Why is exercise important? On the surface, this may seem like a fairly simple question – education systems around the world tell us that exercise is a great way to keep fit and healthy. But what are the actual physiological benefits of raising your heart rate, and why are they so important to human function?
First, it is important to understand what exercise is. For many, the phrase will trigger mental images of a session on one of the best treadmills (opens in a new tab), a HIIT cycling workout (opens in a new tab), or a trip to the gym, and it’s not this far wrong The 1985 Public Health Report (opens in new tab) which attempts to define the term settled on a definition of “planned, structured and repetitive physical movement performed to improve or maintain one or more components physical fitness”.
So whether you’re tracking your sets and reps in weight training (opens in a new tab) for hypertrophy (opens in a new tab) with the best adjustable dumbbells (opens in new tab), or embarking on a 10K with the goal of burning calories, you are participating in exercise.
Now, on to the main event. Why is exercise so important?
“This list is almost endless,” Liam Walton, verification lead at sports engineering firm INCUS Performance, told Live Science. However, with qualifications in Sports Biomechanics, Applied Sports and Exercise Science, as well as years of working in the fitness industry, he is better placed than most to provide an answer.
Below, he explains some of the main reasons why exercise is so important and beneficial to human functioning, including the positive impact that participation can have on positive longevity, proprioception and the reduced risk of associated diseases with a way of life.
Reducing 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 or heart disease,” says Walton. Read also : NY State of Health Releases Updated Enrollment Report Reveals Nearly 6.6 Million Total Covered Via Marketplace, with 140,000 New Yorkers Now Paying Lowest Premiums in Recent Years Due to Increased ARPA Subsidies.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States, with one person dying every 36 seconds from cardiovascular disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (opens in a new tab).
Walton continues: “Daily exercise has been scientifically proven (in a 2019 study published in Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity (opens in a new tab)) to reduce the risk of heart disease, with 30 one minute of moderate exercise completed five times a week is sufficient. to make a difference.”
Hearing that exercise can benefit heart health may not be anything new to you. But why exactly does it have such a positive effect?
“The heart is a muscle, and like all muscles it needs regular stimulation to stay strong and healthy,” says Walton. “Without regular exercise, fatty material builds up in the arteries which increases your risk of heart attack.”
A 2018 study published in Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine (opens in a new tab) reported that “endurance training is associated with increased levels of circulating high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and, to a lesser extent, a decrease in triglyceride levels—both changes that can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease”.
He adds later: “Physical activity can alleviate a variety of cardiovascular disease risk factors such as dyslipidemia (lipid imbalance) or hypertension (high blood pressure).”
Positive longevity
In essence, what we mean by the term “positive longevity” is practicing in the present to ensure that you remain healthy and functional in the future. See the article : Massachusetts public health officials confirm 18 new cases of monkeypox.
“It can be hard for younger people to imagine being elderly and many people exercise just for aesthetics, but exercise should be thought of as a long-term investment,” he said. “Being healthy and active now will prevent conditions such as osteoporosis (a health condition that weakens the bones, making them more likely to break) later in life, which can have a huge impact on mobility and quality of life when we will be older. “
Exercising positive longevity means looking after your organs, muscles and joints. And what is one of the key ways to achieve this? You guessed it: exercise.
“You should think of your body like a car – it needs constant maintenance to keep it running well,” says Walton. “For our bones and joints, resistance training may increase bone density (as suggested in this study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise) which means you are less likely to break or fracture bones as you get older.
“According to the World Health Organization (opens in a new tab), falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths worldwide. By exercising regularly and keeping your bones and muscles strong – as well as improving balance and co-ordination – you will reduce your risk of falling later in life.”
Proprioception
An often overlooked factor when considering the benefits of exercise, Walton describes proprioception as “the awareness you have of your body in space”. On the same subject : To launch a mental health program for firefighters to boost fire spending – Oregon Capital Chronicle.
“It’s about coordination,” he said. “Someone with good proprioception is less likely to injure themselves through small accidents such as tripping down a curb and twisting an ankle, or breaking a finger in the kitchen.
“Regular exercise can improve your perception and coordination, which means if you’re a clumsy person, you can fix that.”
Body composition
Arguably the best documented effect of exercise is its potential to affect body composition, which includes factors such as body fat percentage and muscle mass. Whether you’re hitting the gym to pack on slabs of muscle or sliding into the saddle of one of the best exercise bikes (opens in a new tab) in an attempt to lose weight, many people have motivate them to work out by the possibility of making changes to their frame.
After reviewing existing literature on the subject, a 2019 systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome (opens in a new tab) noted: “The effect of exercise on obesity is greater in external appearance ( BMI and waist circumference). ) than in practical factors (weight and body fat percentage).
However, exercise can still have a positive effect in preventing or reversing the symptoms of obesity, with the study authors concluding: “We suggest that individuals with obesity should exercise regularly to achieve significant improvements in their health. “
The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that “being overweight or obese can have a serious impact on health”.
He continues: “Carrying extra fat leads to serious health consequences such as cardiovascular disease (mainly heart disease and stroke), type 2 diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders such as osteoarthritis, and some cancers (endometrial, breast and colon ). These conditions cause premature death and significant disability.
“What is not generally known is that the risk of health problems starts when someone is only slightly overweight, and that the likelihood of problems increases as someone becomes more and more overweight. Many of these conditions cause long-term suffering for individuals and families.”
The World Health Organization says that becoming overweight or obese is “largely preventable” if individuals can “achieve an energy balance between calories consumed on the one hand, and calories used on the other”.
The organization says: “To increase calorie intake, people can boost their physical activity levels – to at least 30 minutes of regular, moderate-intensity activity on most days.”
This, combined with higher levels of non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) (opens in a new tab) and proper diet, can help you achieve a calorie deficit or calorie maintenance (opens in a new tab), prevent or reverse the symptoms of hypertension and obesity.
How much exercise should you be doing per week?
This is a highly individualized question with answers that will vary from person to person. However, Walton has advice for anyone looking to improve their health by incorporating a sustainable fitness routine into their weekly schedule.
“Official physical activity recommendations (opens in new tab) suggest 150 minutes of moderate exercise
the week is enough to stay healthy,” he said. “However, it is important to note that a general sedentary lifestyle with an hour-long visit to the gym every day is not enough to combat the negative effects of that lifestyle. Instead, it is better to make long-term changes to make your lifestyle more active.
“This could include walking to work instead of driving, if this is possible. If not, try to park further away and walk the last 10 minutes. Or, if you use public transport, get off some sites early and walk the rest of the way.
“Try to include a walk or even a run on your lunch break and travel under your own power (walking or cycling) as much as possible. Small changes add up and are the best way to prevent the negative effects of an inactive lifestyle.”
Harry Bullmore is a fitness writer covering everything from reviews to features for LiveScience, T3, TechRadar, Fit&Well and more. So whether you’re looking for a new fitness tracker or wondering how to shave seconds off your 5K PB, he’s probably written something to help you improve your training.
When he is not writing, he is most likely to be found experimenting with a wide variety of training methods in his home gym or trying to exhaust his energetic puppy.
