The 15 Health Benefits of Physical Activity

The Health Benefits of Physical Activity are diverse, doctors, specialists and general practitioners all advise people to take up a physical activity routine and dietary changes to boost health. Exercise helps to burn excess calories. These physical activities can not only be strict regimens, but also simple physical activities such as brisk and short, using the stairs more often and even household chores. This is particularly true of patients with a history of stroke.

Physical activity for most urban people has been on a steady decline for many years now. A lack of considerable physical activity has been attributed to the development of many diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes , obesity , hypercholesterolemia, osteoporosis , mental stress, and the risk of certain types of cancers, such as colon and breast cancer. These diseases are considered lifestyle diseases, due to the fact that their development is directly related to lack of physical activity. So, check out  The 15 Health Benefits of Physical Activity.

Problems With Today’s Lifestyle:  Improvements in technology and sedentary lifestyles are a major source of blame for our decline in health worldwide. We hardly do any physical activity today, as most of our jobs involve sitting in front of a work area for several hours. Even after getting home, many people choose to sit and watch TV or browse the Internet. With such inactivity, we don’t burn even a fraction of the calories we consume.

Benefit of Physical Activity for Decreased Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: Research conducted a few years ago in middle-aged men and women indicates the benefits of physical activity in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease . Cardiovascular disease was reported to have decreased by about 20% to 35% for men and women who had increased levels of physical activity , while people with very low levels of physical activity showed an increased risk of cardiovascular disease by up to 95%. %.

This result was about primary prevention. Secondary prevention has also been reported for patients with heart disease . The minimal amount of physical activity with energy expenditure of about 1600 kcal to 2200 kcal showed a halt in the progress of coronary heart disease and a reduction in plaque in patients with heart disease .

Benefit of Physical Activity for Type 2 Diabetes: Studies suggest that the risk of developing type 2 diabetes decreases with an increase in physical activity. The risk of type 2 diabetes is particularly high in those who are overweight after a lifestyle change. Doctors suggest thatmoderate and intense physical activity can make you break a sweat to reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes .

Moderate weight loss and dietary changes, when combined with moderately intense physical activity , further decreased the risk of diabetes in overweight patients. A minimum of 150 minutes per week of moderately intense physical activity is recommended for these people. In secondary prevention, for those people who have already been diagnosed with diabetes , at least 2 hours of walking per week has been recommended. It has been reported to be effective in reducing the risk of death caused by diabetes . Many studies on physical activities have shown that both aerobic and resistance training were effective in reducing diabetes .

Benefits of Physical Activity for Cancer: Research has shown that moderate physical activity has been reported to be effective in reducing the incidence and development of certain types of cancer, such as colon and breast cancer . Physically active men and women had about a 30% to 40% reduction in colon cancer risk and a 20% to 30% reduction in breast cancer in women. There was also evidence that cancer recurrence and deaths were also reduced thanks to physical activity . Studies in cancer patients have shown increased survival rates of up to 73% in patients who participated in considerable levels of physical activity..

Research suggests that exercising for an hour a day reduces the risk of getting breast cancer  in women of any age and of any weight. Research also suggests that physical activity and a healthy diet can help reduce your risk of cancer .

Benefits of Physical Activity for Osteoporosis: Osteoporosis is a degenerative disease of the bones, which is often reported in middle-aged men and women. Osteoporosis is particularly observed more in women than in men. Research into the relationship between osteoporosis and physical activity revealed that exercise, particularly weight bearing and resistance exercise, showed increased bone mineral density and a reduced risk of osteoporosis , particularly in middle-aged men, women, and in elderly people. advanced.

Physical activity has also been reported to have reduced the risk of fractures, which often strikes aging people. Physically active people had a lower risk of fractures compared to physically inactive people. Therefore, physical activity is recommended to reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis .

Benefit of Physical Activity for Psychological Well-Being: A person’s psychological or mental health is also very important along with physical health. Regular  physical activity has also been reported to be effective in reducing stress , anxiety and depression . The relationship between physical activity and mental well-being had no link to socioeconomic standards, age or sex. This pattern was particularly seen in physically active women and men who are 40 years of age and above.

