May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month (also national Women’s Health Week beginning May 13), and along with all the cautions that most sports medicine professionals recommend when it comes to starting off slowly — especially if you’ve been relatively inactive all winter — there are scads of benefits to regular exercise that can’t be repeated often enough.
In addition to the obvious benefits of maintaining a healthy weight, blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, which lower risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and lung and colon cancer, there are other benefits of regular physical activity that are perhaps lesser-known, and many which are particularly beneficial to women.
The Office of Women’s Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services notes that women who engage in regular physical activity can lose unhealthy weight, improve their sleep and reduce the risks of breast cancer and endometrial (uterine) cancer.
Staying active also can help women keep weight off after childbirth, or after some initial weight loss has been achieved through dietary or other means, and in general can help prevent any unwanted and unhealthy weight gain.
In older women, hormonal balance can shift significantly as a result of menopause. In some cases, resulting residual effects can include the loss of bone density and a subsequent rise in the risk from falls, including the risk of hip fractures. According to researchers at the University of Florida, women who suffer from the hormonal imbalance which causes a drop in bone density do benefit from regular exercise, especially when activity includes weight training and is combined with dietary supplements like calcium and vitamin D, which help to rebuild bone tissue.
For women who exercise, more is usually better, but only up to a point. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta notes that though “additional health benefits can be gained through greater amounts of physical activity,” it’s also important to acknowledge that “excessive amounts of activity should be avoided, because risk of injury increases with greater amounts of activity, as does the risk of menstrual abnormalities and bone weakening.” So, yes, you can exercise too much. The CDC also recommends that women over 50 or women with chronic health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, or obesity, or who are at high risk for these conditions consult a physician before beginning a new program of physical activity.
Mild Intensity: Walking, though it doesn’t do much for arm, back or core muscles, is a relatively low-impact exercise that can still burn a lot of calories and tone the lower body. It’s an ideal “starter” exercise if you’re just coming out of a period of relative inactivity (like winter), and you can keep turning up the pace at your own rate.
As you progress, you can walk faster and/or start walking more uphill (out in the world or on an inclinable treadmill), and the more you do, the greater the benefit to your cardiovascular system. You’ll also build those lower-body muscles that help keep you steady on your feet.
Moderate Intensity: In 2011 Beyoncé teamed with former First Lady Michelle Obama on a “Let’s Move! Flash Workout” campaign that inspired Lady Bey to re-work one of her old songs (“Get Me Bodied”) into a much more vigorous endorsement of getting yourself moving to just about any kind of groove from hip hop to salsa to techno music. It was rebranded as “Move Your Body.” If music inspires you to move, turn it up — just about any kind of dancing is a great cardiovascular workout and also helps build muscle, strengthen your skeleton, improve sleep and keep depression at bay. Apparently, it’s also good for your brain; A New England Journal of Medicine study of 11 physical activities found that dancing was the only one that lowered dementia risk by a whopping 76 percent.
Pedal to the Metal: If you’re young and spry enough and one of those women who’s constantly trying to figure out how to burn through an excess of adrenaline, maybe you want to start hanging out with the women of the World Freerunning Parkour Federation. If you’ve never heard of Parkour, this probably isn’t for you, but if you know what it is and aren’t already terrified by its initial description, the Lady WFPF is a great resource for making connections, scoping out locations and accessing safety information for this admittedly dangerous and injury-prone alternative sport. The buy-in requires at least some level of gymnastic skills, but the purported feeling of freedom instilled by leaping around among landscapes of random architecture can make you feel like a real-life Lara Croft.
The bad news: More than 60 percent of U.S. women do not engage in the recommended amount of physical activity (30 minutes, moderate intensity at least five days a week), and more than 25 percent are not active at all. In addition, physical inactivity is more common among women than men.
The good news: Women generally tend to be more open to suggestions and can find it easier to successfully integrate changes into their behavior, and studies show that social support from family and friends has been consistently and positively linked to regular physical activity. So, tap a spouse, relative or friend for some workout company (or even healthy competition) and you’ll both reap the benefits.
Dr. Sherri Kuchinskas is a physiatrist at Cooley Dickinson Orthopedics & Sports Medicine specializing in the treatment of sports, musculoskeletal, joint, nerve and spine injuries. She also served as a team physician for athletics at the University of Illinois and was on the medical staff for the WNBA Sky team.
Women’s Health is written by health care professionals affiliated with Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton. It appears here monthly.