YOUR BODY NEEDS EXERCISE

 

The human body is a complex, highly organized structure made up of unique cells that work together to accomplish the specific functions necessary for sustaining life. Exercise is a certain bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons, to aid growth and improve strength, to develop muscles and the cardiovascular system, to hone athletic skills, and weight loss, and helps in weight maintenance, to improve health, or simply for enjoyment. Many individuals choose to exercise outdoors where they can congregate in groups, socialize, and improve well-being as well as mental health. In terms of health benefits, the amount of recommended exercise depends upon the goal, the type of exercise, and the age of the person. Even doing a small amount of exercise is healthier than doing none.

There are many types of exercise which include; swimming, running, jogging, walking, dancing, etc. Being active has shown to have many health benefits, both physically and mentally. It may even help you live longer.

Some studies have shown that inactivity is a major factor in weight gain and obesity. To understand the effect of exercise on weight reduction, it is important to understand the relationship between exercise and energy expenditure (spending).

Your body spends energy in three ways:

• Digesting food.
• Exercising.
• Maintaining body functions, like your heartbeat and breathing.

While dieting, a reduced calorie intake will lower your metabolic rate, which can temporarily delay weight loss. On the contrary, regular exercise has been shown to increase your metabolic rate, which can burn more calories to help you lose weight. Additionally, studies have shown that combining aerobic exercise with resistance training can maximize fat loss and muscle mass maintenance, which is essential for keeping the weight off and maintaining lean muscle mass.

Exercise plays a vital role in building and maintaining strong muscles and bones. Activities like weight lifting can stimulate muscle building when paired with adequate protein intake. This is because exercise helps release hormones that promote your muscles’ ability to absorb amino acids. This helps them grow and reduces their breakdown. As people age, they tend to lose muscle mass and function, which can lead to an increased risk of injury. Practicing regular physical activity is essential to reducing muscle loss and maintaining strength as you age.

Exercise also helps build bone density when you’re younger, in addition to helping prevent osteoporosis later in life. Some research suggests that high-impact exercise (such as gymnastics or running) or odd-impact sports (such as soccer and basketball) may help promote a higher bone density than no-impact sports like swimming and cycling.

Exercise can be a real energy booster for many people, including those with various medical conditions. One older study found that 6 weeks of regular exercise reduced feelings of fatigue for 36 people who had reported persistent fatigue. And let’s not forget the fantastic heart and lung health benefits of exercise. Aerobic exercise boosts the cardiovascular system and improves lung health, which can significantly help with energy levels. As you move more, your heart pumps more blood, delivering more oxygen to your working muscles. With regular exercise, your heart becomes more efficient and adept at moving oxygen into your blood, making your muscles more efficient.

Over time, this aerobic training results in less demand on your lungs, and it requires less energy to perform the same activities — one of the reasons you’re less likely to get short of breath during vigorous activity. Additionally, exercise has been shown to increase energy levels in people with other conditions, such as cancer.

Lack of regular exercise is a primary cause of chronic disease. Regular exercise has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, heart health, and body composition. It can also decrease blood pressure and cholesterol levels. More specifically, exercise can help reduce or prevent the following chronic health conditions:

·         Type 2 diabetes. Regular aerobic exercise may delay or prevent type 2 diabetes. It also has considerable health benefits for people with type 1 diabetes. Resistance training for type 2 diabetes includes; improvements in fat mass, blood pressure, lean body mass, insulin resistance, and glycemic control.

·         Heart disease. Exercise reduces cardiovascular risk factors and is also a treatment for people with cardiovascular disease.

·         Many types of cancer. Exercise can help reduce the risk of several cancers, including breast, colorectal, endometrial, gallbladder, kidney, lung, liver, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, thyroid, gastric, and esophageal cancer.

·         High cholesterol. Regular moderate intensity physical activity can increase HDL (good) cholesterol while maintaining or offsetting increases in LDL (bad) cholesterol. Research supports the theory that high-intensity aerobic activity is needed to lower LDL levels (31Trusted Source).

·         Hypertension: Participating in regular aerobic exercise can lower resting systolic BP of 5–7 mmHg among people with hypertension.

In contrast, a lack of regular exercise;  even in the short term, can lead to significant increases in belly fat which may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. That’s why regular exercise is recommended to reduce belly fat and decrease the risk of developing these conditions.

NAME: ABIA PRECIOUS MFON

STATE CODE NO: OS/22B/0869

COURSE OF STUDY: COMPUTER SCIENCE

INSTITUTION: FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC, NEKEDE. IMO STATE

STATE OF ORIGIN: AKWA IBOM STATE