The goal of this article is answer the question “WHY DO WE EXERCISE?”

Now, I know what you’re all thinking: WE EXERCISE TO LOSE FAT SO WE CAN LOOK GOOD! To be honest, that’s the reason why most of us exercise, and THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT!

But did you know that exercise gives us some MUCH more substantial benefits than just looking good? It’s true! If you’re working out just to look good, then consider these other benefits just a bonus!

Regular exercise has been proven to:
1) FIGHT OBESITY - Obesity is linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer and diabetes.

2) IMPROVE PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE - Resistance training will increase muscle size, strength and endurance. This, in turn, will help with improvements in work, sports, hobbies, and day-to-day activities.

3) PREVENT MUSCLE LOSS - Unless you strength train regularly, you will lose about 1 pound of muscle every year of your life after age 25. Resistance training prevents the muscle loss that normally accompanies the aging process. Resistance training can even REVERSE some muscle loss!

4) INCREASE METABOLISM - The muscle loss we all experience each year (after age 25) creates a 1.5% reduction in basal metabolic rate (BMR) every year. A reduction in BMR means that your body is less able to use the food you consume as energy…..thus more gets stored as fat. Resistance training will slow, or even reverse, that muscle loss - which will increase the BMR.

5) DECREASE THE RISK OF INJURY - Not only will consistent exercise improve balance and stability, but regular resistance exercise will do even more to reduce the risk of injury! Muscles function as shock-absorbers and serve as important balancing agents throughout the body. Well-balanced muscles reduce the risk of injuries that result when a muscle is weaker than its opposing muscle group.

6) IMPROVE BLOOD PRESSURE - According to the World Health Organization, high blood pressure may contribute up to 50% of cases of cardiovascular disease which kills more than 12 million worldwide people each year. Regular exercise lowers blood pressure for most people.

7) HELP HEART DISEASE - By helping to keep the arteries free and clear or obstructions, exercise helps to prevent heart disease. Regular aerobic exercise also lowers the Resting Heart Rate (RHR), a key indicator of heart health.

HELP PREVENT CANCER - Evidence suggests that 1/3 of the 550,000 cancer deaths that occur in the United States each year are due to unhealthy diet and insufficient physical activity. Regular exercise has been proven to reduce the risk of breast cancer and colon cancer.

9) HELP PREVENT DIABETES - The American Public Health Association has announced that being physically fit may help prevent the development of diabetes in healthy women.

10) HELP PREVENT ESTROGEN LOSS - Regular exercise can prevent or lessen the impact of many of the changes women experience during menopause (particularly bone loss/bone weakening). There is some evidence that symptoms often associated with the hormonal changes of menopause, such as hot flashes, insomnia and depression can also be alleviated by exercise.

Well, there you have it…..ten reasons why regular exercise will help you ADD YEARS TO YOUR LIFE…..and you thought that exercise just helped you look good in a swimsuit!!

* Copyright 2005 Pick Up The Pace. Permission is not required for the distribution of Pick Up The Pace articles as long as they are used in their entirety, are properly credited to Pick Up The Pace, and are accompanied by our website link: www.letspickupthepace.com.

* The information in this article and on this site is for general reference purposes only and not intended to address specific medical conditions. This information is not a substitute for professional medical advice or a medical exam. Prior to participating in any exercise program or activity, you should seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional. No information in this article or on www.letspickupthepace.com should be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition.

Tracie Johanson is the founder of Pick Up The Pace, a 30-minute exercise studio for women, focusing on fitness, health and nutrition for maximum weight loss. Please visit http://www.letspickupthepace.com for more information.

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If you’re like many Americans, constipation is something you’ve experienced. Over 4 million people each year report being constipated. Cases of colon cancer are rising steadily. To understand why you may be suffering, you first need to know exactly what constipation means. When John Wayne died they found 60 pounds of compacted hard fecal matter stuck to the lining of his intestines.

My definition of being constipated means that you have difficulty passing stools and do not have daily bowel movements.

If your stools are soft and pass easily and you pass them at least 2 times per day, I would say you’re not constipated.

In order to be diagnosed with constipation, you must have at least two of the following symptoms for at least 12 months:

• Hard or pellet-like stools at least 25% of the time

• Straining with bowel movements at least 25% of the time

• A feeling that you don’t completely empty your bowels at least 25% of the time

• Fewer than 5 bowel movements per week

What causes constipation?

The most common cause of constipation is a lack of adequate amounts of water, exercise, stress and fiber in the diet. The longer the stool sits in the large intestine waiting to be passed, the harder and less easy to pass it becomes.

There are many other reasons that you may find yourself constipated. Common causes of constipation include:

• A change in schedule, such as traveling or anything that changes your daily routine

• Repressing the urge to have a bowel movement

• An increase in your stress levels

• A lack of exercise and poor dietary habits

• Loss of activity as a result of injury or aging

• Pregnancy

• Medication use

Constipation may also be a result of another health problem, such as irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes or other illnesses.

Older people (over the age of 65) still experience constipation more often than other adults. This is often due to an increase in medications and loss of mobility. Recently, over the last 10 years, children as well as adults are becoming constipated. Most doctors attribute this to a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and poor nutrition. Studies now show that 50% of the children in America are obese and uneducated about proper diet and healthy living.

A more uncommon type of constipation results from an actual obstruction in the large intestine. This can be caused by an obstruction such as a tumor or gallstone that is wedged in the intestine. High stress levels can also cause the muscles in the bowel to constrict or contract at different times. Normally the muscles in the upper part of the intestinal tract contract, as the lower muscles in the bowel relax. When the lower muscles in the bowel contract or go into a spasm instead of relaxing, problems start to occur.

