Positive characteristics of exercise and sport
Compared to today, previous generations performed significantly more physical labour, as technical achievements and the associated social development have made our everyday lives less sedentary. Most people now hardly use their bodies at all, whether at work, at home or when travelling. However, our bodies need a certain minimum level of exertion in order to function optimally and stay healthy. The organism adapts to the demands placed on it and functions according to the motto: what is used develops, what is not used regresses.
Regular physical activity has numerous positive effects, reducing the risk of widespread ailments and diseases such as obesity, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, diabetes II, bone loss and bowel and breast cancer. Furthermore, research indicates that regular exercise can have a positive effect on cognitive performance and that active people are less likely to suffer from degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Mental health is also affected. Exercise and sport brighten the mood and have an antidepressant effect, increasing self-esteem and stress tolerance. Physically active people not only have a better health-related quality of life, they also live longer and are more independent, more mobile and require less care in old age because they are also mentally fitter than people who hardly exercise. Furthermore, physical activity offers a good opportunity for social contact and, last but not least, physically active people are more health-conscious in various areas of life.
In principle, there is a direct correlation between the level of physical activity behaviour and the extent of the health effects, because the more a person moves, the greater the likelihood of benefiting from health benefits. Of course, it is easiest for people who are hardly or not at all active to achieve additional benefits by increasing their physical activity levels. However, people who are already active can also expect additional positive effects from further sporting activity, but as mentioned, the health benefits are no longer as pronounced as for people who exercise less. The curve of the dose-response relationship of health benefits from exercise is therefore not linear, but the gradient decreases towards the top.
Every step away from inactivity is important and benefits your health, which is why it is never too late to get physically active. Even if regular exercise only becomes part of your daily routine at an advanced age and you have hardly done any exercise so far, there is still a lot you can do to improve your health, well-being and performance. The situation is different when it comes to bone health, because what was neglected when building up bone mass at a young age can only be partially made up for at an older age. In addition, exercise and sport have no health depot effect. This means that anyone who once had good stamina, for example, but has become inactive in the meantime, will have none of it left in later years.
As mentioned above, regular exercise and sport are essential for health and performance in all age groups. The basic recommendations for women and men of working age are as follows:
A minimum of 2.5 hours of exercise per week in the form of everyday activities or sport with at least medium intensity (slightly out of breath, not necessarily sweating).
Or 1.25 hours of sport or exercise with high intensity (accelerated breathing, light sweating).
Combinations of exercise with different intensities are also possible, whereby the ratio of health benefits of exercise with medium to high intensity is approximately 1:2.
Ideally, physical activity should be spread over several days, whereby any exercise lasting at least 10 minutes or more throughout the day can be counted together. As already mentioned, additional sporting activities that go beyond the physical activity recommendations mentioned promise additional health benefits.
Even though a permanent change in exercise behaviour is often a lengthy process that typically involves several stages and can include relapses, we recommend that everyone, regardless of age, gets (more) physically active because their body and mind will thank them for it. With this in mind: let's go!
Further information: http://www.hepa.ch