What are the short and long term effects of exercise

asks kellyshewell:
A. The major long-term effects of exercise are well-documented - keeping fit helps to ward off the major diseases that come with age. It reduces the risk of heart disease, strokes and diabetes. It can guard against cancer: research has shown that regular gardening or walking could cut the risk of bowel cancer by half.

Exercise lowers high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and maintains bone strength to guard against osteoporosis. Children can really benefit from more activity - it was found recently that walking for an extra 35 minutes a day can help to protect children against osteoporosis in later life.

In fact, many experts believe that keeping fit is the single most important thing you can do (after not smoking) to live and long and healthy life.

Q. What about short-term benefits
A. You get some fairly instant benefits, such as keeping your weight down and being more supple. It also boosts your skin's blood supply so your face looks healthier. One big short-term benefit is that exercise has been shown to be effective in lifting the mood and maintaining mental alertness.

Q. How does that work
A. A small study in Germany showed that aerobic exercise, such as walking or running on a treadmill, can work faster than drugs in lifting depression.

And in a US study, middle-aged and elderly people who did 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, such as walking, jogging and cycling, three times a week showed improvements in their memory and the ability to cope with several intellectual tasks at once.

However, a survey by the charity Mind found that everyday activities, such as walking, housework and gardening, are enough to lift the mood in 83% of people with mental health problems. Two-thirds said exercise helped to relieve the symptoms of depression and more than half said it helped to reduce stress and anxiety.

Q. How much exercise should I do
A. Experts say that 20-30 minutes of exercise, three to five times a week, is all you need to maintain your health and fitness. You should also build exercise into your life - get off the bus a stop early, walk short distances rather than take the car, climb the stairs instead of taking the lift.


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By Sheena Miller