PHYSICAL HEALTH

  

                                           Benefits of 

                             regular physical activity

The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore. Everyone benefits from exercise, no matter their age, sex or physical ability.

Need more convincing to get moving? Check out these seven ways that exercise can lead to a happier, healthier you.

1. Exercise controls weight

Types of Exercise for Weight Control:

·         Aerobic Exercise:

Activities like brisk walking, running, cycling, and swimming increase your heart rate and breathing, burning calories and improving metabolic health. 

·         Resistance Training:

Lifting weights helps build muscle mass, which increases your resting metabolism. 

·         Combination Approach:

Combining aerobic exercise with resistance training is particularly effective for maximizing fat loss and muscle mass maintenance.

Exercise can help prevent excess weight gain or help you keep off lost weight. When you take part in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn.

Regular trips to the gym are great, but don't worry if you can't find a large chunk of time to exercise every day. Any amount of activity is better than none. To gain the benefits of exercise, just get more active throughout your day. For example, take the stairs instead of the elevator or rev up your household chores. Consistency is key.

2. Exercise combats health conditions and diseases

Worried about heart disease? Hoping to prevent high blood pressure? No matter what your current weight is, being active boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the "good" cholesterol, and it decreases unhealthy triglycerides. This one-two punch keeps your blood flowing smoothly, which lowers your risk of heart and blood vessel, called cardiovascular, diseases.

Regular exercise helps prevent or manage many health problems and concerns, including:

·         Stroke.

A stroke happens when there is a loss of blood flow to part of the brain. Your brain cell cannot get the oxygen and nutrients they need from blood, and they start to die within a few minutes. This can cause lasting brain damage, long-term disability, or even death. 

·         Metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of medical condition, including high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high triglycerides, low (HDL) good cholesterol, and abdominal obesity., that collectively increase the risk of hearts disease, stroke and two types of diabetes.   

·         High blood pressure.

High blood pressure is a common condition that affects the body's arteries. It's also called hypertension. If you have high blood pressure, the force of the blood pushing against the artery walls is consistently too high. The heart has to work harder to pump blood.

·         Type 2 diabetes.

Over time, high blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes can damage the eyes, kidneys, nerves and heart. This can happen because the pancreas doesn't make enough of a hormone called insulin that helps sugar enter the cells. It happens also because the cells respond poorly to insulin by taking in less sugar.

 

·         Depression.

·         A mood disorder:

Depression is more than just feeling sad; it's a mental health condition that affects how you feel, think, and behave. 

·         Pervasive low mood:

It involves a pervasive low mood or a significant loss of pleasure or interest in activities once enjoyed. 

·         Interferes with daily life:

The symptoms are serious enough to interfere with your ability to function at work, school, or home. 

·         Anxiety.

Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread, and uneasiness. It might cause you to sweat, feel restless and tense, and have a rapid heartbeat. It can be a normal reaction to stress. For example, you might feel anxious when faced with a difficult problem at work, before taking a test, or                                                                                 before making an important decision.

·         Many types of cancer.

Breast cancer.

·         Lung cancer.

·         Prostate cancer.

·         Colorectal cancer.

·         Melanoma.

·         Bladder cancer.

·         Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

·         Kidney cancer.

     
  Arthritis.

Arthritis means redness and swelling (inflammation) of a joint. A joint is where 2 or more bones meet. There are more than 100 different arthritis diseases. Rheumatic diseases include any condition that causes pain, stiffness, and swelling in joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments, or bones.

·         Falls.

In a medical context, a fall is defined as an unintentional event where a person or patient comes to rest on the ground or a lower surface. This definition typically excludes falls resulting from overwhelming hazards or major intrinsic events like a stroke, but includes them if they are not the cause of the fall itself. Falls can be unassisted or assisted by another person, and while a fall can occur with or without injury, the potential for injury is a significant concern. 

    

It also can help improve cognitive function and helps lower the risk of death from all.                                                                                                                                      

3. Exercise improves mood

Need an emotional lift? Or need to lower stress after a stressful day? A gym session or brisk walk can help. Physical activity stimulates many brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier, more relaxed and less anxious.

You also may feel better about your appearance and yourself when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem.

4. Exercise boosts energy

Winded by grocery shopping or household chores? Regular physical activity can improve your muscle strength and boost your endurance.

Exercise sends oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and helps your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. And when your heart and lung health improve, you have more energy to tackle daily chores.

5. Exercise promotes better sleep

Struggling to snooze? Regular physical activity can help you fall asleep faster, get better sleep and deepen your sleep. Just don't exercise too close to bedtime, or you may be too energized to go to sleep.

6. Exercise puts the spark back into your sex life

Do you feel too tired or too out of shape to enjoy physical intimacy? Regular physical activity can improve energy levels and give you more confidence about your physical appearance, which may boost your sex life.

But there's even more to it than that. Regular physical activity may enhance arousal for women. And men who exercise regularly are less likely to have problems with erectile dysfunction than are men who don't exercise.

7. Exercise can be fun — and social!

Exercise and physical activity can be fun. They give you a chance to unwind, enjoy the outdoors or simply do activities that make you happy. Physical activity also can help you connect with family or friends in a fun social setting.

So take a dance class, hit the hiking trails or join a soccer team. Find a physical activity you enjoy, and just do it. Bored? Try something new, or do something with friends or family.

Exercise to feel better and have fun

Exercise and physical activity are great ways to feel better, boost your health and have fun. For most healthy adults, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends these exercise guidelines:

·         Aerobic activity. Get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity. Or get at least 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week. You also can get an equal combination of moderate and vigorous activity. Aim to spread out this exercise over a few days or more in a week.

For even more health benefits, the guidelines suggest getting 300 minutes a week or more of moderate aerobic activity. Exercising this much may help with weight loss or keeping off lost weight. But even small amounts of physical activity can be helpful. Being active for short periods of time during the day can add up and have health benefits.

·         Strength training. Do strength training exercises for all major muscle groups at least two times a week. One set of each exercise is enough for health and fitness benefits. Use a weight or resistance level heavy enough to tire your muscles after about 12 to 15 repetitions.