Every morning and evening, you are most likely to meet people, both men and women, running in the streets of Kigali, while some head to several gyms spread around the city to do their regular exercises. There are also many others who perform less strenuous exercises like walking and swimming.It has been proven that regular exercises is what the doctor might have ordered to protect you from stroke and other heart ailments, noninsulin-dependent diabetes, high-blood pressure, osteoporosis, obesity among other ailments. It can also help in improving your mood while helping you manage stress. Experts define exercises as physical activities that help in enhancing the well being and health of people. They are also excellent means through which the body can be kept in shape.Regular exercises have also been linked to building a healthy cardiovascular system and strong muscles. It is, therefore, important to note that many health benefits come when one does exercises.Effective exerciseThe most effective exercises are the ones that are meant for the whole body. These include anaerobic ones which, according to online sources, is exercise intense enough to trigger lactic acid formation. It is used by athletes in non-endurance sports to promote strength, speed and power and by body builders to build muscle mass.Others are aerobic exercises like running and swimming that also focus on building cardiovascular muscles, flexibility and agility exercises.Bryan Mutera, of  Kimihurura Gym Centre, says = he has witnessed increasing rate at which many people are now  enrolling for his gym lessons, pointing out that more and more Rwandans are becoming aware of why doing exercises  maintain or improve their physical and mental health."Our training regime includes warming up for 10 or so minutes, and then followed by an exercise schedule. As a trainer, I normally inform my clients of the numerous health benefits they can accrue from doing all forms of physical exercises,” Mutera says.He adds that they usually teach ways to lift weight that won’t make one susceptible to injuries, how to set the right position, the number of sets of repetitions that should be performed and the right weight one should lift. Mutera says many people go to health clubs or gyms for various reasons."While lifting weights can get you ahead of the pack on the dating scene because women have this strong inclination towards muscled men, there some people who believe that doing weights is only geared toward building the muscles. This is a misconception,” he says.Weight issuesDoing exercises help in maintaining and reducing weight, Mutera  says, adding that both physical activity and proper diet are very crucial in controlling weight."You will gain weight when the calories you are burning, which include the ones you burn during physical activity is less compared to the ones you drink or eat. Thus, it’s advisable to practice both healthy eating plan and physical activity if you want to maintain a healthy weight.”However, Mutera maintains that the correct amount of physical activity one needs to do is not precisely clear, since this normally varies from person to person.A spot check by this writer reveals that there are many gyms and health clubs in a number of hotels in Kigali, and many people have also opened establishments offering gym services around Kigali. Gym clubs can also be found in Mamba, Nyarutarama Sports and Amahoro stadium, among other places.Julian Keen, an American expatriate who attends Serena Gym every evening, says the health benefit he gets far outweighs the cost, noting that its clear exercising makes one healthier in both physical and mental ways. "You will lose weight and your muscles will get stronger. Your body feels good and full of energy. It’s also going to respond immediately to any action that you want to do,” Keen said.He said another reason why people should exercise regularly is that it helps in improving a person’s psychological and mental health. "It’s going to help you keep thinking positively and improve your judgment skills as you age. And taking frequent effective exercise is one of the best physical stress-reduction techniques available.”He said many researches carried out have shown that physical activity can substantially reduce the risk of early death from leading diseases such as some cancers like breast and colon cancers and heart conditions. "You don’t have to do high amounts of activity or vigorous-intensity activity to reduce your risk of premature death. Even simple aerobic physical exercises like walking, running or swimming is going to help in making you stay longer,” Keen said.Rita Umutesi, of Amahoro Stadium Gym, says she started doing exercises after she was advised by her doctor that doing so together with following a healthy meal plan and taking medicines as prescribed by a doctor are three best ways through which one can take care of diabetes. Research shows that physical activity plays an important part in preventing metabolic syndrome (a condition where one has a combination of too much fat around the waist, high blood sugar and high blood pressure) and two types of diabetes.