Exercise is medicine: health benefits of regular physical activity.

Sedentary lifestyle has officially been recognized as a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In addition, exercise can be beneficial in detecting, preventing, and managing prevalent disease states such as hyperlipidemia, hypertension, obesity, nicotine addiction, diabetes mellitus, affective disorders, cancer, osteoporosis, and age-related declines in muscular strength. Recent findings are discussed and recommendations for appropriate exercise prescriptions are offered.