This is my first guest blog post ever. It was written by Aurelie who owns the site Active Living Community. I post her article here because I live by what it says.Researchers have long been aware that physical inactivity is a risk factor for heart disease. It’s even believed that exercise is not only essential in the role of prevention, but also can reverse heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends 30 to 60 minutes of moderate intensity exercise three or four times per week. Participation in a variety of sports is one of the best ways to meet this recommendation.The benefits of exercise and participation in sports-related activities are numerous. They include:
Research
- Improved heart function by improving its pumping efficiency
- Improved lung function by strengthening the muscles involved in respiration
- Increased energy levels
- Increased metabolism
- Stress reduction
- Improved strength and endurance
- Better flexibility and range of motion
There’s a mountain of scientific evidence that supports the heart health benefits of maintaining a healthy and fit lifestyle. Recently, researchers at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago studied a random national sample of teens and adults between the ages of 20 to 49 years old. The subjects who participated in this study did not exhibit any signs of heart disease. Each participant underwent a stress test which uses a treadmill and various monitoring devices to track vital signs while exercising. Surprisingly, 34 % of teens and 14% of the adults were found to be in the category of “low fitness” outlined by the researchers.
A recent review of studies completed by scientists at the University of Tsukuba Institute of Clinical Medicine in Ibaraki, Japan confirmed that people who have a high degree of cardiorespiratory fitness are less likely to develop heart disease. Cardiorespiratory fitness can be assessed by conducting the kind of stress test previously described. Researchers from the Tsukuba Institute have suggested that cardiorespiratory fitness could actually be used as a predictor of heart disease based on their review of studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Aerobic vs. Anaerobic Sports
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) defines aerobic exercise as "any activity that uses large muscle groups, can be maintained continuously, and is rhythmic in nature." Participation in a variety of sports provides this type of exercise. Just a few examples include cross-country skiing, cycling, swimming, running, and aerobic dance. Additional examples of aerobic sports include inline skating, and kickboxing. There are also a variety of team-oriented sports that qualify as aerobic exercises if they are played with moderate periods of intensity. Soccer, basketball, cross-country running and volleyball are examples.
Anaerobic exercise is any activity that requires short bursts of highly intense activity. Weight training, sprinting, and strength training are examples of this type of exercise. People on anticoagulants like rivaroxaban should be very careful when it comes to contact sports, as cuts and bruises can be dangerous. Doubles tennis is a sport that offers this type of exercise. Though aerobic and anaerobic sports-related exercise is different, they are both incredibly beneficial to heart health.
Guest post contributed by Aurelie of Active Living Community at http://www.activelivingcommunity.com/


Jonathan Alter is a senior editor and columnist at "Newsweek" and a contributing correspondent for NBC News. He's also an author whose most recent book about FDR's early days in the White House is called "The Defining Moment."
Yesterday, my daughter Joanna (25) finished reading the final manuscript of Who Says I Can't 













