Benefits of physical activity on health

Posted on January 16, 2014 by john in Fitness tips, Health care

It now seems clearly shown that while inactivity is a risk factor for the development of many chronic diseases, including cardiovascular stand to represent one of the main causes of death in the Western world, leading a physically active life produces many benefits, both physical and psychological health.

It is not easy to define the term health because each person has a personal experience and perception of it, depending on what each considered normal, socioeconomic status, religion, lifestyle and culture, which provides the pattern that defines how room or be healthy. Many definitions refer to the absence of disease and health concept, such as Samuel Johnson in his Dictionary ( 1775 ), which says that health ” is to be robust, unharmed, or without discomfort, pain or disease.” According O.M.S. (World Health Organization ), health can be defined as ” a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease.”

One motivation for physical exercise is the finding that welfare state that approaches the individual concept of health as a basic component of quality of life.

Is it safe to exercise?

According to studies conducted, it appears that there is a relationship between physical activity and life expectancy, so that the most physically active populations tend to live longer than inactive. Moreover, it is a reality that people who exercise regularly have the subjective feeling of being better than before making it, both physically and mentally, ie have better quality of life. It seems clear therefore that physical exercise has some positive health.

The human body is designed to move and therefore requires exercise regularly to stay functional and avoid illness. Physical activity is any bodily movement produced by muscles that requires energy expenditure. Exercising is a type of physical activity is defined as any planned, structured and repetitive bodily movement done to improve or maintain one or more components of physical fitness status. When the level of physical activity does not reach the minimum required to maintain a healthy state, speaking of inactivity.

During our childhood and adolescence most of us maintains a level more than sufficient physical activity through play and various sporting activities. But the opportunities for physical activity decrease as we become adults. In addition, unlike previous generations, are becoming less engaged, either at work or in leisure time activities that involve some kind of physical work. In any country of the world we call developed, indicators of physical activity show really discouraging numbers. According to various statistics inactivity affects 40 to 60 % of the population, and only 1 in 5 individuals reaches the minimum recommended physical activity for health.

What are the benefits of physical activity for health ?

In a brief and very wise statement, Dr. K. H. Cooper defines exercise as ” the method to put more years in your life and more life in your years.” Most people can benefit from physical activity regularly. Often people think that getting enough exercise at work. Many think they are too old to start, other than its physical form is too bad to try to recover. Obesity, diabetes, or a physical disability, may be the reasons that discourage the subject to begin physical activity. But in many cases are simply lazy, or expectations of the fatigue and pain that prevent reaching even attempted.

At present there appears to be sufficient evidence to prove that those who lead a physically active lifestyle can get a long list of health benefits :

Reduces the risk of mortality from cardiovascular diseases in general and especially in CHD mortality similar to other risk factors such as smoking grade.
It prevents and / or delays the development of hypertension, and lowers blood pressure values ​​in hypertensive patients.
Improved profile of blood lipids ( lowers triglycerides and increases HDL cholesterol).
Improved glycemic control and reduces the risk of non insulin dependent diabetes.
Improves digestion and regular bowel habits.
Reduces the risk of certain cancers, including colon, one of the most frequent and on which there seems to be more evidence.
Increased utilization of body fat and improved weight control.
Helps maintain and improve strength and muscular endurance, increase functional capacity to perform other physical activities of daily living.
Helps maintain the structure and function of joints. The, as recommended in order to obtain health benefits, physical activity of moderate intensity does not produce joint damage and instead may be beneficial for osteoarthritis.
Physical and especially that activity in which weight is supported, is essential for normal bone development during childhood and to achieve and maintain peak bone mass in young adults.
Helps reconcile and improve sleep quality.
Improved self-image and sharing an activity with family and friends.
It relieves tension and improves stress management.
Helps fight and improve symptoms of anxiety and depression and increases enthusiasm and optimism.
Helps establish heart-healthy living habits in children and combat factors (obesity, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, etc.. ) That favor the development of cardiovascular disease in adulthood.
In older adults, decreases the risk of falls, helps delay or prevent chronic diseases and those associated with aging. This improves their quality of life and increases their ability to live independently.
Helps control and improve symptoms and prognosis in many chronic diseases (ischemic heart disease, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Obesity, Diabetes, Osteoporosis, etc.. )
Reduces mortality in both young adults and the elderly, being even lower in those who just maintain a moderate level of physical activity than less active or sedentary.
Finally, all of these benefits have a final impact on reducing health care costs. This is a strong argument for both government and private support to promote physical activity in all sectors of our society.

The human body as a result of regular physical training, presented in different organ systems morphological and functional changes we call adaptations, which will allow one hand to prevent or delay the onset of certain diseases and otherwise improve the ability to perform physical exertion. A person trained physically be able to run to the bus stop without getting tired too, play with their children more vitality and even do some bragging with friends at a football game.

Undoubtedly regular exercise allows us from the psychological point of view face life with greater optimism and better choice, while socially integration means different human groups.

Physical activity is not only healthy physically, but mentally is also beneficial because it helps to release endorphins and feel better about ourselves. Also if we practice sport in a nice setting, that increases mental benefit handsomely.

An excellent alternative to achieve the latter is to use the multi-adventure sports fun in nature. Adventure activities such as hiking, kayaking, rafting or mountain bike can get in touch with nature and increase profits if you already have sports activities.

Possible problems arising from the practice of physical activity, the most common is the risk of musculoskeletal injuries. This is easy to avoid if excess and activity level increases so slowly and gradually to desired not commit. On the other hand, if it is true that strenuous exercise greatly increases the risk of cardiovascular events ( acute myocardial infarction or sudden cardiac death), in previously sedentary individuals and those who exercise regularly, the overall risk remains markedly lower in the latter.

For those who intend to begin a program of intense physical activity and have some kind of chronic disease (ischemic heart disease, arterial hypertension, diabetes, etc.. ) Or increased risk of suffering, and for women over 50 and men over 40 years, it is advisable to pass a medical examination.