Also: How well does calcium intake really protect your bones?; 5 tips for getting started with a walking program.

5 ways exercise improves your quality of life Image: iStock Exercise not only helps you live longer — it helps you live better. In addition to making your heart and muscles stronger and fending off a host of diseases, it can also improve your mental and emotional functioning and even bolster your productivity and close relationships. Read on for five ways in which exercise can improve your quality of life. 1. Wards off depression: While a few laps around the block can't solve serious emotional difficulties, researchers know there is a strong link between regular exercise and improved mood. Aerobic exercise prompts the release of mood-lifting hormones, which relieve stress and promote a sense of well-being. In addition, the rhythmic muscle contractions that take place in almost all types of exercise can increase levels of the brain chemical serotonin, which combats negative feelings. Get your copy of Starting to Exercise What can improve your mood, boost your ability to fend off infection, and lower your risk for heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and colon cancer? The answer is regular exercise. It may seem too good to be true, but it's not. Hundreds of studies demonstrate that exercise helps you feel better and live longer. This report answers many important questions about physical activity. It will also help guide you through starting and maintaining an exercise program that suits your abilities and lifestyle. 2. Enhances sex life: Both libido and performance benefit from moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise. The Harvard Health Professionals Follow-Up Study found that men who exercised 30 minutes a day were 41% less likely than sedentary men to experience erectile dysfunction. Exercise helps women, too: in one study, 20 minutes of cycling boosted women's sexual arousal by 169 percent. 3. Sharpens wits: Physical activity boosts blood flow to the brain, which may help maintain brain function. It also promotes good lung function, a characteristic of people whose memories and mental acuity remain strong as they age. While all types of physical activity help keep your mind sharp, many studies have shown that aerobic exercise, in particular, successfully improves cognitive function. 4. Improves sleep: Regular aerobic exercise provides three important sleep benefits: it helps you fall asleep faster, spend more time in deep sleep, and awaken less during the night. In fact, exercise is the only known way for healthy adults to boost the amount of deep sleep they get — and deep sleep is essential for your body to renew and repair itself. 5. Protects mobility and vitality: Regular exercise can slow the natural decline in physical performance that occurs as you age. By staying active, older adults can actually keep their cardiovascular fitness, metabolism, and muscle function in line with those of much younger people. And many studies have shown that people who were more active at midlife were able to preserve their mobility — and therefore, their independence — as they aged. To attain all the effects listed above, aim for a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate exercise, five days a week. And to read more about the health benefits of exercise, buy Starting to Exercise, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School. Share this story: News and Views from the Harvard Health Blog How well does calcium intake really protect your bones? Two recent analyses suggest that neither dietary calcium nor calcium supplements reduce the risk of fractures. When there's no clear deficiency, it's impossible to know how exactly much calcium a person needs. Ideally, you should get most of your calcium through food. 5 tips for getting started with a walking program Image: Canstock Looking to get started with an easy and affordable exercise plan? Don't overlook walking. Walking is usually safe for people of any age or level of fitness and can easily be adjusted to a comfortable speed. It doesn't jar joints or raise your heart rate to dangerous levels. For a greater challenge, you can add time, distance, or hills — or try incorporating higher-intensity intervals or resistance bands. Follow these tips to get the best workout from your walks: 1. Find a safe place to walk. Quiet streets with sidewalks, park trails, athletic tracks at local schools, or shopping malls are often good choices. 2. Buy a good pair of shoes. Look for supportive but flexible soles that cushion your feet. Comfort is the key when buying shoes for walking. Shop at the end of the day, when your feet are at their largest size. Choose shoes with "breathable" uppers, such as nylon mesh. 3. Dress for comfort and safety. Wear lighter clothes than you'd need if standing still. Dress in layers so you can peel off garments if you get hot. Light-colored clothes and a reflective vest help drivers notice you. 4. Do a five-minute warm-up and cool-down. Start off at a slower pace for your warm-up. At the end of your walk, slow down to cool down (even if you're not sweaty). 5. Practice good technique: Walk at a brisk, steady pace. Slow down if you're too breathless to carry on a conversation. Stand tall. Hold your head up so your chin is level and look 10 to 20 feet in front of you. Lift your chest. Keep your shoulders down. Point your toes straight ahead. Let your arms swing loosely at your sides. If you want to boost your speed, bend your elbows at 90-degree angles and swing your hands from waist height to chest height. Land on your heel, then roll forward onto the ball of your foot, pushing off from your toes. Take comfortable strides. To go faster, take quicker steps instead of longer ones. To read about all the benefits of exercise as well as ways to begin an exercise program, buy Starting to Exercise, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School.  Share this story: Featured in this issue Starting to Exercise Featured content: • What can exercise do for you? • Should you talk to a doctor first? • Getting started: What type of exercise should you do? • The workouts • Designing your own program •  ... and more! Click here to read more » Harvard Medical School offers special reports on over 50 health topics. Visit our website at http://www.health.harvard.edu to find reports of interest to you and your family. PHONE ORDERS - please call our toll-free number: 1-877-649-9457. You are currently subscribed to HEALTHbeat as dr.samah.saied.ahmed@gmail.com. EDIT YOUR SUBSCRIPTION PROFILE UNSUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE TO HEALTHbeat VIEW HEALTHbeat ARCHIVES Visit our website at: www.health.harvard.edu Email us at: healthbeat@health.harvard.edu FOLLOW US ON:  Facebook Twitter Copyright © 2015 by Harvard University. Harvard Health Publications, 10 Shattuck Street, 2nd Floor, Boston, MA 02115, USA * Please note, we do not provide responses to personal medical concerns, nor can we supply related medical information other than what is available in our print products or website. For specific, personalized medical advice we encourage you to contact your physician.