Many Americans fail to see the great importance of exercise. There are so many ways that exercise contributes to everyday life. The right amount of exercise can prevent disease, obesity, and even death. Studies have shown that the United States is the most obese country in the world and there is no doubt that this is because of the fact that we waste food and prevent ourselves from exercising. People who see exercise as a waste of time, should understand that exercise is essential to life because it prevents obesity, prevents diabetes and stress, it’s not very time consuming, and leads to a long and healthy life.

The first reason that people who dislike exercise should realize, is that exercise prevents obesity. It is true that not everyone who doesn’t exercise is fat, but many people are. A poll posted on ABC News stated: “among those who get no exercise, — 28 percent — are obese.” This evidence proves that exercise is extremely important to daily life. Therefore, exercise is essential to preventing obesity.

Secondly, people who can’t stand exercising should see that daily exercise prevents diabetes and stress. Exercise is a great way to relief stress and it prevents diabetes by managing the amounts of insulin taken into your bloodstream. In an article discussing the importance of exercise, I read this statement: “Exercise also helps to regulate the amount of insulin released into the bloodstream.” (Ambassador Youth) Therefore, exercise helps to prevent diabetes. In another article, I read this statement: “While there's no scientific evidence to conclusively support the neurotransmitter theory, there is plenty to show that exercise provides stress-relieving benefits.” ( SnyderHealth.com) This article went on to describe four ways that exercise controls stress. These ways included: Helping people feel less anxious, relaxing people, making others feel better about themselves, and making people eat better. Therefore, I can conclude that exercising is a great way to relieve stress. How I can say that people who dislike exercise might want to rethink their lifestyles so that they can stay away from diabetes and so that they don’t have to deal with stress.

Thirdly, people who think that exercise is a waste of time should understand that it doesn’t have to take over their lives. It can take maybe up to a half an hour a day, but people who care about their own well being should be willing to take a little time out of their day to take care of themselves. The Snyder Health department stated, “All it takes is 20 minutes’ worth, six to seven days a week.” There are many different forms of exercise that can be fun to do as well as help to build up your metabolism. These forms include yoga, running, playing tennis, biking, swimming, and basketball, along with so many others. People who care about themselves should desire to have a healthy body and exercise is a great way to become healthier each and every day. And that excuse that you don’t have any time, isn’t going to work.

Finally, people need to understand that not only does exercise add to a healthier lifestyle, but exercise can also lead to a longer and more enjoyable life. Now I am not saying that everyone who exercises will live to be 100 years old, but exercise can allow that to be a possibility. The Medical University of South Carolina agreed with the fact that exercise “promotes life expectancy.” Therefore, there are others who agree that because exercise gives you a healthier body, you will live longer than those who don’t exercise. In the future, I hope that people who don’t like to exercise will see the importance of it.

My hope is that this essay has persuaded people to change their minds about working out. The fact of the matter is that working out prevents people from becoming fat lazy bums who sit on their couches each day watching TV and consuming massive amounts of junk food which only leads to health problems down the road. Obesity is a problem that our nation has to work to change and exercise can help make that change. Diabetes and stress could become less and less frequent if people would just get up and take a walk. If people started to exercise more, they might be able to see their great grandchildren someday. In the future, I hope that this nation will see that exercise is crucial to a healthy lifestyle and that exercise can help to bring about a stronger United States of America.







Works Cited List
1.
Langer, Gary. "Poll: Concern, But Little Action on Obesity." (2004): n. pag. Web. 6 Jun 2010. <http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=90046&page=1>.

2.
"The Importance of EXERCISE." Ambassador Youth. N.p., 2004. Web. 6 Jun 2010. <http://www.thercg.org/youth/articles/0201-tioe.html>.

3.
"Diets Don't Work." SnyderHealth.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Jun 2010. <http://www.snyderhealth.com/exercise.htm>.

4.
"Healthy Aging: Exercise Leads to Long Life." MUSC Health. Medical University of South Carolina, 6/16/2009. Web. 6 Jun 2010. <http://www.muschealth.com/healthyaging/exerlonglife.htm>.