Back in the old days before there were cars and iPads, there was no concept of workout. Why? Because people are already “working out” going through their everyday life – walking between their destinations, carrying their goods, hunt for food walking up the hills, cleaning the house manually… and the list goes on.
Fast forward to today. We have machines and tools to help us in our everyday chores. For many of us, especially the desk bound ones, the only physical activity we would get in a day, may really just be the short walk between the car and the office and vice versa. Throw in the TV, the computer and food delivery services. Alas, we can actually survive without even leaving the house!
Unfortunately, this sedentary lifestyle is causing many problems.This is an excerpt from ACSM – Exercise is Medicine® (1)
“Physical inactivity is a fast-growing public health problem and contributes to a variety of chronic diseases and health complications, including obesity, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, depression and anxiety, arthritis, and osteoporosis.”
But the good news is,
“In addition to improving a patient’s overall health, increasing physical activity has proven effective in the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases.”
So yes, working out not only gets you into a better shape aesthetically, it also helps you to maintain a good quality of life by preventing chronic diseases and of course, imagine the amount of money you can save on healthcare!
Reference: (1) http://exerciseismedicine.org/about.htm