Benefits of Physical Activity for the Brain: In addition to the mental health discussed above, brain health also plays a crucial role in an individual’s overall health. Studies have shown that brain health can be improved through physical activity and the fruits of this activity can be realized in later stages of life when brain health may be more noticeably affected. Recent research suggests that physical activities , such as climbing a tree and balancing on a bundle of rope, can help improve cognitive skills. Physical activitymoderate to heavy has benefits such as improved learning and mental performance, stimulation of neurogenesis, greater resistance to brain damage, and improvement in brain plasticity processes.

Benefit of Physical Activity in Weight Management: There is an obvious inverse relationship between weight gain and low physical activity , as well as weight loss  and high physical activity. In fact, the best way to lose weight is to be physically active. Studies suggest that moderate physical activity may not be enough to lose weight , but being very active, physical activities with an energy expenditure of around 2500 kcal/week were very effective in long-term weight management.

Benefits of Physical Activity for Children: In recent times, the number of children playing outdoors has been decreasing. A sedentary lifestyle in children is increasing weight gain and obesity. Lack of physical activity has been a major concern and studies suggest interventions to increase physical activity in obese children. In fact, anything to motivate kids to take up exercise or physical activity is a good thing. Other evidence shows that obese children with a lack of exercise are at an increased risk of developing coronary artery disease andnon-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.

Benefit of Physical Activity for Parkinson’s Disease: Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder originating in the central nervous system. Symptoms include tremors, stiffness, slowness of movement, difficulty walking, and in later life, dementia. How and why Parkinson’s disease manifests is not known to science, but investigations are ongoing to discover the cause. One such survey found that the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease was lower for people who were physically active in their early life, from childhood to adulthood. However, highly strenuous physical work should be avoided as it can increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease in the future.

Benefits of Physical Activity During Pregnancy: Physical activity during pregnancy is known to be good for your overall health. Moderately intense physical activities , such as walking , help maintain good heart and lung health during pregnancy. Many pregnant women experience mood swings, but being physically active is also known to improve mood during pregnancy.

Being physically active during pregnancy doesn’t mean exercising all at once, but rather, spreading activities throughout the day can be beneficial. When starting any physical activity during pregnancy, remember to start slowly and increase the intensity over time. According to the CDC, being active during pregnancy does not increase the risk of preterm delivery, does not decrease the baby’s body weight, and does not affect milk production.

Benefit of Physical Activity for Arthritis: Physical  activity is highly beneficial as an analgesic. According to the CDC, moderately intense or lower activity reduces the risk of disability in arthritis , in most cases. Both aerobic and muscle strengthening activities are known to work very well for people with arthritis . In October 2008, the Department of Health and Human Services released physical activity guidelines for Americans in which a lot of focus was placed on physical activity to combat arthritis .

Benefit of Physical Activity for Loss of Skeletal Muscle Mass: Loss of skeletal muscle mass, also known as sarcopenia, due to aging is a degenerative disease that can affect people in later stages of life. Sarcopenia usually develops between 65 – 80 years of age and this is one of the reasons for the low strength and fractures that occur so often in older people. One study has shown that the intensity of sarcopenia can be reduced by maintaining a good diet, vitamin supplementation if necessary, along withnormal physical activity . The study has emphasized  physical activities as a better intervention for sarcopenia due to aging and predominantly sedentary people.

Benefits of Physical Activity for Blood Pressure: Physical  activity  is also helpful in lowering blood pressure . Blood pressure is one of the diseases that has been responsible for increasing the risk of stroke and heart disease . Today, scientific reports suggest that aerobic physical exercises are very helpful in lowering blood pressure in patients suffering from hypertension and normal people alike. There is evidence that increasing levels of physical activity play an important role in controlling blood pressure .

Benefits of Physical Activity for Cholesterol: A high level of cholesterol has been linked to coronary heart disease. However, cholesterol is essential for many functions of the organism and has its place linked to the construction of cell membranes, the production of hormones and the formation of bile acids. The secret here is that there are certain types of cholesterol that can do both good and bad things for our bodies. The good cholesterol is HDL or HDL cholesterol, while the bad cholesterol is LDL or low-density lipoproteins. The key is to keep your good cholesterol and bad cholesterol levels high.low. Research indicates that being physically active can be very helpful in boosting good HDL cholesterol levels .