How much Exercise Should You Take?<br />To maintain a good health, you should do at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise, daily (at least five days per week). 30 minutes in a day is probably the minimum to gain health benefits. However, you do not have to do this all at once. Several short bursts of activity are thought to be equally as good. Try to increase the amount to 40-60 minutes per day if you can. Moderate exercise means that you get warm, mildly out of breath, and mildly sweaty. It does not have to be intense. On most days you cannot ‘store up’ the benefits of exercise. You need to do it regularly.<br />What Sort of Exercise?<br />Anything that makes your heart rate increase, and makes you at least mildly out of breath. For example; brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, dancing, etc.<br />You can use normal activities as part of your exercise routine. For example, fairly heavy housework or gardening can make you out of breath and sweaty. Consider a brisk walk to work, or to the shop instead of using a car or bus, etc.<br /><br />What are the Health Benefits of Exercise?<br />The benefits of doing regular exercise include a reduced risk of: heart disease, stroke, bowel cancer, breast cancer, osteoporosis, and obesity. In addition, many people feel better in themselves. Regular exercise is also thought to help ease stress, anxiety, and mild depression.<br />The Bottom Line- <br />Realistically, walking is likely to be the exercise chosen by many people. One medical report on summarizing exercise stated: “Walking two miles a day can cut the risk of death by half”.<br />In conclusion, the Ministry of Health is the main health care provider in Iraq. It, therefore, has to expand the umbrella of health services to accommodates the increase in population size as well as the social developments that have been witnessed in Iraq. Also, it needs to depend on proper planning that provides for successful implementation of its health programs to achieve its goal, Health for All. This, undoubtedly requires responses to basic health needs of people through their participation in different health activities to maintain and control the health status, such as organization of walks (Marathons) on national health occasions.<br /><br />Prepared by- Prof. Dr. Muna Abdulwahab Khaleel<br />