Most Americans do little or no exercise during work or rest hours. Today there aren’t many jobs requiring intense physical activity. Instead of walking, people use automobiles or public transportation. Instead of being physically active, people usually watch TV in their free time. Some sports such as bowling, golf, and tennis (doubles) provide some exercise, but do not provide as much exercise as other more vigorous sports.

Exercise is very important and is beneficial both physically and mentally. When you exercise, you feel better about yourself because you are fit or your getting fit and you feel that you have accomplished something that was hard to strive for. The benefits of physical activity are it gives you more energy, it helps you in coping with stress, it improves self-image, and it increases resistance of tiredness.

Exercise does not only keep you fit, it also reduces your chance of heart attack. Various studies have shown that the chance of heart attack is two tim

If you are wondering how long it would take to be in shape, think about this; look at how long you have been out of shape and it will take about that much time to get back in shape if you exercise properly.

In some situations, people have died while exercising. In these situations, most of the deaths have been by overexertion in people who have had heart problems. For people who are under the age of thirty, these heart conditions are usually from heart defect present at birth. For the people that are over the age of 40, the heart condition is usually coronary artery, which is the buildup of deposits of fats in the heart's blood vessels. A lot of these deaths have followed by warning signs such as chest pain, lightheartedness, fainting, and extreme breathlessness. These are symptoms that should not be ignored and medical attention should be advised immediately.

Exercise does not only keep you fit, it also reduces your chance of heart attack. Various studies have shown that the chance of heart attack is two times more likely to happen to an inactive person than to a more active person. It really all adds up because with exercising, you burn off calories, which keeps you at your desirable weight, which lowers your risk of heart disease.

Homeostasis is the state of equilibrium in which the internal environment of the human body remains relatively constant. Two excellent examples of homeostasis are how the body maintains a constant temperature and blood pressure during strenuous physical activity or exercise. Although there are many other activities in the body that display homeostasis, I will only discuss these two. Temperature in the human body is usually kept at approximately 37 degrees Celsius. To maintain such a strict temperature, the body has a few functions to combat the outside elements. People cannot make themselves cold as readily as make themselves hot, however I will mention both homeostasis functions. When the external temperature decreases, a portion of the brain called the hypothalamus detects the drop by means of the blood. To compensate, the brain sends chemical and electrical impulses to the muscles. These impulses tell the muscles to begin to contract and relax at very high intervals. This is commonly known as shivering. The production of Adenosine Triphosphate or ATP in the mitochondria of the muscles produces heat. If the body temperature does not rise immediately after this, then a second function begins. The brain will signal the blood vessels near the skin to constrict or narrow in diameter. This occurs so the heat deep in

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