Physical activity is any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that require energy expenditure. The term “physical activity” is not equal to exercise. Exercise is a subcategory of physical activity, which is structured, repetitive and purposeful. Adult who sit less and do any amounts of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity gain some health benefits. Only a few lifestyle choices have as large an impact on your health as physical activity. A sound body living in a sound mind” means that if a person is weak, dull and sick, he is not able to do his work efficiently and quickly. It is very important to have a fresh mind before any work, like office work, study or some creative work. The people who make exercise an essential part of their routine are more happy and efficient than others do. Exercise does not mean to go to the gym or some club activity; it only means to do some physical activities no matter how and where.
A well-balanced exercise program can improve general health and slow many of the effects of aging. The benefits of exercise not only improve the physical health, but also enhance emotional well- being.
The period of adolescence represents the transition from childhood to adulthood and lifetime habits such as regular exercise are normally begun a this time. But unfortunately research indicated that physical activity rates decline consistently as people continue to age. No matter what your age or shape, you should exercise daily. At any age, being physically fit is an advantage to your health.
Immediate Benefits
Improved Cognition
Some benefits of physical activity on brain health happen right after a session of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Benefits include improved thinking or cognition for children 6 to 13 years of age and reduced short term feelings of anxiety for adults. Therefore, regular physical activity can help keep your thinking, learning, and judgment skills sharp as you age. It can also reduce your risk of depression and anxiety and help you sleep better.
Weight Management
Both eating patterns and physical activity routines play a critical role in weight management. You gain weight when you consume more calories through eating and drinking than the amount of calories you burn, including those burned during physical activity. To maintain your weight; work your way up to 150 minutes a week of moderate physical exercise. You could achieve the goal of 150 minutes a week with 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. People vary greatly in how much physical activity they need for weight management. You may need to be more active than others to reach on maintain a healthy weight. To lose weight and keep it off, you will need a high amount of physical activity unless you also adjust your eating and drinking. Getting to and staying at a healthy weight requires both regular, healthy activity and healthy eating.
Cardiovascular Disease
Heart disease and stroke are two leading causes of death all over the world. Getting at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise, a week can put you at a lower risk for these diseases. You can reduce your risk even further with more exercise. Regular physical activities also lower your blood pressure and improve your cholesterol levels.
Type 2 Diabetes Metabolic Syndrome
Regular physical activity can reduce your risk of developing type 2, diabetes. Metabolic syndrome is some combination of two much fat, high blood pressure, low or high density, lipid proteins (HDL), cholesterol, high triglycerides, or high blood sugar. People start to see benefits of physical activity even without meeting the recommendations for 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity. Additional amounts of physical activity seem to lower the risks of these metabolic related diseases even more.
Exercise and Cancer
Exercise is one of the most important actions you can take to help guard against many types of cancer. Up to one third of cancer, related deaths are due to obesity and sedentary lifestyle. Adults who participate in greater amounts of physical activity have reduced risk of developing cancers of the.
- Bladder
- Breast
- Colon (proximal and distal)
- Endometrium
- Esophagus (adenocarcinoma)
- Kidney
- Lung
- Stomach (cardia and non-cardia adenocarcinoma)
If you are a cancer survivor, getting regular physical activity not only helps give you a better quality of life, but also improves your physical fitness.
Strengthens your Bones and Muscles
As you age, it is important to protect you bones, joint and muscles – they support your body and help you move. Keeping bones, joints and muscles healthy can help ensure that you are able to do your daily activities and there is no better way to do this than by physically active. Muscle strengthening activities like lifting weights can help you increase or maintain your muscle mass and strength with aging. Slowly increasing the amount of weight and number of repetitions, you do as part of muscle strengthening activities, will give you even more benefits, no matter your age.
Improve your Ability to do Daily Activities and Prevent Falls
Everyday activities include climbing stairs, grocery shopping or playing with your grandchildren. Being unable to do everyday activities is called functional limitation. Physically active middle aged or older adults have a lower risk of functional limitations than people who are inactive. Doing a variety of physical activity improves physical function and decreases the risk of falls or injury from a fall. Hip fracture is a serious health condition that can result from a fall. Breakings of hip have life changing negative effects, especially if you are older adult. Physical active people have a lower risk of hip fracture than inactive people do.
Increase your Chances of Living Longer
An estimated 110,000 deaths per year could be prevented if adults age 40 and above increases their moderate to-vigorous physical activity by a small amount. Even 10 minutes more a day would make a difference. Taking more steps a day also helps lower the risk of premature death from all causes. For adults younger than 60, the risk of premature death levels off at about 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day. For 60 and older, the risk of premature death levels off at about 6,000 to 8,000 steps per day.
Manage Chronic Health Conditions and Disabilities
Regular physical exercise can help people manage existing chronic conditions and disabilities. For example, regular physical activity can:
- Reduce pain and improve function, mood and quality of life for adults with arthritis.
- Help control blood sugar levels and lower risk of heart disease and nerve damage for people with type 2 diabetes.
- Help support daily living activities and independence for people with disabilities
Conclusion
Regular exercise not only makes you physically fitter but it also improves your all body health and general sense of well-being. Physical activity and exercise can have immediate and long-term benefits. Most importantly regular activity can improve your quality of life. A minimum of 30 minutes exercise a day allows you to enjoy these benefits.
