1. Lack of exercising can lead to obesity. A 2004 study concluded that lack of exercise was the leading cause of obesity among adolescents. Obese teens were more likely to have a sedentary lifestyle. A sedentary lifestyle increases the risk for heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, certain cancers, stroke, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis and infertility.
2. Health experts say that obesity and physical inactivity makes your body less sensitive to the glucose-lowering effects of insulin. Insulin resistance leads to higher blood levels of insulin, which can increase your risk of at least 20 serious diseases and health conditions that are directly attributable to being overweight.
3. In a 2010 study published by the American Cancer Society, women who spent six hours a day sitting down increased their risk of death by 37 percent compared to those who spent less than three hours a day sitting down.
4. Exercising is also good for men and women, and would boost their sexual life. Exercise also has been proven to increase sex drive for men and women, and a lack of it can have adverse effects.
A 2008 study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine revealed that intense, short-duration exercise (20 minutes with a target heart rate of 70 percent) significantly enhances the physiological sexual arousal of women (i.e. genital arousal).
A 1990 study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior revealed that men participating in exercise (60 minutes per day, three to five days a week, with a peak sustained intensity of 75 percent to 80 percent) developed “significantly greater sexual enhancements ” (e.g. frequency of various intimate activities, reliability of adequate functioning during sex, percentage of satisfying orgasms).
5. A lack of exercising can also affect your appearance. A study by researchers from the University of St. Andrews reports that a lack of exercise exacerbates the visible signs of aging, making people’s faces look older and fatter.
6. Lack of physical activity leaves you more prone to depression because you have lower levels of endorphins or feel-good hormones.
Arizona State University researchers report a direct correlation between exercise and mental health; specifically, exercise reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety. The antidepressant effects of exercise increased with duration and intensity
A study featured in Clinical Cardiology showed that morbidly obese individuals – those with body mass indexes between 40 and 49.9 – spent on average just over 23 hours and 50 min per day either sleeping or engaged in sedentary activity, and took less than 2,500 steps daily, which is far below the recommended 10,000 steps for healthy living. Needless to say, obesity has been linked to five of the top 10 diseases with the highest mortality rates: cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and stroke.
Physical activity is good for your health in general, and if you want to live a long healthy life, take exercising as serious as you take eating and sleeping.
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