Update on Exercise in the US

The August 2015 edition of The American Journal of Medicine had a wonderful editorial on the state of exercise in US today. Here is a link to a page that will get you to the publisher's full text. From the article: "Both men and women who engage in regular physical activity experience statistically significant and clinically important reductions in the risk of dying from coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.1 Physical activity also reduces the risks of developing diabetes, hypertension, and colon cancer; enhances mental health; improves muscle, bone, and joint health, and helps maintain function and preserve independence in older adults.1 In fact, regular physical activity may ameliorate many of the emerging and increasingly prevalent clinical, public health, and fiscal challenges that accompany the “Graying of America.”...Brisk walking every day for only about 20 minutes, which can be practiced even among the oldest old, confers a 30%-40% reduced risk of myocardial infarction," I recommend reading the entire article, as it is well-written and interesting. Everything is footnoted and it's only about a page long.