Exercise Benefits Health
Exercise Benefits Health
January 1, 2026
I subscribe to the Harvard Medical School’s Healthbeat, a daily email newsletter that promotes healthy living, and a recent headline caught my eye: “Prescription for Health: Exercise.” Now the notion that exercise promotes health might seem fairly obvious to most of us, but when I dug into that subject a bit further I was surprised by Harvard’s research into how important movement can be to so many different physical challenges life can throw at us. Here is a list of recent Harvard’s Healthbeat articles:
Exercise for chronic pain: How physical activity can help you feel better
Exercise can boost your memory and thinking skills
Exercise tied to reduced risks of dying from flu or pneumonia
Exercise may counteract inherited risk for diabetes
Exercise: an effective prescription for joint pain
Exercise can ease rheumatoid arthritis pain
Exercise may improve atrial fibrillation
Exercise boost colon cancer survival
Exercise may inhibit breast cancer growth
Exercising for bone strength: getting started
Movement is essential to many, if not most, of our body systems. Would you have thought that exercise would help with your brain health or diabetes or cancer? A close friend who is going through chemo and radiation treatments for cancer recently invited me to her pilates class - she feels better after the workout. I frequently hear comments such as “My balance is so much better after starting the Exercise for Balance class,” “My knees and hips really need this workout and are less sore when I do it regularly,” “My shoulders are more flexible since coming to class,” and “My back is less sore since starting yoga.”
The key is to find an activity that you enjoy so you can keep doing it. A simple daily walk, ski or bike is an easy way to get moving. Adding a community element by attending a group class can make an activity even more fun and motivate participants to keep attending. This winter at Healing Motion you can do just that by joining us at Tai Chi, balance class, yoga, or strength training sessions. Starting soon we will be adding a dance class to the mix. Find an activity that works for you and just do it. Your body will thank you!
-Marnie Sanborn Myhre