Physical Activity And Health: What Are The Benefits Of Sport?
First of all, let's face it, there is no age to get into the sport! You can resume sporting activity at any age, simply by respecting your body, its rhythm and its state of health. Do not hesitate to ask a doctor for advice on finding a suitable activity, in addition to following our advice on this matter.
Resume an activity to enjoy the benefits of sport
Physical activity is not only a very effective way to lose weight and maintain a slim and toned figure. In addition to a healthy and balanced diet, it is also a great ally for your immune system and your general well-being. The intensive or regular practice of a sport helps to prevent many chronic, mental, and/or age-related diseases. Let's see in detail the benefits of sport on your body and your general quality of life.
What physical activity to practice to be in shape?
To begin with, we need to come back to the meaning of “practising physical activity”. Are some sports more suitable than others? Indeed, when looking to start an activity, the choice that arises is particularly wide.
However, please note that, unless there is a contraindication related to your physical condition (pregnancy, specific handicap, particular disorders), all sports are beneficial to your body. Jogging, swimming, bodybuilding, team sport, aerobics at home… It's up to you to decide according to your preferences and your physical capacities. The important thing is to spend at least thirty minutes each day. Of course, you have to adapt this sporting activity to your age and your physical capacity, otherwise, it will generate nothing but frustration. Or worse, injuries!
Among the most popular sports activities, walking is a favourite. Not only does it integrate perfectly with your daily activities, but it is also extremely easy, in the sense that it does not require any equipment. For its part, weight training is also a very effective activity for maintaining muscle mass. It also allows you to sculpt an irreproachable silhouette. You should know that the damage of time is considerable. From the age of 30, we lose on average 0.5% of our muscle mass per year. Sport intervenes here as a real elixir of youth, helping the regeneration of bone, muscle and even nervous tissue.
Respect your pace!
Whatever activity you choose, whether it's weight training, running or any other activity, start slowly, gradually increasing the intensity as you work out. Respect your body signals, and know-how to stop when you need to. A workout always begins with a general warm-up, often in the form of light jogging. It ends with ten to fifteen minutes of cool down and stretching, during which you gradually decrease your exercise and therefore your heart rate.
Beyond the obvious improvements in sports performance and physical condition, regular sports practice is incredibly effective in preventing many chronic, cardiovascular, and even degenerative diseases.
An effective vector in the fight against cardiovascular disease
Regular physical activity improves and regulates the functioning of the heart system, dramatically reducing all cardiovascular risk factors. The sport :
Helps reduce high blood pressure by up to 50%;
Reduces the level of 'bad' cholesterol (LDL) and blood triglycerides ;
Increases the level of 'good' cholesterol (HDL) in the body;
Intervenes in the vasodilation of the vessels, to improve blood circulation ;
Regulates blood sugar levels, thus reducing the risk of diabetes;
Over time, it helps to make the heart more resilient and tireless during physical exertion.
An effective way to fight overweight and obesity
Be careful, obesity remains a pathology that requires medical treatment, and this is not to say that sport systematically prevents obesity or overweight. However, it is an activity widely prescribed by therapists, in addition to appropriate treatment, to support patients on the road to recovery.
In general, physical activity remains ideal for small weight loss, and for keeping your healthy weight, in order to achieve a slimmer and more toned figure. The sport also helps reduce the risk of overweight or obesity in children. If you want to slim down, focus on cardio sports such as swimming, elliptical, or running. On the other hand, if you prefer to build muscle, activities like dancing, Pilates, weight training, or aerobics will work best for you.
Reinforcement of the bone structure
It's not the most well-known effect of exercise on the body, but it is one of its greatest benefits. Engaging in regular physical activity is beneficial for improving your bone density. In fact, the contraction movement exerted by the muscles on the bones, via the tendons, will help strengthen the strength and robustness of your bones. The good health of your bone mass, therefore, depends not only on the amount of calcium you ingest but also on the sport you practice.
When it comes to bone health, one reference is often cited: Wolff's law. According to her, bones are formed and resorbed according to the mechanical stresses we impose on them. Muscular and athletic activity can condition these constraints and make the bones stronger. This bone and muscle strengthening is perfectly suited to limit the appearance of chronic conditions such as low back pain, inflammatory rheumatism, osteoporosis, or even arthritis.
The benefits of sport against ageing
Sport is a great prevention tool against degenerative diseases, often related to age. By promoting endurance, muscle volume, bone density, and quite simply strength, physical activity fights the appearance of many signs of ageing, while helping to reduce bone injuries, back pain or knee pain. , joint pain, and other chronic diseases, thus improving longevity. It is estimated that two to three hours of sport per week, for older subjects, can extend life expectancy by nearly five years.
