Why Every Woman Should Exercise

(CARLSBAD, CA) - When it comes to good health, everyone should exercise. Regular exercise is key to long-term weight loss and subsequent weight maintenance, which plays a huge role in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and several other illnesses. For women, there are gender-specific benefits as well, including a reduced risk of breast cancer, osteoporosis and menopause symptoms.

Despite the overwhelming evidence that exercise improves the quality and length of one’s life, 72 percent of women are not physically active on a daily or even near daily basis, according to data from the 2000 National Health Interview Survey. Yet, walking briskly for just 75 to 150 minutes per week is enough to lower a woman’s risk of breast cancer by 18 percent, according to reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In a study by German researchers, reported in “Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise,” women ages 52 to 58 who exercised four times a week for a three-year period maintained the bone mineral density (BMD) in their spines and hips. The BMD of study participants who did not exercise, meanwhile, was severely reduced.

The loss of estrogen through menopause triggers a rise in cholesterol and triglycerides, important risk factors for heart disease. The German study also found that menopausal women who exercised experienced a decrease in both.

“Participants who kept up the exercise regimen showed lasting benefits for heart and bone health, as well as increased strength and an easing of the symptoms of menopause,” stated Wolfgang Kemmler, Ph.D., lead researcher for the study.

Finally, physical fitness is an even more important predictor of death for women than for men, according to separate research conducted at Chicago’s Rush Heart Institute and Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore.

Exercise ability was so strongly correlated with the risk of death that even with desirable blood cholesterol and blood pressure a non-smoking, sedentary woman had six times the risk of dying from heart disease as a very active women with the same profile.

Unfortunately, activity levels among females begin dropping drastically during adolescence. To make matters worse, women also tend to overestimate their levels of physical activity, according to a study published in the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.”

Jazzercise founder Judi Sheppard Missett says it’s time for women to take a hard look at how their lifestyles impact their health. Even more imperative, it’s time for women to be strong role models for the girls in their lives. You don’t need to play a sport, join a gym, or hire a trainer to get fit.  If you like to dance, just put on your favorite music and dance around your living room.  Try the following knee lift to get started. 

Stand tall, with your abdominal muscles tight and your shoulders relaxed.  Take a step out to the right and reach your arms overhead in a “V” shape.  Allow your left leg to stretch out and point downward as you step.  Now lift your left knee up and across your body, pulling your elbows down as you lift.   Reverse by stepping out to the left and lifting the right knee.  Continue alternating right and left until you are ready to change to another move. 

Jazzercise, created by Judi Sheppard Missett, is the world's leading dance-fitness program with more than 6,800 instructors teaching 30,000 classes weekly in the U.S. and around the globe. Since 1969, millions of people of all ages and fitness levels have reaped the benefits of this comprehensive program, designed to enhance cardiovascular endurance, strength, and flexibility. For more information on Jazzercise go to jazzercise.com or call (800)FIT-IS-IT or (760)476-1750.

Courtesy of Jazzercise, Inc. - jazzercise.com