If there was a medicine that did all this, without side-effects, I think most people would take it, don’t you? Well there is something that does all this and more!

EXERCISE!!

Doing as little as 20 minutes of exercise a day (or 150 minutes a week) can do all this. The exercise needs to increase your heart and breathing rate and can include brisk walking, swimming, jogging and sports. Research also show that this amount of exercise:

• Reduces the chances of having heart problems by 40%
• Reduces the risk of having a stroke by 30%
• Reduces the risk of dementia by 30%
• Reduces getting diabetes by 50%
• Reduces the risk of bowel (colon) cancer by 60%
• Reduces high blood pressure by 50%
• Reduces the risk of the recurrence and deaths caused by breast cancer (by up to 50% according to some studies)
• Reduces the symptoms of depression

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported in 2018 that ‘insufficient physical activity’ (lack of exercise) is one of the “leading risk factors for death worldwide”. The WHO states that a quarter of all adults in the world are not active enough and even more shocking, 80% of the world’s adolescents do not do enough exercise so things are only going to get unless people’s attitude to exercise and their own health changes.

As a result the WHO has set out policies addressing ‘insufficient physical activity’ in its 56 member states. For example, in South Korea, 20% of the population is over 65 years old and they have set up free exercise groups all over the country. It is common place to see groups of people in opens spaces and parks doing all sorts of activities and exercise. They have already seen the benefits amongst the growing elderly population including a significant decrease in depression.

So what are you waiting for??