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Lace up those walking shoes, sign up for that yoga class or put on that swimsuit. And don’t forget to have your favorite playlist ready.
If activities like these are already part of your regular routine, then keep it up! If not, you may want to consider making regular exercise a habit, because it has countless benefits to our health.
We all know that exercising helps with weight loss. But did you also know that it can have these less obvious benefits? In fact, running or walking can even reduce the risk of major depression, according to Harvard Health.
If all that wasn’t enough, we have yet another benefit to share with you: Regular exercise can help protect your eyesight, too. Although it’s not commonly known, we like to encourage all our patients to exercise regularly.
Want more specifics? Read on.
How Exercise Benefits Eyesight
One study found that exercise promotes healthy blood vessels in the eye. The results suggest that exercise boosts the eye’s resilience, reported the American Academy of Ophthalmology. These findings coincide with previous claims that found exercise can help to prevent serious eye diseases, such as macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.
In addition, exercise can help better control a disease you may already have. If you have glaucoma, for instance, physical activity can help decrease intraocular pressure and improve blood flow to critical components of the eye.
Exercise can also have important secondary impacts that help protect eyesight when it comes to disease. For those with diabetes, it will aid in keeping the condition in check. But with diabetes also comes the added risk of diabetic retinopathy. By controlling diabetes then, you are also limiting the chance of developing the complications that can come with it.
How Often Do You Need to Exercise?
Playing golf once a week or doing a few laps in the pool on weekends is enough, right? Well, not quite.
You should aim for 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise five times per week, according to the CDC, WHO and the American Heart Association. But that doesn’t mean you need to run laps around the local track or join an advanced Pilates class. Rollerblading, dancing or even pushing a lawn mower can count toward your daily allotment! Get creative and have fun.
And remember: Even if it isn’t your favorite part of the day, exercising brings so many benefits that make it worth carving out the time.
Do you have questions about other steps you can take to protect your eyesight?
Call us at (561) 747-7777 to schedule a consultation today!
