The many benefits of physical activity are no longer a secret. When an individual embraces this practice, it is possible to enjoy a series of advantages for their health and quality of life — whether on a personal or professional level.
Unfortunately, not everyone invests in the idea, especially after the arrival of technology, which indirectly encourages the population to lead a more sedentary lifestyle.
For this reason, companies must frequently carry out campaigns to promote regular physical exercise as a way of maintaining the well-being of their employees.
Want to know more about the subject? Keep reading and find out how to make people aware of the importance of keeping your body moving!
What Is Physical Activity?
Physical activity is any movement of the body that consumes energy; that is, it promotes energy expenditure above the resting level. It is perceived as a behavior that can influence physical fitness — the ability to carry out daily activities calmly and without much effort — and is also considered a determinant of physical and mental health and functional capacity.
Examples of physical activity are:
- Aerobic exercise (running, walking, swimming, cycling, climbing steps, etc.);
- Muscle strengthening activity (training with dumbbells, squats, push-ups, etc.);
- Bone strengthening exercises (jumping rope, playing tennis, etc.).
According to the World Health Organization, lack of routine physical activity is already the fourth main risk factor for mortality worldwide. Furthermore, it is an essential ally for achieving and preserving mental health.
What Is Physical Exercise?
Physical exercise is a less comprehensive concept, being considered a subcategory of physical activity. Physical exercise is any planned, structured and repetitive bodily activity that aims to improve one or more components of physical fitness.
Some daily activities can cause positive adaptations in physical fitness indices. However, they should not be considered as physical exercise. A physical workout is any systematic physical activity that has a specific duration of time and sequences of movements for different parts of the body.
Some professional occupations and routine tasks, such as domestic activities, can have a favorable impact on physical fitness but are not considered physical exercises.
Physical Activity And The Health
Performing physical exercises is recommended for all individuals. However, not everyone is able to follow these recommendations — a fact that can lead to a sedentary lifestyle and significantly compromise health.
This scenario has worsened due to the advancement of technology in our daily lives. Streaming services, electronic games and smartphones make people spend more time connected to the online universe, leaving aside sports or any other activity that can keep the body moving.
Main Benefits Of Physical Activity
When performing physical activity, it is possible to notice that this practice is responsible not only for increasing the individual’s quality of life but also for improving stress levels. Among its main advantages, we can highlight:
- reduction of the tendency to depression ;
- increased feeling of energy not only for work but also for enjoying free time;
- assistance in carrying out daily activities, eliminating fatigue and thus increasing productivity;
- helps you sleep and rest better;
- improvement of self-image;
- improves blood circulation and maintains healthy bones and joints;
- helps control weight;
- increases energy in everyday life;
- promotes physical well-being;
- Prevents mental illnesses, such as Burnout Syndrome.
Prevention Of Diseases
- The lungs receive more air and diffuse a more significant amount of oxygen into the blood;
- The heart increases in size and can pump more blood per beat. The organ also beats more slowly at rest or during exercise;
- Muscles that use oxygen to produce energy gain tone and can burn more fuel, especially fat.
Conceptual controversies regarding the health benefits that can be obtained by practicing physical exercise must be taken into account by professionals in the field. We must consider the absolutely demotivating recommendation of running 8 or 10 km, 3 or 6 times a week, for the results to be more significant.
Benefits Of Physical Activity In Old Age
In addition to being highly recommended for individuals who are in the job market, physical activity is an almost mandatory practice for those who are part of older people.
As we know, every human being will end up going through the aging process — a progressive transformation that we cannot control. The idea is for citizens to invest in aging with quality of life, always keeping the biological and psychological sides in balance.
If, before, aging was synonymous with “the end of life”, today, this scenario has changed. For some time now, and after learning about the benefits of physical activity, many older adults are looking to keep their bodies in constant movement. By following this idea, it is possible to keep all the systems present in the body up to date and even minimize different effects typical of old age.
In addition to a highly relevant improvement in quality of life and well-being, there are some benefits of physical activity for older people that deserve to be highlighted. These include increasing physical condition, the possibility of remaining independent for longer, controlling the transformations that occur during this phase and preventing functional limitations.
Of all, the great advantage that this practice provides in old age is the maintenance of the so-called physiological systems for a more extended period, thus preventing their rapid decline — a fact that occurs more frequently among sedentary individuals.
Also Read: What Is The Relationship Between Protein And Physical Exercises?
