The rise of the so-called “lifestyle diseases”, and increasing attention to physical well-being and the “perfect” body image has made regular exercise a key part of the 21st century lifestyle. However, there seems to be a lot of progress to be made as far as the facts are concerned. Diseases such as High Blood Pressure and Diabetes retain their status as key health concerns due to inactive/sedentary lifestyles. The statistics are rather discouraging. The World Health Organization identifies inactivity as the primary cause of over 2 million deaths every year. However, the world remains oblivious to the problem as figures show that 60-80 percent of the world’s population is generally inactive /sedentary.
This article sets out with the sole purpose of exploring why exercise should matter. A comprehensive look at the wonders of exercise on the human body, and general principles for effective results should help with setting a solid background for anyone looking to commit and incorporate exercises in their pursuit of physical well-being.
Before we get into the details, let’s set the foundation by looking at some of the key concepts and terminology relating to exercise programs.
Physical activity and exercise: What’s the difference?
Physical activity refers to any body movement that results in energy expenditure. It’s a broad term that encompasses everything from combing your hair, to a quick walk towards your workplace. On the other hand, exercise refers to planned physical activity with the purpose of achieving specific goals relating to physical fitness. This involves your carefully planned aerobic workouts and weight-lifting sessions. The difference lies in objectivity.
Physical fitness
Physical fitness is an umbrella term that defines your capacity to execute daily or particular physical tasks efficiently. There are three main components to it, and these are: muscular strength, muscle endurance and aerobic capacity.
Physical fitness is defined by a specific value known as the Maximal Oxygen Uptake (VO₂Max), which can be estimated after conducting a range of physical tests. Safe and sound aerobic exercise programs start with appropriate physical fitness tests to define the right exercise programs for each individual.
Benefits of exercise on general health
Chances are that you may have a general idea on how exercise can be beneficial to your well-being. But how exactly is this the case? A good understanding of a few specifics should go a long way in enabling you to develop a sound exercise routine. Proper exercise has an impressive array of effects on various body systems.
Exercise and the circulatory system
In case you need a bit of clarification, the circulatory system consists of two components which have a structural and functional relationship: the Heart and Blood vessels.
The heart
There is a lot of well-documented evidence on the positive impact of aerobic exercise on the Heart and blood vessels. When it comes to the heart, there are two main factors which respond positively to regular aerobic exercise. These are known as Volume and Heart Rate. Research shows that regular exercise increases the size of the heart muscle, which is key in pumping blood to the rest of the body. If you remember your high school biology very well, the heart can be understood as a four-chambered pump which receives blood from the rest of the body, and then pumps it to the lungs, before it receives it again and pumps it to the whole body.
Key to the process of pumping blood to the body is the largest chamber known as the Left Ventricle. The walls of this chamber consist of a powerful muscle that contracts repeatedly to force the blood out towards the rest of the body.
This muscle adapts to regular exercise by increasing its size, which in turn enhances the heart’s overall capacity to force blood to the rest of the body. The result is that more blood is pumped out in a single Heart-beat, which in turn pushes more blood to the body. In other words, the blood Volume extracted from the Heart to the body increases.
Another equally important factor to consider is the Heart Rate. Heart Rate simply refers to the number of heart beats in a single minute. Following regular exercise, there are a number of changes which occur with respect to the Heart Rate. However, the most notable change is that the extent to which the Heart Rate increases when you are involved in physical exercise decreases.
This generally means that with increased physical activity, your Heart becomes more efficient in terms of making blood available to the necessary parts of the body. Additionally, your Heart’s ability to adjust to normal levels following vigorous physical activity improves, which is in itself a good indicator of sound physical fitness.
Blood vessels
Now let’s take a look at the blood vessels. The most important changes that occur in connection with blood vessels include blood pressure, blood volume and blood flow efficiency. Research has demonstrated significant evidence of reduction in the overall blood pressure with regular aerobic exercise. This is why exercises play a key role in the management of High Blood Pressure. The necessary details relating to this will be tackled in a dedicated article on “exercise and High Blood Pressure”.
Plausible evidence is also available relating to exercise and the actual structure of the circulatory system. Proper exercise can trigger important changes that include formation of small blood vessels (capillaries) within the muscles, as well as increasing the diameter of existing blood vessels. This improves efficiency when it comes to delivery of blood to appropriate muscles.
Exercise and the lungs
Elementary human biology teaches us that the lungs are responsible for taking air in and out of the body. This allows the body to take in oxygen, which is then transferred to the blood within the lungs. During exercise, the lungs have to adjust accordingly to ensure that there is enough oxygen available to sustain high levels of muscle activity.
However, they can only adjust to a certain level depending on a number of factors. The good news is that the overall capacity to adjust can be enhanced following a period of regular aerobic exercises.
With varying degrees of aerobic exercise, the total amount of air taken in and out (also known as tidal volume) increases. Furthermore, exercise also enhances perfusion, which is the actual process whereby oxygen is transferred to the blood. This works together with increased blood flow to the lungs to create a scenario where there is more efficient extraction and delivery of oxygen to body tissues.
In more objective terms, literature has shown that aerobic exercise programs consisting of 30-minute moderate exercise sessions spread over 6 months have the capacity to improve your lung and Heart efficiency by 30%, which is quite remarkable. This not only prevents potential health problems such as High Blood Pressure, but it also allows your body to become a better biological machine to support daily physical tasks.
Exercise and Psychological well-being
Literature has long demonstrated that the benefits of exercise go beyond improving Heart and Lung health. Exercise has the capacity to positively effect on psychological factors such as depression, anxiety, mood and perception of one’s general well-being.
Prominent researchers such as McAuley were able to demonstrate a possible connection by observing that individuals who are generally inactive have a higher likelihood of developing signs of depression than those who regularly participate in exercise. Additionally, physical exercise is also correlated with positive outcomes in the management of individuals with psychosocial disorders.
Exercise and weight-loss
The apparent value of exercise in weight loss programs is probably one of the major reasons why exercise has become an important part of the 21st century lifestyle. A dedicated article will address this important topic. For now, let’s take a quick look at the key factors at play. Exercise enhances the body’s ability to burn/process fat through a number of mechanisms. These include acceleration of the metabolic rate, mobilization of stored fat from the body’s reserves, and suppression of undue appetite.
The bottom line
Now enough of the nerdy stuff and lets answer the question posed by the title: Is exercise a worthwhile endeavor? From what we’ve considered, the resounding answer is YES!
The scientific research behind it is overwhelmingly clear in favor of a positive affirmation. Your commitment, knowledge, and how you plan around it is what matters, and that’s what this blog is all about. The old cliché is perhaps true: EXERCISE! LIVE LONGER!
Amazing