Gina M. Cortese, M.S. -- Sport, Exercise, & Wellness Science Lab Supervisor, Baylor Tom Landry Fitness Center

We are constantly inundated with information or some form of advertisement for this medication or that medication that promises to treat this disease or that disease. Did you know that the number one drug or prevention tool for most diseases is physical activity?

Exercise might not be a top priority to you in terms of leading a healthy lifestyle or for disease prevention but research has proven its benefits among diseases such as Cardiovascular disease, Diabetes, Cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Depression, Osteoporosis, and Arthritis to name a few. In the year 2000, poor nutrition and physical inactivity were considered the number two cause of actual death in the U.S. closely behind smoking and is on course to take the number one spot.

The good news is that exercise is easy and can be started at any time. The Surgeon General recommends thirty minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days of the week.

“Moderate” is the crucial term in that statement. You do not need to be running marathons; you do not need to be sprinting down a court. Just moving your body and moving it more is the key. Walking, gardening, dancing, and stair climbing are all considered physical activities.

And if this information is not motivation enough to get moving, a study reported by the New England Journal of Medicine in March 2002 showed that out of all of the risk factors for disease; high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, smoking, diabetes, the number-one predictor of mortality or how long you live is your capacity for exercise.

This is a powerful statement. This means that even if you have high blood pressure or smoke, if you exercise, you will live longer and even live longer than someone who does not have these risk factors but does not exercise.

So make exercise a priority in your life, not only to feel well and good about yourself but also for your health and long term outcome. Do it for you, and if not for you, do it for your loved ones.

Receive 50% off the LGNA fitness membership enrollment fee at the Baylor Tom Landry Fitness Center until January 31, 2005. Call 214-820-2791 for membership information.