Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Being physically active can improve your brain health, help manage your weight, reduce your risk of disease, strengthen your bones and muscles, and improve your ability to carry out everyday activities.
Adults who sit less and engage in any amount of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity reap some health benefits. So, few lifestyles have as much of an impact on your health as physical activity.
Everyone can experience the health benefits of bodily activity – no matter their age, ability, ethnicity, shape or size.
Immediate benefits of Physical Activity
Some of the brain health benefits of physical activity can be seen immediately after a session of moderate to vigorous physical activity. So, benefits include improving thinking or cognition for children ages 6 to 13 and reducing short-term feelings of anxiety in adults. Regular physical activity can help keep your thinking, learning and judgment sharp even as you age. It can also reduce the risk of depression and anxiety and help you sleep better.
Weight management
Both eating habits and physical activity routines play a vital role in weight management. You gain weight when you take in more calories from food and drink than you burn, including calories burned during physical activity.
To keep your weight off: Work in up to 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity, which might include dancing or working in the garden. You can reach your goal of 150 minutes a week with 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
People vary greatly in how much physical activity they need for weight management. You may need to be more active than others to reach or maintain a healthy weight.
To lose weight and keep it off: You will need a lot of physical activity unless you also modify your eating habits and reduce the number of calories you eat and drink. Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight requires both regular physical activity and a healthy diet.
Reduce your health risk
Cardiovascular disease
Heart disease and stroke are the two leading causes of death in the United States. By getting at least 150 minutes of moderate biological activity per week, you can reduce your risk of these diseases. You can reduce your risk even more by being more physically active. Regular biological activity can also lower blood pressure and improve cholesterol levels.
Type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome
Regular physical activity can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a combination of too much fat around the waist, high blood pressure, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, high triglycerides, or high blood sugar. People will begin to see benefits in biological activity levels even without meeting the recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week. Additional amounts of physical activity appear to reduce the risk even more.
Some Cancers
Being physically active reduces the risk of several common cancers. Adults who participate in greater amounts of activity have a reduced risk of developing cancer:
- Bladder
- Breast
- Colon (proximal and distal)
- Endometrium
- Oesophagus (adenocarcinoma)
- kidneys
- Lung
Stomach (cardiac and non-cardiac adenocarcinoma) If you are a cancer survivor, regular physical activity will not only help improve your quality of life but also improve your physical fitness.
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Strengthen your bones and muscles for Physical Activity
As you age, it’s important to protect your bones, joints and muscles – they support your body and help you move. Keeping your bones, joints and muscles healthy can help ensure you can do your daily activities and be physically active.
Muscle-strengthening activities, such as lifting weights, can help you increase or maintain muscle mass and strength. This is important for older adults who lose muscle mass and strength with age. Slowly increasing the amount of weight and the number of repetitions you do in muscle-strengthening activities will give you even more benefits, regardless of your age.
Improve your ability to perform daily activities and prevent falls Daily activities include climbing stairs, grocery shopping, or playing with the grandchildren. The inability to perform daily activities is called a functional limitation. Physically active middle-aged or older adults have a lower risk of functional limitations than inactive people.
For older adults, engaging in a variety of physical activities improves physical function and reduces the risk of falls or fall injuries. Include physical activities such as aerobics, muscle strengthening and balance training. Multicomponent activity can be done at home or in a community setting as part of a structured program.
A hip fracture is a serious medical condition that can result from a fall. A hip fracture has negative, life-altering effects, especially if you are an older adult. Physically active people have a lower risk of hip fracture than inactive people.
Increase your chances of living longer by Physical Activity
An estimated 110,000 deaths per year could be prevented if US adults aged 40 and older increased their moderate to vigorous activity by a small amount. Even 10 minutes more a day would make a difference.
Taking more steps a day also helps reduce the risk of premature death from all causes. For adults under the age of 60, the risk of premature death leveled out at around 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day. For adults age 60 and older, the risk of premature death leveled out at about 6,000 to 8,000 steps per day. Source medical news today.
