Did You know - Keep in mind on Your Health

• Excess weight has been linked to 20 percent of all cancer deaths among U.S. women and 14 percent among U.S. men, for a total of 90,000 cancer deaths per year, including cancers of the breast, uterus, kidney, esophagus, gallbladder, colon, and rectum.
• In one study, the heaviest women had cancer death rates that were 6 percent higher than women of normal weight, while the heaviest men’s cancer death rates were 52 percent higher than their normal-weight counterparts.
• In 2000, the Centers for Disease Control found that some 65 percent of U.S. adults were above a healthy weight, while 31 percent were obese (25 percent heavier than a healthy weight).
• Inactivity is one of the top four risks for heart disease, along with smoking, unhealthy cholesterol levels, and high blood pressure.
• Exercise helps lower low-density lipoproteins (LDL cholesterol), which tend to stick to the sides of blood vessels and interrupt blood flow, causing heart attack or stroke.
• Exercise helps raise high-density lipoproteins (HDL or “good” cholesterol), which tend to carry cholesterol away to the liver for eventual removal.
• People with an active lifestyle have a 45 percent lower risk of developing coronary heart disease than people with a sedentary lifestyle, and a 35 percent lower risk of developing hypertension.
• Exercise helps prevent and/or combat diabetes, joint problems, osteoporosis, gastro-intestinal problems, and cancer.
• Exercise can raise the levels of such brain chemicals as endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine—neurotransmitters that help produce a sense of well-being, reduce anxiety and depression, and create a balanced sleep-wake cycle.