Enough to age in good shape and in total autonomy! In fact, sport helps to postpone the loss of autonomy that most often occurs with age. This is linked to our sedentary lifestyle, and not just to ageing.
The benefits of sport on the immune system
We talk too little about it: the importance of sport for the body's natural defences, which we simply call the "immune system". Of course, the effectiveness of our immune defences depends on several factors, such as the quality of our diet, or our physical condition. While sport helps to extend life expectancy and reduce mortality, it also preserves the health of young people and adults. It makes our natural defences more effective, more resistant to external aggressions of all kinds. Bacteria, viruses, pathogens, fungi, etc. In women, in particular, sport increases the production of the immune response regulator. Endurance sports are also known to help combat declining immunity. So, put on your sneakers!
Considerable anti-inflammatory properties
Whether you have pathology or are in good health, sport is really beneficial. We know, for example, that sports activity activates the sympathetic nervous system, generating an increase in blood pressure and heart rate. In addition, the body also produces norepinephrine and adrenaline through physical exertion. These hormones elicit beneficial immune responses, which help regulate the secretion of cytokines in the body. Cytokines are linked to the mechanism of inflammation (9)! Sports activity, therefore, has direct effects on markers of inflammation.
In addition, the sport has beneficial effects on chronic inflammation linked to inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis or arthritis. Sport is essential for maintaining the shape of the muscles and for ensuring the proper functioning of our joints.
Benefits of sport: anticancer effects
Numerous scientific studies have shown the preventive action of sports activity against certain types of cancer. There is an 18% reduction in the risk of colon cancer or a 21% reduction in the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Beyond the preventive aspect, the sport also helps cancer patients to maintain good physical condition. Especially with regard to muscle mass. This can play a positive role in resistance to treatment and the healing process.
The benefits of sport on mental health
The benefits of sports activity are not limited to improving physical condition; sport is also a vector of well-being, by acting directly on our mental health.
Sport conveys a feeling of general well-being
This has happened to all of us. What is this feeling that invades us after an intensive sports session? We are emptied, washed out… but also completely relaxed and serene. This feeling of well-being, almost euphoric, finds its origin in endorphins. These pleasure hormones sent by the brain as a result of intense exertion. Like a drug, this is also what explains an overwhelming urge to work out. By dint of training, some athletes can no longer do without their sports routine. Practised with reason, sport allows you to feel more well-being and serenity.
The benefits of sport on intellectual capacities
As we have seen, the intensive practice of a sport, and in particular of an endurance sport, contributes to the improvement of the blood circulation in the body. Therefore, carbon dioxide is also transported faster, resulting in better oxygenation of the brain. Brain activity is therefore greatly stimulated, improving our thinking or memory skills. It also improves morale, psychological balance and fights nervous tension. In addition, it supports brain development.
Sport, a quality anti-stress
As a result of the action of endorphins, and of this general well-being, the levels of stress and anxiety also decrease significantly with the practice of intense sports activity. Beyond its tranquillizing effect, the sport also allows you to take a break from everyday life, and to forget, for a few hours, the little hassles that usually occupy our mind. Subsequently, he helps us to consider these problems with much more serenity.
It is a real tool in the fight against stress, anxiety attacks, or even depression. It is all the more beneficial in children, adolescents and the elderly, those most affected by lack of recognition and self-confidence.
Better quality of sleep thanks to sport
Intensive and regular exercise is ideal for improving sleep cycles and enjoying restful sleep. Again, endorphins, and the feeling of well-being they impart, help the body fall into a deeper sleep. Sleep free from stress and anxiety. Sport is therefore a formidable ally in the fight against insomnia.
The integration of new life values
Indirectly, sport helps to strengthen the bonds of social belonging and integration. It is often used in reintegration therapy for marginalized people. Indeed, whether it is a football team, a weight room, group activities (aerobics, dancing, etc.) ... Sport brings together different individuals around the same passion. Enough to be able to forge strong relational bonds.
Beyond the societal aspect, a sporting activity, and in particular team sports, are excellent vectors of learning for young people. Sport conveys the values of friendship, solidarity, respect, self-control, surpassing oneself or even courtesy.
The benefits of sport: to conclude
Sport, accompanied by a suitable diet, has often been seen as a way to lose weight quickly and effectively. And without dwelling on its incredible benefits on the physical and mental health of those who practice it. However, with the elements presented above, we understand that physical activity is real therapy, effective at all ages and at all levels ... As long as we show a little motivation and will. So what are you waiting for to put on your sneakers?
The term describes the health-related fitness contributes to sports performance component of an individual’s body, including cardiovascular capacity, muscle strength, and flexibility.
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