Exercise Newbie

Nearly 5 million Americans suffer from cardiovascular disease and each gender is equally at risk. Cardiovascular disease has killed more women then men every year since 1984 and is the #1 cause of death for women age 35 and older.One of the safest and most effective ways to reduce your risk and improve your cardiovascular fitness is through aerobic exercise. Unfortunately, 70% of American women don’t exercise regularly and inactivity nearly doubles a person’s risk for heart disease, ranking it among the leading risk factors. The American Heart Association reports that regular physical activity is as important for heart health as the other three major lifestyle factors: quitting smoking, lowering blood cholesterol, and controlling blood pressure.
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Are you fat? The answer may depend on which test you take. If you’re going by your body mass index, or BMI, a measure that factors in your weight and height, you are considered overweight if that score is 25 to 29, and obese if it’s 30 or higher. But a surprising new study finds that some people with a BMI pushing 28 actually have little body fat — and some folks with a BMI as low as 24 have too much.

The results question the validity of BMI, the most common measure for determining who needs to shed some pounds, says study author James Pivarnik, a professor of kinesiology and epidemiology at Michigan State University in East Lansing.

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Hold on a second, if - deep-down - you really don’t want to exercise, then don’t bother reading further. You will need to get to the bottom of those feelings before moving on. Ambivalence and double-mindedness will only lead to a constant cycle of disappointment. But - if you want to reap the many mental and physical benefits of exercise — then read on.
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Pilates (pronounced: puh-lah-teez) improves your mental and physical well-being, increases flexibility, and strengthens muscles. Pilates uses controlled movements in the form of mat exercises or equipment to tone and strengthen the body. For decades, it’s been the exercise of choice for dancers and gymnasts (and now Hollywood actors), but it was originally used to rehabilitate bedridden or immobile patients during World War I.
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Exercise and Physical activity has never been more important than today. We have taken it upon us to post a list of 11 great reasons and important direct benefits of exercising and being physical active.

* Reduce the risk of premature death
* Reduce the risk of developing and/or dying from heart disease
* Reduce high blood pressure or the risk of developing high blood pressure
* Reduce high cholesterol or the risk of developing high cholesterol (Read More…)