arm of the patient. Saws, cosmonauts, and athletes — a colorful history if ever there was one.

Whole body vibration is now a therapy and exercise method used by many well-known institutions such as NASA, Stanford University, and professional sports teams. Basically, the idea is to put the muscles in a situation where they must expand and contract continually, which pumps extra oxygen into the cells. This is a process of oxidization that is much like breathing, so to speak, only in this case it is on the cellular level. Oxidization simultaneously relaxes and stimulates the body, which helps it to heal itself and grow muscles at a faster rate.

A person stands on the platform of the machine from 2 to 10 minutes and lets the muscles’ interaction with the machines’ vibrations do the work. It is possible to do more elaborate exercises on the machine but benefits can be achieved even in their absence. Because of the low impact form of the vibrations the machine can be used daily. In addition, since it takes so little time out of the day you are more likely to stick with a regular routine. Some Whole body vibration machines’ platforms vibrate up and down using a piston-like motion and others rock from side to side like a teeter-totter. Most are built with handles to hold on while you vibrate.

It seems so simple but the results are phenomenal.

Whole body vibration has been used to build bone density, lose weight, pack on muscle, relieve back pain and alleviate stress and arthritis. It has also been used to help those with respiratory symptoms and diseases like emphysema and asthma maintain a regular physical routine. The results are progressive and long lasting. But you do not have to have an ailment to benefit from a whole body vibration machine. Healthy users’ exercise routines are only enhanced because it improves circulation, Human Growth Hormone, metabolism, tightness of the skin, blood pressure, flexibility, bone density and overall cardiovascular health and well-being.

If at some point in your life you are ever concerned with at least one of the above aspects of health, you might want to give whole body vibration exercise a try. This awareness of this technology is growing and is obviously here to stay. By addressing prevention and healing of your body in a pain free, low-stress, and safe exercise format that anyone can participate in, you will be at the cutting edge of physical and mental improvement today and always.