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[B339]Benefits Of Physical Activity

by Sanjeevkumar, San

A daily exercise program can provide a way to share an activity with family and friends, while helping establish good heart-healthy habits. For children, daily exercise deters conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure, poor cholesterol levels, and poor lifestyle habits that lead to heart attack and stroke later in life. For older people, daily physical activity helps delay or prevent chronic illnesses and diseases associated with aging, and maintains quality of life and independence longer.

Finding the right exercise program and the right preparation:

* improves blood circulation throughout the body

* keeps weight under control

* improves blood cholesterol levels

* prevents and manages high blood pressure

* prevents bone loss

* boosts energy level

* releases tension

* improves the ability to fall asleep quickly and sleep well

* improves self-image

* helps manage stress

* counters anxiety and depression

* increases enthusiasm and optimism

* increases muscle strength

To be physically fit you do not have to exercise hard for long periods of time. Experts agree that physical activity does not have to be vigorous, and recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity daily, or on most days of the week. If you have an existing medical condition, or are just starting an exercise program, be sure to consult your physician prior to beginning the program to make sure the exercise program that you choose is designed with your health and wellness top of mind. Choose an activity that you will enjoy. You are more likely to continue exercising if you are doing something that you like.

In the beginning, follow a program that includes moderate, not vigorous, physical activity. Start off with 30 minutes a day, and allow for some variety in your fitness routine not only in the fitness activity that you choose, but in the time, and setting. This helps to eliminate boredom with any one activity or location. Be sure to start off any work out/exercise session with proper warm-up and stretching exercises. This will help to avoid post-exercise soreness or injury.

Wear the proper attire when exercising, including shoes with the proper support for the activity. Also, be sure to dress appropriately for the weather. Just as warming-up and stretching is important as you begin each exercise session, so is a cool-down period at the end of your exercise activity. This should include at least several minutes of stretching or walking. For more details visit http://www.soundbodytrainer.com/

Researchers from the Medical College of Georgia worked with nearly 200 sedentary and overweight kids between the ages of 7 and 11 years old. They divided the kids up into three groups, including a control group that did no physical activity after school, a group that did 20 minutes of vigorous activity after school and another that did 40 minutes of activity. Each of the activity groups worked out 5 days a week for three months.

The kids wore heart monitors to track their activity levels while they played running games like tag, relay races, jump rope, etc. All the kids took cognitive tests for math, reading and executive function (planning, organizing, focusing and impulse control) before they started the program and at its completion.

In the end, the kids in the 40-minute exercise group showed significant improvement on cognitive tests, those in the 20-minute group showed about half the improvement and those in the sedentary group showed no improvement at all. Brain scans supported the results, showing increased activity in brain regions involved in executive function in the activity group kids.

In addition, the kids in both exercise groups showed some improvement in math skills but no groups showed improvement in reading skills. These results are all consistent with other studies done in adults. Previous studies have shown increased grey matter in exercising older adults and increased performance on cognitive tests.

Yet we stand by and allow cutting of PE programs from our schools due to budget constraints. Isn't improvement on test scores one of the major areas that schools are focusing on today? If daily physical activity improves test scores, shouldn't we make it a priority for kids to get that?

In fact a Canadian study showed just that. Those researchers split kids into two groups; half took PE once a day and the other half received extra classroom instruction. Again, the PE group outperformed the non-PE group on tests, even in subjects where the non-PE group was getting extra instruction.

One problem is that 20 years ago, when many of today's parents were kids, we were able to get plenty of unstructured activity after school all by ourselves. Today kids' time is sucked up by an abundance of homework, free access to TV and video games and generally busy schedules. Plus, they just don't have the freedom to run around the neighborhood like we used to.

Last year the American Academy of Pediatricians released a statement encouraging more ‘free and unstructured play' in kids. Not only does this get kids the physical activity that they need but it allows them to employ their imagination and build their creativity levels and social skills as well.

If we won't pay for more PE programs in schools, then we have to do something else. We should all strive to get our kids huffing and puffing on a regular basis in activities not always dictated by parents or over-structured sports coaches (of which I'm one).

We have to get them excited about physical activity again by bringing back the fun in it all. We should be begging them to come in before it gets too dark, not begging them to get out and away from the TV.

Copyright (c) 2007 BrainFit For Life

Article Source : cardio and muscle training

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Both Sanjeevkumar & Simon Evans are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

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