FREE ESSAY ON BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS

BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS

Benefits of Physical Fitness
Physical Fitness has many positive benefits for a person's body. Exercise provides health
benefits, increases strength and energy, enhances a person's appearance, which helps with
self-esteem and also relieves stress.
A major health benefit from exercising is reducing the risk of heart disease. Exercise
will help increase the HDL (good cholesterol) to LDL (bad cholesterol) ratio. Estimates
are that 96.8 million American adults (51 percent) have blood cholesterol values of 200
mg/dL and higher. About 37.7 million American adults (20 percent) have levels of 240 or
above. By having physical activity, the efficiency of the heart and lungs is increased.
As a person's level of fitness increases blood pressure will decrease therefore lowering
high blood pressure. Exercise also controls diabetes by increasing insulin efficiency. A
person's body is protected against osteoporosis when exercising because bone mass is
increased. Studies done on the bone density of broken limbs have shown that in just 2
months, a bone can lose 5 percent of its mass. Astronauts have also shown similar loses
when subjected to weightlessness. By exercising frequently, a person's joints, tendons,
and ligaments are more flexible promoting easy unrestricted movement. This will increase
a person's sense of balance and agility. Exercise also helps expedite the movement of the
nutrients to the cells and the toxins from the cells improving digestion and elimination.
The endurance and energy level a person's body is also increased. Exercising increases a
person's life span by slowing aging process. Muscle tone in the body is improved and
weight loss is controlled making a person look and feel better. This type of feeling
really helps boost a person's self-esteem and decreases depression. Physical activity
relieves stress and tension from a person's body by clearing the mind. Anxiety can also
be released in exercises such as kickboxing, aerobics, or tae-bo. 
Another benefit that most people don't think of is the reduction in health care costs.
The fitter a person is, the less chance of becoming ill. As many as 12 percent of the
deaths in the US may be due to diseases associated with lack of regular physical
activity. Steven Blair, chief of epidemiology at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics
Research in Dallas, led a study of physical activity levels and mortality. He found that
the greatest percentage decrease in the death rate occurred in moving from the lowest fit
group to the next-lowest fit group. Increasing levels of fitness went along with lower
death rates, but the percentage improved in longevity decreased as fitness increased.
Heart diseased, strokes, cancer, and diabetes are four of the top ten causes of death.
These diseases are a great burden to our health care system. A person might consider and
think about the savings physical fitness can bring to themselves and the government.
Our health is very important to us. If physical fitness can help us be healthier and live
a longer life span, then we should consider having some sort of exercise routine added to
our daily life. College of Sports and Medicine (ACSM) and the Centers for Disease Control
recommended, "Every Us adult should accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate intensity
physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week.