Women – Here Are More Reasons to Exercise
Weight is often more of an issue with women, because it’s the fairer sex that is more obsessed with the way they look. And this is primarily the reason why most women exercise – because they want slim bodies that fit in nice clothes and because they want to look and feel good. Health is not the issue that’s uppermost in their mind, but with all the exercise they do and the salads they eat, they gain it as an added advantage.
Now there are even more reasons to adopt the methods followed by these women who exercise and eat very little because they want to stay in shape:
- To prevent becoming a victim of breast cancer: Researchers at Harvard University have found that women can avoid breast cancer if they exercise more and eat less. Although we know that routine tests, mammograms and early screenings can help catch the disease earlier and improve your chance of success when it is treated, the simple acts of exercising more and eating less could actually prevent this deadly form of cancer that plagues most women. Cancer specialists say that it is not just your genes that determine your chances of getting cancer, it’s your lifestyle as well. So if you’re a woman in your mid twenties or older, it’s time to pull up your socks, start exercising more, eating less, and quitting smoking. Breast cancer has been linked to estrogen levels – the higher your estrogen, the higher your risk for this disease. Women who have more estrogen tend to be more obese, so to decrease your overall risk, you need to cut down on your estrogen production by eating less and working out more.
- To maintain your weight: You may not think you’re overweight now, but if you’re middle-aged and don’t watch what you eat, you could gain as much as six pounds in just a couple of years. To prevent this, you must exercise for an hour or more today. The good news however, is that you don’t have to do anything intense – just an hour’s walk will do the trick.
- To prevent post-partum depression: A study conducted at the School of Physiotherapy at the University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, has found that women who exercised after giving birth were found to be at lower risk for post-natal depression. Mothers who are at risk for this disease can improve the quality of their life and care for their children much better if they took to exercise as soon as their doctors give them the green signal.
So women, if you haven’t exercised before, here are three more reasons to start doing so now.