I’m Not Sure I Believe This
Studies show exercise:
- Reduces the risk of colds and flu by 25% to 50%
- Lowers the risk of stroke by 27%
- Reduces the incidence of diabetes by approximately 50%
- Reduces the incidence of high-blood pressure by approximately 40%
- Can reduce mortality and the risk of recurrent breast cancer by approximately 50%
- Can lower the risk of colon cancer by over 60%
- Can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by approximately 40%
- Can decrease depression as effectively as Prozac or behavioral therapy
More on the possible hidden benefits of exercise.
The problem with these studies is this: people who exercise tend to be healthier than other people. So are the healthier outcomes really due to the exercise? Or are they due to the fact that people who exercise are healthier to begin with?
Good point, Bruce.
Have you ever wondered WHY the people who exercise tend to be healthier than other people? Did you really just that? July 1, 2009 I was 220 lbs and had a 38 inch waist. Today I am 186 and have a 33 inch waist. What changed? My wife and I decided it was time to get healthy. How can we complain about our healthcare cost if we are the cause of it? We joined a gym and started working with a trainer. We have learned how to exercise properly and eat MUCH better. We are now teaching our children. My wife is a school teacher and is around sick children all of the time. Each year she gets sick 4 or 5 times over the winter. This year – zero (so far – knock on wood.) Our blood work is considerable better than it was last year.
Yes, I am spending $470 a month for the two of us to do this, but I am almost, within $50 a month, of break even with our savings on what we are NOT paying at the doctor’s office and pharmacy and on what we save on not eating out 15 to 20 meals a week. Not to mention the stress level at work has dropped considerable, I have much more patience and I am happier. And we are getting to the point that we won’t have to work with the trainer as often because we are learning the proper techniques so our cost will be cut in half. At that point, I am ahead.
When is the American public going to take responsibility for their own health?
Interesting story, John. Admirable, even if there is no relationship between healthy behavior and health.