Is it really necessary for people to exercise on a daily basis? And why? Is there a special motivation or? Is it a healthy thing or what?
Physical exercise is any bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness as well as overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons, including strengthening muscles and the cardiovascular system, athletic skills, weight loss, and/or management.
As well as for the purpose of enjoyment. It has been proven that frequent and regular exercise aids in boosting the immune system and helps prevent numerous diseases like heart and cardiovascular disease, amongst others.
Exercise has also been proven to aid in the improvement of mental health, help prevent depression, improve mental health, promote or maintain positive self-esteem, and even augment an individual’s sex appeal or body image.
Obesity in children is a growing global concern, and physical exercise may help decrease some of the effects of childhood and adult obesity, as well as more of a healthier lifestyle and healthier choices in food.
Physical exercises are generally grouped into three types, depending on the overall effect they have on the human body:
- Flexibility exercises like stretching improve the range of motion of muscles and joints.
- Aerobic exercises like cycling, swimming, walking, or tennis focus on increasing cardiovascular endurance.
- Anaerobic exercises, such as weight training, aid in increasing short-term muscle strength.
Physical exercise is used to improve physical skills. Physical skills fall into the following general categories: cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, coordination, balance, and more.
Physical exercise is important for maintaining physical fitness and can contribute positively to maintaining a healthy weight, building and maintaining healthy bone density, muscle strength, and joint mobility, promoting physiological well-being, reducing surgical risks, and strengthening the immune system.
Frequent and regular aerobic exercise has been shown to help prevent or treat serious and life-threatening chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease, Type-2 diabetes, insomnia, as well as depression. Endurance exercise before meals lowers blood glucose more than the same exercise after meals. Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise work to increase the mechanical efficiency of the heart by increasing cardiac volume (aerobic exercise) or myocardial thickness (strength training).
Unfortunately, not everyone benefits equally from exercise. There is tremendous variation in individual response to training; where most people will see a moderate increase in endurance from aerobic exercise, some individuals will as much as double their oxygen uptake, while others can never augment endurance. However, muscle hypertrophy from resistance training is primarily determined by diet and testosterone.
This genetic variation in improvement from training is one of the key physiological differences between elite athletes and the larger population. Studies have shown that exercising in middle age leads to better physical ability later in life.
The beneficial effect of exercise on the cardiovascular system is well documented. There is a direct relation between physical inactivity and cardiovascular mortality, and physical inactivity is an independent risk factor for the development of coronary artery disease. The greatest potential for reduced mortality is in the sedentary who become moderately active.
The most beneficial effects of physical activity on cardiovascular disease mortality can be attained through moderate-intensity activity (40% to 60% of maximal oxygen uptake, depending on age).
Persons who modify their behavior after a heart attack to include regular exercise have improved rates of survival. Persons who remain sedentary have the highest risk for all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality.
Inappropriate exercise can do more harm than good, with the definition of “inappropriate” varying according to the individual. Significant injuries occur with any activity, especially when the exercise schedules are poorly regimented. Stopping excessive exercise suddenly can also create a change in mood. I know this quite well.
I was unable to exercise for slightly more than 3 months due to injury and several hospitalizations and surgery, which was not fun for me at all. I am now starting to reassume my exercise routine, plus finally being able to wear 2 shoes again after so long. Feelings of depression and agitation can occur when withdrawal from the natural endorphins produced by exercise occurs. Exercise should be controlled by each body’s inherent limitations.
Personal lifestyle changes can correct the lack of physical exercise. Adults are becoming aware of the lack of a physically active lifestyle and becoming more active and making appropriate healthy choices. This more active lifestyle is becoming apparent with children has well, but unfortunately more needs to be done with children regarding exercise, as well as a more healthy lifestyle choice (food choices and exercise). Exercise is important and beneficial for everyone, and it helps to increase your lifespan and overall health and well-being.
The benefits of exercise have been known since antiquity. In approximately 65 BC, Marcus Cicero stated: “It is exercise alone that supports the spirits, and keeps the mind in vigor.”
The link between physical health and exercise (or lack of it) was only discovered in 1949.
