Why it is important to keep active

It is important that you exercise and keep fit especially as you grow older because it will greatly improve your health. Fitness is just as important for the disabled although exercises will have to be adjusted to suit. Physical activity is just as important a part of a weight loss program as eating the right food. A growing number of women are overweight or obese. Being overweight or obese increases your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, breathing problems, arthritis, gallbladder disease, sleep apnea (breathing problems while sleeping), osteoarthritis, and some cancers. It is not just how much "fat" you have but also where it is located. "Pear" shaped women, have a tendency to store fat around the hips and buttocks whilst "apple" shaped women store fat around the waist. There is greater concern for women with an "apple" shape because of carrying extra weight around their waists. A waist larger than 35 inches raises health risks, for example heart disease, diabetes or cancer. You can work out your body shape by measuring your waist and hips in inches and then divide your waist measurement by the hips measurement. A result of 0.8 or more generally indicates an "apple" shape woman. Exercise helps you to lose fat and build strong bones and prevent osteoporosis. It has been found that bone density is lost when weight loss is achieved through dieting alone. Exercise not only helps to prevent bones from breaking but also makes the body stronger and improves balance, and so helps to prevent falls. Though care has to be given when exercising, it is also important to ensure that the body has enough nutrients to build muscle otherwise minerals could be leeched from the bone and so make the bones weak. Therefore it is best not to exercise on an empty stomach. Exercising provides a lot of benefits to the body such as:-