The Benefits of education and physical activity Have been getting acquainted for years. Exercise is essential for physical, psychological well-being and thus for a good quality of life.
In my case, I have been doing aerobic exercise (tennis, soccer, dancing or swimming) and anaerobic (gym) throughout my life. However, there are times when having to study or work I have not been able to do anything.
And although I will name what has been scientifically proven, when I am active doing any type of activity I have been able to observe:
- Greater psychological and physical well-being.
- Better physical appearance.
- Increased self-esteem .
- More creativity .
- More energy.
If you do not exercise your body and mind, they deteriorate. Hippocrates already said:
"What is used is developed, what is not used is atrophied."
If you are going to start playing sports, keep the following in mind:
- Start little by little : Events such as a heart attack are very rare, but the risk is greater if you start suddenly to do an activity that speeds up your heart rate in an unusual way.
- Consult your doctor If you have cardiovascular disease, diabetes or arthritis.
I will comment below the most important. You no longer have excuses to pursue a sedentary life. In addition, all are scientifically proven (at the end of the article I leave the links to several investigations).
1-Check the weight
Physical education is critical to controlling your weight. When the calories you burn are less than the calories you eat or drink you will be getting fatter.
2-Reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, but with 2 hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate physical exercise, the chances of suffering from it are very low.
In addition, exercise lowers cholesterol levels and hypertension.
3-Reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes
Regular physical activity can reduce your risk of getting type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome.
Lower rates of these conditions are seen by doing 2 hours and 30 minutes of exercise a week at moderate intensity. Of course, the more activity, the lower the risk.
4-Strengthens bones and muscles
Research has shown that aerobic exercise can reduce the loss of bone density with age.
It has also been shown that moderate intensity exercise for 2 and a half hours a week can improve arthritis symptoms.
5-Reduces the risk of some cancers
Being physically active lowers the risk of getting breast cancer and colon cancer.
Other research suggests that it also reduces the risk of endometrial and lung cancer.
6-It is beneficial for your psychological well-being
It improves symptoms of depression and anxiety and increases self-esteem.
Further:
- Delays mental deterioration (memory, attention, perception...).
- Improves sexual performance.
- In group sports you can socialize.
- Addictions: Because with sports, dopamine is released, addicts (and those who do not) are allowed to enjoy themselves in a healthy way.
- Aerobic activity increases the ability to learn new information and retain it in the long term.
- It can improve memory and attention.
- Increases life expectancy.
- It enhances sleep quality .
How much exercise is needed?
If you currently do not do any exercise, any type of activity will be positive for you, just remember to start slowly.
Any activity that causes an increase in heart rate in your heart is good for preventing diseases and burning calories. Some research has shown that walking for 15-20 minutes a day decreases the chances of having a heart attack, diabetes, stroke or young dying.
It is recommended to do at least 2 and a half hours of moderate intensity exercise per week. You can also combine moderate and intense exercise.
It is recommended that adults also do muscle training at least two days a week.
In case you have problems to differentiate between high intensity and moderate exercise:
Moderate is any activity that produces a noticeable increase in heart rate. One test is talking; If you can do it while doing exercise is moderate.
High intensity exercise causes faster breathing and increased heart rate, but you may still have a normal conversation.
The cost of being sedentary
A sedentary life has the opposite effects to the benefits that I have commented, being the main ones the increased probability of being overweight and contracting diseases.
Despite this, in 2014, more than 1900 million adults aged 18 and over were overweight, of whom over 600 million were obese. In addition, the European average shows that 42% never do sport (37% of men, 47% of women).
In Spain the figure is 44%: almost one in two people never exercise.
In my opinion the tragic aspect of this issue is that there are many studies ( like this ), Who have shown the relationship between obesity and the habit of watching television or other sedentary behaviors.
It was found that for every two hours that a woman spent watching TV, she increased her odds of being obese by 23% and her odds of developing diabetes by 14%. The more TV they watched, the more likely they were to gain weight or develop diabetes.
As well There are other studies Which have shown that people who spend more time watching television, sitting or driving are more likely to die at an early age than those who spend less time practicing a sedentary lifestyle.
Researchers believe that sitting for hours can change the metabolism in ways that promote obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other chronic diseases.
And you do sport? What benefits have you noticed?
References
- Dunstan DW, Barr EL, Healy GN, et al. Television viewing time and mortality: the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab). Circulation . 2010; 121: 384-91.
- Patel AV, Bernstein L, Deka A, et al. Leisure Time Spent Sitting in Relation to Total Mortality in a Prospective Cohort of US Adults. Am J Epidemiol . 2010.
- Warren TY, Barry V, Hooker SP, Sui X, Church TS, Blair SN. Sedentary behaviors increase risk of cardiovascular disease mortality in men. Med Sci Sports Exercise . 2010; 42: 879-85.
- Hu% 20FB, Li TY, Colditz GA, Willett WC, Manson JE. Television watching and other sedentary behaviors in relation to risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus in women. JAMA. 2003; 289: 1785-91.