Why is exercise important? At first glance, this may seem like a fairly simple question. School education systems around the world teach that exercise is a great way to stay healthy.But what is actual The physiological benefits of raising heart rate, and why are they so important to human function?
First of all, it is important to understand what exercise is.For many, this phrase provokes a spiritual image of a session on one of the best treadmills. (Opens in a new tab)HIIT bike training (Opens in a new tab), Or a trip to the gym, and this isn’t too wrong. 1985 Public Health Report (Opens in a new tab) We are trying to identify terms that have been determined based on the definition of “planned, structured, repetitive body movements that are made to improve or maintain one or more elements of physical fitness.”
Therefore, whether you are tracking the set and the person in charge during weight training (Opens in a new tab) Because of hypertrophy (Opens in a new tab) With the best adjustable dumbbells (Opens in a new tab)Or, if you’re embarking on 10K for the purpose of burning calories, you’re participating in an exercise.
Now let’s move on to the main event. Why is exercise so important?
“This list is almost endless,” Liam Walton, validation leader at sports engineering firm INCUS Performance, told Live Science. However, with a qualification in sports biomechanics, applied sports and exercise science and many years of work in the fitness industry, he can provide better answers than anyone else.
Below, he explains some of the main reasons why exercise is so important and beneficial to human functioning. This includes the positive impact of participation on longevity, proprioception, and a reduced risk of lifestyle-related diseases.
Reduce the risk of lifestyle-related diseases
“One of the most important benefits of exercise is reducing the risk of developing lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes and heart disease,” says Walton.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death in men and women in the United States, with cardiovascular disease killing one person every 36 seconds. (Opens in a new tab)..
Walton goes on to say: “Daily exercise is scientifically proven (in a 2019 study published in Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity). (Opens in a new tab)To reduce your risk of heart disease, you can make a difference by just doing moderate exercise for 30 minutes, 5 times a week. “
It may not be new to you to hear that the exercise is beneficial to your heart health. But why does it have such a positive impact?
“The heart is a muscle, and like all muscles, it needs regular stimulation to stay strong and healthy,” says Walton. “If you don’t exercise regularly, fatty substances can build up in your arteries, increasing your risk of suffering a heart attack.”
2018 study published in the Frontier of Cardiovascular Medicine (Opens in a new tab) “Endurance training is associated with elevated levels of circulating high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and, to a lesser extent, lower levels of triglycerides. Both changes reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. There is a possibility. “
“Physical activity can improve risk factors for various cardiovascular diseases such as dyslipidemia (lipid imbalance) and hypertension (hypertension),” he added.
Positive lifespan
In essence, what we mean by the term “positive longevity” is that you are currently exercising to ensure that you remain healthy and functional in the future.
“It can be hard to imagine young people being older, and many just exercise for aesthetics, but exercise should be considered a long-term investment,” he says. increase. “Now, being healthy and active can prevent conditions such as osteoporosis (bones weaken and more likely to break), which is what makes us more mobile and of life as we grow older. It can have a significant impact on quality. “
To practice positive longevity, you need to take care of your organs, muscles and joints. And what is one of the key ways to achieve this? You guessed it: exercise.
“You have to think of your body like a car-it needs constant maintenance to keep running well,” says Walton. “For our bones and joints, strength training can increase bone density (as suggested by this study published in sports and exercise medicine and science).
“According to the World Health Organization (Opens in a new tab)Falling is the second most common cause of death from unintentional injury worldwide. By exercising regularly, keeping your bones and muscles strong, and improving balance and coordination, you can reduce the risk of falls in later years. “
Intrinsic acceptance
Walton, an element often overlooked when considering the benefits of exercise, describes proprioception as “the perception of the body in space.”
“It’s about coordination,” he says. “People with good proprioception are less likely to get injured in minor accidents such as tripping on a curb, twisting their ankles, or cutting their fingers in the kitchen.
“Regular exercise can really improve proprioception and coordination, which means that a clumsy person can correct it.”
Body composition
Perhaps the most well-documented effects of exercise are those that can affect body composition, including factors such as body fat percentage and muscle mass. Whether you’re stuffing muscle slabs in the gym or slipping into the saddle of the best exercise bike (Opens in a new tab) To lose weight, many are motivated to exercise by the possibility of making changes to their frame.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 2019 published in the Journal of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome after reviewing existing literature on this topic. (Opens in a new tab) “The effect of exercise on obesity is greater in appearance (BMI and waist circumference) than in actual factors (weight and body fat percentage),” he said.
However, exercise can still have a positive effect on preventing or reversing the symptoms of obesity, and the authors of the study conclude:
The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that “overweight and obesity can have serious health consequences.”
“Carrying excess fat can lead to serious cardiovascular disease (mainly heart disease and stroke), type 2 diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders such as osteoarthritis, and some cancers (endometrial, breast, colon). There are health consequences. These conditions cause premature death and substantial disability.
“What is not widely known is that the risk of health problems begins when someone is very slightly overweight, and the more likely they are, the more likely they are. Many of the conditions cause long-term distress to individuals and families. “
WHO states that overweight and obesity are “mostly preventable” if an individual “can achieve an energy balance between calories burned on the one hand and calories burned on the other.”
The organization states: “To increase calories burned, people can increase their level of physical activity-for at least 30 minutes of regular, moderate-intensity activity most days.”
This is combined with an increase in the level of heat generation (NEAT) of non-motor activity. (Opens in a new tab) And a proper diet can help you achieve calorie maintenance or calorie deficiency (Opens in a new tab)Prevents or reverses the symptoms of overweight and obesity.
How much exercise do you need to do each week?
This is a very personalized question and the answers vary from person to person. However, Walton does provide advice to anyone seeking to improve their health by incorporating a sustainable fitness routine into their weekly schedule.
“Official Physical Activity Recommendations (Opens in a new tab) Propose 150 minutes of moderate exercise
A week is enough to stay healthy, “he says. “But it’s important to note that the entire sedentary lifestyle of going to the gym for an hour each day isn’t enough to counter the negative effects of that life. Instead, make your lifestyle more fully active. It is best to make long-term changes to do so.
“This includes, if possible, walking to work instead of driving. If not, park further away and try walking for the last 10 minutes, or the public. If you use transportation, get off at a few stations early and walk the rest of the road.
“Try to travel on your own (walking or biking) as much as possible, including walking and running during your lunch break. Small changes are actually summed up and are the best way to prevent the negative effects of an inactive lifestyle. is.”
