Exercise: the miracle drug

Intuition and science are two very different things, but it's fun when they start to match up nicely and say the same thing. 

For centuries we've known intuitively that human caused pollution, waste, and destruction of the natural world will hurt us in the long run, and the way for humans to thrive is to learn to live with the natural world. New scientific studies show up all the time now that are showing the same thing. Science is catching up to our intuition that's been around forever. 

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Intuitively humans have also know for centuries that physical movement and/or exercise not only helps us look better, but is really good for our health and might even prevent disease. Science in the last decade or two is proving we were right. 

Studies have shown that physical inactivity causes:

• 1 in 10 deaths worldwide - on par with smoking and obesity
• 6% of the global burden of disease from coronary heart disease
• 7% of Type II Diabetes
• 10% of breast and colon cancer cases
• 9% of premature mortality
• doubles the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and obesity
• increases the risks of high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and lipid disorders
• increases the risks of depression and anxiety

Exercise and physical activity has been shown to:

• strengthen muscles and bones and increase cartilage density and resiliency
• reduces mortality by 50%
• reduces risk of recurrent breast cancer by 50%
• reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease
• lowers the risk of all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer-specific mortality in adults
• leads to better academic performance in children
• improve mental health and mood and is a natural antidepressant
• improve your ability to do daily activities and prevent falls​
• improve sleep

With all this great scientific evidence and intuition that exercise and physical activity is good for us you'd think everyone would live an active life, but that's not the case.

• Less than 5% of U.S. adults participate in 30 minutes of physical activity daily
  
• More than 80% of adolescents worldwide are insufficiently physically active
  
• Only 21% of U.S. adults meet the recommendations for sufficient physical activity
  
• U.S. adolescents and adults spend almost 8 hours a day in sedentary behaviors
  
• 36% of U.S. adults participate in no leisure-time physical activity​

If you'd not active or active enough (and this means exercise and physical activity) here are some things you can do to get started on a healthier and more active path. 

1. If you have pain or chronic injuries, get a free posture evaluation and figure out how you can reduce or eliminate your pain allowing you to be active.
2. Look at your average day and find ways to be more physically active. Things like: park at the far end of parking lots so you increase your walking; get a standing desk at work; walk or ride your bike to work or the store; watch less TV and spend less time on computers/cell phones and more time walking, hiking, playing with your kids, or exploring your neighborhood. 
3. Find types of exercise you enjoy doing. Did you used to love basketball but haven't played in 20 years? Find a adult league to join at your local YMCA. You used to love backpacking? Join a local hiking group and gear up for a short backpacking trip. Tennis or golf looks fun? Find a local club you can join and see what events they have where you can meet people to play with. 
4. Try something new: go to a group fitness class at your gym, start taking yoga classes, when you're in good enough shape do a bootcamp or try an adventure run, or try doing workouts from youtube like these that are fast and easy to do anywhere: pain free workouts.

Related articles/videos:
Why exercise is not enough
Children's declining fitness: what posture has to do with it
Exercise is medicine
The exercise cure