Exercise...the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

It's not uncommon when asked about exercise for a patient to tell me, 'Well I walk every day!' When I ask them if they do anything else, I frequently hear no for the answer. The problem with these answers about exercise is several things. First, exercise includes not just walking, which is a cardio exercise to increase heart rate, blood flow, etc., but also stretching and resistance exercises (weightlifting or using resistance bands, or even body weight). While each type of exercise alone provides benefits, the best program includes some of each. Believe it or not, stretching is really important. It's so important that it's been shown to reduce blood pressure and add years to our lives. One more thing (this is the ugly part); doing just one type of exercise can be harmful as we get older because it can lead to injury. I'll discuss this more in future posts on the Die Healthy Facebook page; (1) Facebook