The best exercises, according to clinical trials, are those that reduce the level of stress hormones in the bloodstream that constrict the arteries and veins. Progressive weight lifting, walking or jogging three times a week for 20 minutes, stationary bicycling, and a combination of walking, jogging, and bike riding have all been found to lower blood pressure. As people age, they can lose as much as 10 to 12 per cent of their muscle mass with no appreciable loss in overall body weight. In fact, they normally gain weight. The benefits of exercise in helping people lose weight or maintain their ideal body weight have been extensively documented in many studies.
Exercise burns calories consumed as food, and raises the basal metabolic rate.
In order for an individual to lose weight, energy intake must be less than energy expenditure. Exercise not only helps control weight gain, but it also plays an important role in improving glucose tolerance and reducing insulin resistance - both significant factors in the development of diabetes. Glucose tolerance is a measure of the body's ability to metabolize glucose as it is released into the bloodstream. This ability usually declines with ages. Since insulin's ability to convert glucose in the cells is also reduced, glucose can gradually increase to dangerous levels in the bloodstream.