Staying active is an essential part of self care. Exercise helps maintain a healthy weight and body image. You are likely to feel better about your appearance and it may boost your self-confidence. It is important to get in our daily exercise for a better health and a good mindset.
The Problem of Physical Inactivity
According to Department of Health from New York State, it is estimated that "approximately 35% of coronary heart disease mortality is due to physical inactivity. The significance of this relationship lies in the fact that coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States with over 700,000 deaths annually." In addition, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC stated that "about 14 percent of young people report no recent physical activity. Inactivity is more common among females (14%) than males (7%)." In the graph below, it shows that young adults are slowly decreasing in vigorous physical activity on a regular basis. Having a sedentary lifestyle can increase the risk factors of getting high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancers, and becoming obese. With an inactive life, you'll likely experience denial, deprivation, pain, and suffering which can lead to mental health problems.
Benefits of Physical Activity
When we exercise, the body goes through many changes and functions which can lead to both short and long term health benefits. According to a foundation by Michigan Fitness, physical activity improves sleep which reduces the time needed to get to sleep and promotes deeper and more effective sleep. Other benefits include improved cognition, reduced stress, and improved mood. Physical activity does not only improve your strength and health, but can also improve your mental conditions. It can also help fight anxiety and depression by releasing endorphins in your brain which brings a positive mood to your well-being. Exercising can be a great distraction from always feeling down about yourself. With physical activity, adults can reduce the risk of certain health conditions such as heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, weight problems, etc. Overall, physical activity simply makes your life a lot better.
Tips for Exercising
Don't know where to start to become active? Well, choose a sport or activity that you like or would want to try to do. Picking something that you want to do will make your exercise fun and exciting and time will pass by fast too. If you are into lifting weights, start out light first and build your way up to lift heavier if that is what you are aiming for. Mixing it up and working out different parts of your body can help you find something you might actually enjoy working out on. Even if you don't have a gym membership, you can always use fitness apps to guide you into a workout with or without weights. If you are the person that doesn't like sports or gymming, walking around the park, hiking, doing yoga, or basically anything that increases your heart rate will help too. Exercising with a buddy/friend will make it motivating and fun. At least get 30 minutes of exercise each day to decrease the chances of certain health conditions. There are many different opportunities that is considered as physical activity, so find something that works for you daily.
How Physical Activity Affects Us All
This issue affects me and the community greatly because we always find excuses to not exercise whether we are being overwhelmed with school, work, stress, and sleep deprivation. In addition, the use of technology has prevented us from doing physically outdoor activities. Health and fitness is beneficial to young adults because it helps prevent diseases that can occur later in life before it is too late. I chose to do this issue on physical activity being an important part for us because it is always important to take care of yourself before others. Overtime, the built-up of a habit will continue and the self individual physical and mental health risk will decrease if you don't include physical activity in your lives.
References
“Adolescents and Young Adults Surgeon General Report | CDC.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/sgr/adoles.htm. Accessed 7 Nov. 2021.
No comments:
Post a Comment