ACE Fit Facts Exercising with Health Challenges

Arthritis and Exercise

webmaster@vertexfitness.com (Vertex Fitness) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 16:00:00 GMT

Arthritis is become a more prevalent health problem--and not just among the elderly. More than 40million people have arthritis, including 33% of individuals over the age of 65. The good news is that aprogram of moderate exercise can offset the pain associate with this indiscriminatedisease.

What is arthritis?

Arthritis means "inflammation of a joint." Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, is characterized by a progressive loss of cartilage, typically in the hands, shoulders, hips or knees. Common symptoms include joint pain, limited range of motion and swelling. Rheumatoid arthritis, which is far less common, causes the inner linings of the joints to become inflamed.

How can exercise help?

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Type 1 Diabetes and Exercise

webmaster@vertexfitness.com (Vertex Fitness) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:00:00 GMT

Type 1 diabetes is a disease that affects the body's ability to use sugars, starches, fats and proteins. Because the body needs various fuels for energy, this disease disrupts normal energy metabolism both at rest and during physical exercise.Following digestion, a hormone called insulin is released into the blood from the pancreas. Among insulin's primary roles is its ability to allow carbohydrates (absorbed in the form of glucose) and proteins to enter muscle cells, where they are stored or used for energy. Individuals with type 1 diabetes are unable to produce enough--or even any--insulin to allow this process to occur.

Consequently....

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Exercise and Asthma

webmaster@vertexfitness.com (Vertex Fitness) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:00:00 GMT

Asthma is an increasingly common lung disease in the U.S. People who have asthma have inflamed and highly irritable airways. When the airways are exposed to irritants, they narrow, making breathing more difficult. Signs of asthma include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and difficulty breathing, especially at night and early in the morning. Common irritants include tobacco smoke, air pollution, viral infection and allergens like dust mites and cat dander. Vigorous exercise also can act like an irritant by triggering airway spasm and narrowing. This is referred to as exercise-induced asthma.

The ABCs of Exercise-induced Asthma

About five to 10 minutes into a strenuous soccer game you start to cough

and feel short of breath. You tell yourself that you're out of shape and recommit to your resolution to participate in vigorous cardiovascular exercise at least three days per week. But then, the next time and the time after that the same feelings of difficulty breathing set in. You finally go visit your doctor, who tells you that you have asthma. But this only happens with exercise, you say.

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Exercise Can Help Control Stress

webmaster@vertexfitness.com (Vertex Fitness) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:00:00 GMT

People who exercise regularly will tell you they feel better. Some will say it's because chemicals called neurotransmitters, which are produced in the brain, are stimulated during exercise. Since it's believed that neurotransmitters mediate people's moods and emotions, they can make you feel better and less stressed.

While there's no scientific evidence to conclusively

support the neurotransmitter theory, there is plenty

to show that exercise provides stress-relieving benefits.

There are four ways in which exercise controls stress:

Exercise can help you feel less anxious�Exercise is being prescribed in clinical settings to help treat nervous tension. Following a session of exercise, clinicians have measureda decrease in electrical activity of tensed muscles. People are often less jittery and hyperactive after an exercise session.

Exercise can relax you�One exercise session generates 90 to 120 minutes of relaxation response. Some people call this post-exercise euphoria or endorphin response. Many neurotransmitters, not just endorphins, are involved. The important thing, though, is not what they're called, but what they do: They improve your mood and leave you relaxed.

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