The bowel may also be obstructed if the large intestine has twisted on itself. Sometimes after any type of abdominal surgery scar tissue will grow internally and pinch off or restrict a section of your bowel. Another possible cause of bowel obstruction is from connective tissue diseases such as lupus or scleroderma.

If you’re experiencing symptoms from constipation for more than two weeks, it’s a good idea to seek the advice of your doctor. Together you can pinpoint the causes of your constipation and choose the best treatment options.

Make sure you pay attention to your bowel habits and keep your colon and intestinal tract clean. Do not consume products containing aspartame, mineral oil, milk of magnesia or high fat content.

Increasing your water intake, exercise, a high fiber diet and using a safe and natural oxygen based intestinal cleanser such as “Oxy-Powder” can keep your bowels regular.

A clean colon can prevent and reduce: Bad breath, body odor, constipation, depression, diverticulitis, colon cancer, fatigue, gas, stomach pain, bloating, weight gain, headaches, hemorroids, indigestion, appendicitis, insomnia and varicose veins.

About The Author

A prolific author, Dr. Edward Group has written seven books and dozens of articles on subjects such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, ultimate health, constipation, pain relief and more… In addition he is editor of the worldwide Internet monthly newsletter Alternative Health and Healing.

His latest work, “Transforming Your Health in 90 Days or Less!” shows people the seven most important steps to feeling good and looking younger without using drugs or surgery. Dr. Edward Group’s knowledge of alternative/natural protocols is thorough and his expression is opinionated and passionate

staff@globalhealingcenter.com

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The quest to develop a stunningly fit, lean and attractive body is a long, slow journey. It’s not something you achieve overnight by popping a few pills or strapping an electric gizmo to your belly.

Which reminds me, did you know that by the time the FTC finally blew the whistle on the electronic ab belt scam, the makers of those “ab zappers” had swindled over $100 million dollars from unsuspecting consumers? Fortunately, some of those companies had to pay it back, and then some! The FTC charged three companies - Fast Abs, Ab Tronic and Ab Energizer - with false advertising and deceptive warranty practices for these “ABSurd” gimmcks.

But I digress back to what I was saying about the journey to a better body…

Last week I looked out my window, and where there was once nothing but a dirt-filled empty lot, there stood a sprawling six story brick condo complex. If someone looked at this massive completed structure for the first time, they might not be impressed. However, since I observed the entire construction process unfold from my living room window, I was impressed - amazed even - at what goes into erecting this kind of structure.

I remember watching the crew humming around diligently every day like busy bees, laying one brick after another. From one day to the next, it didn’t seem like much changed. But slowly, over a period of a year and a half, I watched the building gradually morph into the finished product.

When you look at someone with an incredible body as a finished product, you often tend to dismiss the long, arduous journey and hard work it took to build that body. Unless you were side by side with that person in the gym (and in the kitchen), observing the work involved, it’s easy to attribute such a chiseled physique to genetics or give credit to a supplement (they just took product XYZ and voila - overnight abs). What you don’t see or appreciate are all the months and years of sweat and hard work.

Getting in shape is a lot like a construction project. First, there must be a picture in the mind. Then the vision goes onto paper as a blueprint. It takes months just to lay the foundation. More months of work will follow. On a daily basis, it doesn’t seem like much is happening. You look in the mirror and appear, for the most part, the same as you did yesterday. But sure enough, the small improvements are slowly accumulating like compounding interest in the bank. One day, you look in the mirror and “suddenly,” your blueprint has become reality.

The body of a fitness model, figure competitor or bodybuilder is no more likely to be built overnight than a high rise is to be built overnight. It’s not physically possible. Accepting the idea that any type of pill, powder, drug, supplement or machine of any kind will make it happen sooner than nature intended (without negative consqeuences or side effects) is pure folly. You can’t force it.

Growth and development of any kind always requires a gestation period. For a baby, it’s nine months. For corn, I believe it’s about three months. If you were an expectant mother, would you want to hurry the process? Could any new development in nutrition or medical science speed up this wonderful miracle even one iota? If you were a farmer, would you try to harvest your crop before it was ripe? Would you dig up your seeds to see if anything was growing down there?

The answers are obvious. If only we would adopt the same patient, nurturing “mother’s” or “farmer’s mindset” towards getting in shape, then no one would waste their money on “fast abs” or “exercise in a bottle” or any such silliness ever again. We would understand that one must sow first, then reap the harvest, but that you can’t sow and reap in the same season.

If you ever get frustrated with the rate of progress in your fitness or weight loss program (and who doesn’t), just remember; success is always guaranteed to the persistent. Nothing in the world can stop someone who knows what they want and is willing to continue paying the price until they get it. It just takes time.

Become the architect and builder of your own dream body. You WILL build the body you want eventually if you’re patient enough and you refuse to quit. And set your goals HIGH! Create a fantastic blueprint. Michelangelo said, “the greatest danger is not that we set our goals too high and miss them, the greatest danger is that we set our goals too low and we reach them.” Envision a castle - a veritable Taj Mahal of a body! There’s nothing wrong with building castles in the sky, as long as you patiently work at putting the foundations underneath them. There are very few unrealistic goals; only goals with unrealistic deadlines.

So keep laying those “bricks” - every day - one at a time - and sure enough, eventually, you’ll build yourself a palace.

Copyright 2005 Tom Venuto

Tom Venuto is a certified personal trainer, natural bodybuilder and author of the #1 best selling diet e-book, “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle. You can get info on Tom’s e-book at http://www.burnthefat.com. To get Tom’s free monthly e-zine, visit http://www.fitren.com

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