Exercise is the Best Medicine

As a diabetic I know the importance of maintaining a proper diet and exercise. There's no question that exercise helps to burn off those extra calories and makes the cells of the body more receptive to accepting glucose. That alone is a good enough reason to exercise.

Since most people live a sedentary lifestyle, exercise can help to prevent heart disease, cancer, arthritis and many of the other ills that plague mankind.

Any kind of exercise that gets the heart pumping will have healthy benefits. It improves circulation, particularly important for diabetics who suffer from neuropathy and retinopathy as the delicate nerves don't get enough oxygen. Every part of your body needs oxygen. But as most of us breathe shallowly, oxygen doesn't go where it is needed.  What we do breathe is often polluted and toxic and only adds to health problems.

So what can exercise do for you? Let's look at some of the therapeutic uses and medicinal qualities for many of the ills of today:

AIDS: By strengthening T4 cell production, you can delay AIDS-related complications.

Asthma and Bronchitis: Stress, smoking and breathing in toxins all contribute to breathing difficulties. Exercise helps to bring in fresh, clean air that helps widen the passageways to the lungs.

Blood pressure and Stress: Exercise helps to lower blood pressure. Your heart needs to rest in between beats but doesn't have that chance if you're out of shape.

Cancer: It's the number one disease of our time due mostly to a lifestyle of bad habits such as smoking, excessive drinking and ingesting highly processed foods treated with chemicals. Exercise helps to flush out those toxins by improving the functioning of the heart, liver and kidneys. Sweating helps to detoxify the body.

Cholesterol and Triglycerides: Exercise helps to reduce the bad LDL and increase HDL cholesterol. Cleaner arteries mean better blood flow to the extremities and keep the delicate nerves from dying prematurely. Cold hands and feet are an indication of poor circulation.

Depression: Likely you don't feel like exercising when you're in a funk. But more oxygen gets into the brain, relieves pressure and leads to a feeling of euphoria.

Diabetes: Exercise normalizes the metabolism. It makes the cells more open to accepting glucose and requires less production of insulin.

Glaucoma and Cataracts: Many eye problems are due to poor circulation and that means the essential nutrients don't get to the eyes where they can keep those delicate nerves alive.
 
Osteoporosis and Arthritis: It's a major problem among the elderly. Exercise helps to strengthen bones and improves flexibility.

Parkinson's Disease: Weight training exercises increase testosterone levels that increase dopamine levels and that helps fight the effects of Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and many other mental disorders.

PMS: Research shows that regular aerobic exercise dampens mood swings, alleviates cramps and even limits cravings for sweets.

Sleep disorders: A good amount of exercise helps you to sleep better. 
Weight loss: Exercise burns off those extra calories. It's a better method to lose weight than any weight loss program could offer.

Clearly exercise makes for the best medicine. With regular and planned exercise you will find that you don't need half of the prescription drugs in your medicine cabinet and that means a healthier life.