1. Stroke – lowers risk (www.health.gov/paguidelines).up to 40% in women who walked at least an hour JAMA 283:2961, 2000
2. Heart Disease – Aerobic exercise cuts the risk of heart attack by 20-35% in most studies (New England Journal of Medicine 347:716,2002)
3. Diabetes – Moderately active people have a 30-40% lower risk of Type 2 Diabetes and the metabolic syndrome than inactive people. (www.health.gov/paguidelines).
4. Depression – Active people are 15-25% less likely to be diagnosed with depression than inactive people. In people with depression, moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise (30 min. three times a week) improves symptoms. (www.health.gov/paguidelines.)
5. Blood Pressure – 40 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise 3-5 times a week lowers systolic blood pressure by 2-5 points. That may not sound like much, but it would save an estimated 11,800 -27,600 lives per year. (www.health.gov/paguidelines.)
6. Broken Bones – Weight bearing aerobic and strength-training exercise 3-5 days a week can increase the density of spine and hip bones. (www.health.gov/paguidelines.)
7. Arthritis – If you have arthritis, moderate-intensity, low-impact exercise for 30-60 minutes 3-5 times a week can reduce pain and disability. (www.health.gov/paguidelines.)
8. Falls – older adults who are physically active have about a 30 % lower risk of falls. (www.health.gov/paguidelines.)
9. Mitochondria – Aerobic exercise increases the size, number and activity of Mitochondria, the fuel-burning centers of your muscle cells. (American journal Clinical Nutrition 89 (suppl):453S,2009. Mitochondria don’t function as well in people who are older, obese, or diabetic.
10. New Brain Cells – Aerobic exercise increases the supply of a protein called brain-derived nuerotrophic factor, or BDNF, which protects brain neurons and promotes the growth of new nerve cells and synapses that are related to learning and memory. The more fit, the larger their hippocampus was on an MRI scan. (www.health.gov/paguidelines.)