In the United States, two out of three adults were found to be overweight or obese in 2012. Now, in 2018, the number of overweight people keeps on increasing. Exercise is one of the healthy ways of weight loss (Karim et al. 63). However, many people do not recognize the importance of exercise. Exercising is not only about looking good and getting in shape; there are many other benefits of physical activity that many people do not consider.
Exersise is the primary way of getting rid of stress. Everybody should exercise since it benefits every part of the body including the mind. Particularly, exercise increases the amount of blood flowing to the brain and stimulates growth in brain mass. This is especially in the part of the brain called the hippocampus.
The hippocampus is essential for reason and memory and keeping the brain mass as one gets old is vital because it helps in slowing down the cognitive deficits of dementia. Adults and children who engage in physical activity every now and again have better mental and emotional health than persons who do not exercise regularly (Reynolds 109). Physical activity stimulates the body to release endorphins that reduce stress and anxiety, and exercising can improve the symptoms of depression.
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Exercise is good because the heart and the lungs need it. When one performs cardiovascular exercise, the heart, and the lungs work hard to provide the muscle with enough oxygen, they need to support the movement. As an individual breathe hard to take in more oxygen, the heart pumps faster to transport oxygen to all the body cells. In the process, the veins dilate to handle increased blood flow, and this prevents blood clots or growth of plague in the arteries and the veins. Also, cardiovascular exercise is vital in increasing the lung capacity which enables one to improve the fitness level to do more work with less effort (Reynolds 80). In essence, cardiovascular exercise is vital for the body because it improves the fitness level and reduces the risk of heart diseases and stroke.
Physical activity is essential in making the bones grow strong. The World Health Organization recommends exercise because it helps in maintaining healthy bones as people age. It helps prevent osteoporosis, a degenerative disease that develops when bones lose mass and start to thin. Persons with osteoporosis, mainly the older adults, are at higher risk of falls, fractures, and immobility.
While calcium and vitamin D are essential in developing strong bones, exercise equally plays an important role (Karim et al. 60). Thus, individuals who participate in weight-bearing exercises experience greater stimulation of bone cell production which is essential in enhancing the growth of bone mass with age. Basing on the above argument, exercise is critical in preventing osteoporosis which is mainly associated with aging.
Exercising is an integral part of weight loss because one cannot burn calories without engaging in the workout. Individuals who participate in regular physical activity burn more calories and look better than those who do not. For instance, every mile one walk helps him or her loose approximately 100 calories (Karim et al. 59). The amount of calories one burns depends on the age and the activity one partakes, but most often, an average adult burns about 300 calories while participating in moderate physical activity.
In particular, exercise can help an individual maintain a healthy weight which is critical in assisting people to reduce the effect of becoming overweight or obese (Lee, I-Min, et al. 1173). In addition to reducing the impact of growing obese, exercise reduces the risk of developing particular heart diseases such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. Therefore, it is recommended that people participate in regular exercise not only to keep fit but also to reduce the effects of contracting avoidable lifestyle diseases.
Physical activity helps in getting good quality sleep. People who engage in regular exercise sleep more soundly than people who do not. People sleep soundly and feel more attentive during the day when they have had at least 150 minutes of physical activity in seven days (Lee, I-Min, et al. 1178). The people who exercise more feel a lot better and feel less tired during the day. Therefore, it is important to remain active regularly to keep enjoying good quality sleep that also helps in enhancing the moods individuals express.
Despite the benefits of exercise, some people think that participating in physical activity will make them lose energy or have less energy. The fact of the matter is that exercise makes one have more energy and feels better. Research conducted by the Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics provides that inactive people who complain of fatigue can increases energy by 20% and reduce fatigue by 65% by merely engaging in regular low-intensity physical activity (Lee, I-Min, et al1175). Many other studies also reveal the same thing because exercising reduces fatigue and increases energy. Indeed, exercise helps clear the mind and makes one more focused on everyday activities such as school, sports, and work.
While exercise is beneficial, it can be dangerous. Excessive exercising can cause muscle strain or fractures. Furthermore, engaging in exercise because of wanting to lose weight can be discouraging if one does not see the results. Many people stop exercising because they are not losing weight. The fact of the matter is that fitness is not about losing weight but improving the number of pushups one can perform in a minute.
Furthermore, the results of exercise can be lowering the cholesterol level or blood pressure. Therefore, those people who stop exercising because they are not losing weight do not understand the true meaning of exercise. Exercise cannot be used as a sole tool of getting thin or cutting weight (Reynolds 67). Moreover, studies show that while exercise is a strategy of losing weight, it is vital in maintaining heathy weight. According to the National Weight Control Registry, 90% of the people who maintained weight loss participated in the physical activity on average for 60 minutes per day.
From the arguments above, it is clear that exercise is essential and people of all ages should be encouraged to participate in any form of exercise at least 30 minutes a day. Exercise can help one to maintain a healthy weight, reduce the risk of lifestyle diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity, reduce stress, have a good sleep and have more energy (Karim et al. 67). Ideally, people do not participate in physical activities because they do not understand the benefits of exercising or whey have wrong notions about exercising. Thus, providing people with the right information regarding the importance of exercising and how much they should exercise is critical in encouraging them to set aside some time to exercise.
Exercising can change the life of an individual for the better and with little encouragement; people around us can be helped. It is easier to understand why exercising is vital considering the benefits of exercise to the heart, muscles, mind, joints, and bones. The most important thing about exercise is that one can start at any time and even a small thing can count when starting like walking for 30 minutes or taking a short bike ride. Conclusively, exercise should not be more about looking good, staying in shape or losing weight but rather made as a lifestyle towards earning a healthy life.
