4 Health Conditions You Can Help By Getting in Shape

If you want to take better control of your health, exercising more can point you in the right direction. By getting in better shape, you may even reverse certain medical conditions that you may have or at least alleviate some of their unpleasant symptoms. Exercise to lose body weight and achieve greater muscle development has been shown to help reduce the effects of these four medical conditions.

Arthritis

Extra weight on the body can put additional strain on the bones and joints, and this can be especially problematic if you have arthritis. By getting in better shape, you’ll reduce pressure on arthritic areas where pain may be felt more because of the excess fat surrounding them. Improving your fitness can also help strengthen areas around arthritic joints to give them better support so that they don’t ache as much.

Diabetes

Being overweight is one of the main causes of type 2 diabetes, and losing weight through diet and exercise may be enough to cure your diabetes altogether. Shedding the extra pounds can help lower your blood sugar levels and combat insulin resistance. If you’ve been diagnosed as prediabetic, starting a fitness plan and working out as often as possible may be enough to prevent a full onset of diabetes.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition that often disrupts breathing patterns while sleeping. If you have this condition, you may find yourself waking up frequently while gasping for air. The reason why you’re having trouble breathing while sleeping when you have obstructive sleep apnea is because your breathing passage gets blocked from your throat muscles relaxing too much. The condition is often worsened from being overweight, and losing even a few pounds can make a big difference. If you’ve improved your fitness but still struggle with obstructive sleep apnea, using one of the available CPAP machines can help prevent disruptions to your breathing.

High Blood Pressure

Also known as hypertension, high blood pressure occurs when too much force is exerted on the walls of blood vessels as blood flows through them. Being out of shape coupled with a high-fat, high-sodium diet can make your high blood pressure worse and may even be the exact cause of the problem. Losing weight and developing better muscle tone may be enough to reverse your hypertension and lower your chances of having a heart attack or stroke. Exercise can also help strengthen the heart so that it won’t have to work as hard to pump blood throughout your body, and this can lower your blood pressure significantly.

Changing your physical fitness for the better may hold the key to stopping the damaging effects of certain medical conditions. By working with your doctor to develop the best exercise plan possible, you may improve your health for the long term.