Regular exercise and physical fitness can prevent:

Coronary heart disease	A build up of cholesterol deposits in blood vessels, can lead to complete blocking of the blood vessel. In turn this will cause surrounding tissue dependent on the blocked vessel for oxygen to die, i.e. a heart attack or stroke.
Diabetes	The blood sugar level is too high as a result of the hormone insulin being ineffective. This can lead to a coma or even death
Osteoporosis	A persons' bones losing strength as they become too porous and therefore fracture more easily.
Sleep Disorders	Difficulty in getting to sleep, having too little or too much sleep.
Premenstrual Syndrome	Due to the changes in hormone levels many women experience PMS, between ovulation and menstruation. Symptoms can include, depression, irritability, , bloating, breast tenderness, headaches, food cravings, increased appetite and weight gain.
Fatigue	Excessive/unusual tiredness.

          Regular exercise can also help to relieve stress, slow aging effect, minimize effects of other debilitating diseases, such as Arthritis. It can also be enjoyable and make you feel good.

          It is recommended that a twenty-minute period of exercise should take place between three and five times a week, commencing with and proceeded by a five-minute period of warm-up/cool-down stretches.

Types of Exercise

          Flexibility Exercises

          This type of exercise stretches the muscles and increases joint mobility, therefore minimizes the risk of muscle strains in every day life.

          Examples of this type of exercise are the stretches used in the "warm up" and "cool down"

          Aerobic/ Endurance Exercise

          This type of exercise increases the heart rate notably, due to the increased demand of oxygen by the body's cells. The cells need more oxygen to convert sugars (the bodies main source of energy) in the process of aerobic respiration to energy that can be used more easily in other reactions. If the cells do not have enough oxygen anaerobic respiration takes place, this produces lactic acid, which causes the pain felt during intense exercise. Aerobic exercise will increase your overall fitness, stamina and the strength of your heart.

          Examples of aerobic exercise are running, swimming and aerobics.

          Weight-bearing Exercise

          This is exercise that is done against gravity, and it causes an increase in bone mass, and improves overall agility and balance. It is recommended that adolescent and pre-menopausal women integrate weight-bearing exercise into their regular practice, to increase their bone mass.

          Examples of weight bearing exercise are climbing stairs, jogging and dancing.

Bibliography

The American Heritage: Stedman's Medical Dictionary
The Harvard Guide to Women's Health
www.bbc.co.uk/health
www.channel4.com/
http://my.webmd.com/

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