Children enrolled in fitness-oriented gym classes showed greater loss of body fat, increase in cardiovascular fitness, and improvement in fasting insulin levels.

Lazy eye

This is an eye condition that is seen in children where there is lack of development in one eye. This condition needs to be detected early so as to prevent crossed eyes. Eye exercise therapy is used to improve the lazy eye condition. A patch is worn over the good eye for a few weeks or months and the lazy eye is exercised so as to strengthen it.

Exercise tip for an exercise benefit:

Always keep an upbeat point of view about exercise. Realize that it's a part of life and that it's very important not only for your health, but for the health of your entire family. Schedule exercise appointments just like you would any other meeting or obligation.

Parkinson's disease and Exercise

Add reducing the risk of Parkinson's disease to the long list of exercise benefits, a study recently reported in the journal Neurology concludes. The study followed over 100,000 people and found that those who reported regular, vigorous activity as teenagers and young adults reduced their risk of developing Parkinson's disease as they aged by about 60%. Ted Dawson, a neurologist with a research interest in Parkinson's at Johns Hopkins, says exercise also benefits those who already have the condition.

Despite the strong case for staying active, many people find it difficult to adapt their daily lives to incorporate physical activity. With cars on most driveways and the decline in the number of physically active jobs, 70% of the adult population is sufficiently inactive to be classed as "sedentary". Being sedentary increases the risk of a heart attack or stroke by the same amount as smoking.

If you have previously been inactive and 30 minutes of activity per day sounds like a tall order, the good news is that separate sessions of ten minutes can count towards the total.

It's possible to achieve your 30 minute target by making fairly simple changes to your everyday routine, without joining the gym or running a marathon.

Examples of everyday activities that count:

1. walking up stairs instead of using lifts,
2. walking up moving escalators,
3. for short journeys, walking instead of driving,
4. doing the housework at "double-time",
5. DIY and gardening, such as painting or raking leaves.

Perhaps try actitivies to music, such as dance or aerobics, and make sure you vary your activity a little so you don't get bored. Try exercising in beautiful scenery, such as on a beach or in a park. Maybe you could buy yourself some new exercise clothes that you like wearing and feel good in.