The Importance of Living a Healthy and Active Lifestyle

There's no doubt that your health is important. It's quite simply a matter of life and death.

One of the best ways to safeguard your health is by maintaining an active lifestyle. Studies have shown that active people are 30 to 35% less likely to die early from disease.

Find out why your physical wellness depends on exercise, and how to ensure you remain healthy and active for years to come.

An Active Lifestyle Means a Healthy Heart

When you exercise, your heart beats faster, which means it works harder. Since your heart comprises mainly muscle, this helps to strengthen it. In this way, exercise guards you against heart failure.

A strong heart can also pump blood through the body more effectively. More blood pumping through your veins and arteries keeps them flexible. These two factors combined mean there's less chance of developing high blood pressure.

Improved circulation also means your cardiovascular system delivers more oxygen to your muscles and organs. Poor circulation can cause fatigue and leads to blood clots which in turn cause stroke and heart attack.

Regular aerobic exercise is the ultimate antidote to poor circulation and a weak heart. It takes as little as 15 minutes of brisk walking, jogging, or cycling every day to improve your heart health. A great way to stimulate that blood flow is to use Compression Garments during activity. 

Exercise and Diabetes

When you exercise, your body uses energy created from glucose in your bloodstream. So it makes sense that your blood glucose level goes down during exercise.

In this way, exercise is an important element in any diabetes treatment program and can help you avoid long-term complications due to the illness.

Exercise is great for managing weight gain, so it can help you avoid diabetes due to obesity too.

Fitness Activities Improve Mental Health

When you exercise, your brain releases dopamine, also known as the feel-good neurotransmitter. That explains why you experience a type of high during physical exertion.

In this way, keeping active can help combat depression and anxiety.

When you're tired out from a workout, especially outdoors, you'll sleep better. When you've had sufficient deep sleep, it's easy to face life's challenges with a cheery disposition.

A good night's sleep is also vital for your body to rest from the day's exertions and repair itself.

Recommended Activities for Everyone

As you age, it's only natural for your activity levels to decrease, but you should never give in to a sedentary lifestyle. It's important to continue exercising throughout your life.

Some suitable activities for the not-so-young-anymore include:

• Water aerobics
• Chair exercises
• Stretching
• Bicycling
• Yoga

Walking is one of the best ways to stay active for people of all ages, and it also helps relieve arthritis-related pain.

Embrace Good Health

Don't let arthritis, achilles tendinitis, a hammertoe or other types of foot pain keep you from enjoying fitness activities.

We've got plenty of ideas for embracing a healthy, active lifestyle on our blog and we've got the shoes for you to do it in.

Keep reading and browse our Most Popular Shoes, designed by Foot Health Experts, to find your perfect solution!