Rather than adding another drug to your medicine cabinet, experts are taking advantage of the Exercise is Medicine Month to tout the benefits of physical activity.
There is a growing consensus that exercise may help prevent or manage the symptoms of diabetes, arthritis as well as heart disease.
For example, by temporarily boosting the heart rate it contributes to better blood circulation around the body and greater oxygen saturation. This, in turn, has been shown to improve heart health and boost the immune system.
“Exercise is not just about losing weight and looking good in a bathing suit. Its about being healthy,” says Dr. Andrea Boyd, assistant professor of physiological and technological nursing in the Medical College of Georgia School of Nursing.
“Exercise isnt a complete magic bullet for [chronic] illnesses,” she adds, but it works well with other health resources such as a proper diet.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, $76 billion in annual direct medical costs can be attributed to physical inactivity which has been associated not only with obesity and diabetes but also cancer, depression and osteoporosis.
