We all know that we should exercise. We all know that exercise is good for us.  But, why do so many of us neglect such an important part of our overall health, longevity and happiness.  Ok, maybe many don't equate exercise with happiness but when you consider the alternative of chronic back pain , shoulder pain, obesity, heart disease, diabetes and all the expense these will cause you in doctor visits over time, then you should definitely be happy to exercise.

In PT news on June 22, 2011 a study was posted that links a lack of exercise and excessive weight to pain.  It stated that people who are exercising greater than 1 hour per week are having a lower risk of back, neck and shoulder pain.  This was based on a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

In this study researchers in Norway followed more than 30,000 adults.  They looked at their body mass index, how often they exercised at the start of the study and then they tracked them over the next 11 years.  Overall they found that 1 of every 10 people developed lower back pain and nearly 2 in 10 developed shoulder or neck pain.  When they analyzed all the factors they found that men who were exercising 2 hours or more a week at the start of the study were 25% less likely to have low back pain 11 years later and 20% less likely to have neck or shoulder pain when compared to men who did no exercise.  Women also were less likely to develop these pains when they exercised.

Weight was also liked to chronic pain.  Men who were obese were almost 21% more likely to develop chronic lower back pain than men of normal weight and they were 22% more likely to get neck or shoulder pain.  Women had similar results.

So, exercise can be one of the best prescriptions you can get.  If you consider the time and money you spend to treat your chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis, don't you think it would save you massive amounts of time and money to exercise now?  Take just a small portion of your time and your money to learn how to make exercise fun and make it a lasting part of your life!