Santé co-sponsors Team Continu, the skating team led by Olympic champion Marianne Timmer. Each day, Marianne shares practical fitness tips with Santé. Today, she highlights why regular exercise is crucial for well-being.
Marianne: 'According to the World Health Organization (WHO), physical activity positively impacts major Western diseases like cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular conditions. It also significantly enhances quality of life.'
Exercise directly boosts fitness levels while benefiting cholesterol, bone density, blood pressure, and blood sugar. It's key for preventing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and osteoporosis. For those with existing conditions, it improves outcomes in narrowed coronary arteries, diabetes, stroke, rheumatic issues, anxiety, and depression. Just 30 minutes of daily movement can substantially lower premature death risk.
Regular activity supports digestive health, reducing colon cancer risk through better function, increased intestinal activity, and effective perspiration—which minimizes bloating. Emerging evidence also links exercise to lower breast cancer risk.
During workouts, we burn nutrients, yielding benefits like lower resting heart rate, stronger muscles, reduced body weight, improved metabolism and bowel movements, better oxygen uptake in lungs, flexible joints, heightened immunity, denser bones, better sleep, and greater stress resilience. Plus, staying active is enjoyable!
Missed a tip? Read all of Marianne Timmer's tips.
