Exercise is not only important for your heart, but it is also essential for maintaining a healthy weight and general well being. Not only can regular exercise half your chances of developing coronary heart disease and reduce your chances of having a stroke, but it also helps to lower blood pressure, reduce your chances of developing diabetes and can assist you to loose or maintain weight.

In addition to the numerous health benefits of exercising, regular activity can also help to relieve stress, make you feel more energetic, help you to become more independent and lower your risk of osteoporosis. The great thing about exercise is that you will benefit from it as soon as you become more active.

If you do not already exercise regularly, you need to start slowly and consider any health conditions that you have. Starting with a gentle form of exercise such as walking or swimming is a good way to build up your strength before taking up a sport or joining an exercise class. Even dancing, cycling to work, gardening or climbing the stairs is considered exercise.

It is important to increase your activity gradually. Warm up before exercise and cool down after. If you experience any adverse symptoms when exercising, such as chest pain, it is important to consult your doctor, who will be able to advise you on a safe level of activity for you.

Aerobic activities such as walking, cycling and swimming are the most suitable forms of exercise to start with. Avoid intense activities such as press-ups and weightlifting until you have achieved a reasonable level of fitness. Ideally you should exercise moderately for 30 minutes five days a week. It is possible to split your exercise into shorter sessions if you easily tire.

An unhealthy lifestyle and physical inactivity can contribute to you gaining weight and can cause an increase in blood pressure. Regular exercise can reduce high blood pressure or prevent you from developing high blood pressure. Build more activity into your daily life and begin to see the benefits of regular exercise immediately.