The Importance Of Physical Activity

During childhood our body and mind changes very fast. I believe that nowadays parents focus more on the brain developement of their children than their physical activity. When I was a little girl - over 20 years ago - we spent most of our time outside playing, running and enjoying fresh air and being in movement. Physical activity of children can secure them health and well being in their adulthood as well as teach them a lot of very importants aspects like social relations and behaviors in different situations.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2014), only 21% of Americans are sufficiently physically active according to the guidelines set forth in 2008. Thus, living a sedentary lifestyle has become an epidemic, and one that is not without consequence. The CDC (2014) further states that one’s risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, stroke, depression, some cancers, and early death is noticeably higher for those living a sedentary lifestyle. Certainly, then, promoting physical activity is a simple intervention providers should practice to prommote overall health and prevent or delay the onset of disease. A motivational interview was conducted with Cherish Brown, a 22-year-old

New evidence today suggest that the more hours that you sit, the greater likelihood of dying an earlier death regardless of how much you exercise, or how lean you are ( Masters, 2010). The fact is that millions of Americans think they are being healthy by working out at the gym on a daily basis. These people do not realize that the exercise they are doing in the gym is not able to counteract the effects of the “desk job.” These same people think they are living an active life by working out on almost a daily basis. The truth is that this is considered to be living an inactive lifestyle. The red flag is now raised. These same people that work out at the gym daily are now grouped into the dreaded sedentary lifestyle. Being a member of this group increases your chances of diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, and coronary artery disease. On top of all this, it increases the chances of obesity. Obesity notably increases when a person is living a sedentary lifestyle.

As mentioned above the physical activity-intervention designed for sedentary young adults to become active. The study demonstrates after using the model that physical activity increased by 80% to young adults, the regular physical activity was associated with positive physiological and psychological health benefits on the experimental group (Woods, Mutrie and Scott, 2016).

To combat the rise of preventable chronic disease, there has been an increased emphasis on engaging in regular physical activity, as there is a clear and well-established relationship between physical inactivity and negative health outcomes. Although physical activity plays a crucial role in the prevention and management of chronic disease, this approach alone may not be sufficient to negate the effects that sedentary behavior has on health (3). Sedentary behavior is independently associated with an increased risk for chronic disease (4 5). This has become especially problematic for adults in the workplace as jobs increasingly shift towards computer-based deskwork. There is a dire need to address the risks of sedentary behavior independently from physical activity in the adult working population. The key options to address sedentary behavior in the work place involve physical changes to the environment and behavioral changes through use of current

Why should physical education be taken seriously at an early childhood important in fighting against child obesity? Obesity has increased since students do not like to go outside or be involved in school physical activity programs. Physical education class optimizes brain function and physical health. This will make the students expect to enjoy physical activity and feel confident in their abilities. Better physical education will create a better future. More children learning to be active will live a healthier lifestyle in the future. Teachers can encourage the benefits of healthy and nutritious food and discourage the students for having junk food by highlighting their ill effects through physical education. They can easily promote procedures for nutrition and sound eating practices. As claimed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “there is a huge problem with obesity” (Price). Almost all non-sport participating students have below average flexibility and little muscular endurance. Issues with student obesity has been the center of topic to which everyone is talking about.

As technology become more mainstream over the years, physical exercise among Australians has been decreasing sharply while sedentary behaviours has been rising to a new record where 70% of Australian adults are either sedentary or exercising at a very low level (AIHW, 2017). Prior to this unit of study, unfortunately, I was one of them. To make matters worse, since the commencement of University, my time being sedentary per day has been even higher than the average of 40-70% of the day due to heavy study loads as an Actuarial student, having an office part-time job, living on campus, and laziness.

At California State University, Northridge, the Applied Fitness Lab acted as an apparatus to assist students and clients in addressing and understanding how physical activity can alter health risks, such as physical inactivity and obesity. In the modern working environment, many professions require employees to work behind desks for many hours. Therefore, it reduces the amount of physical activity that a person will receive during their life causing an increase in physical inactivity. A person is classified as physically inactive when they do not meet the recommended level of normal physical activity. Current research suggests that physical inactivity is inversely correlated with the risk obesity (Pradinuk, Chanoine, Goldman, 2011). Obesity, is a result of physical inactivity in large body populations, is a growing health risk factor globally and is linked to many chronic diseases such as high blood pressure or increase risk of heart attacks. Due to the knowledge of these health risks, the purpose of the Applied Fitness Lab is to improve the health of campus staffs by introducing and implementing physical activity through group exercises or one-on-one training to their working schedules.

The cure to many of the worst ailments-from depression to type two diabetes to colon cancer- is not some miracle panacea soon to be discovered, but a simple turn toward a more physically fit life. The benefits of exercise pervade into all parts of human existence; moderate, but regular exercise can improve sleep quality, improve cognitive ability and even prolong life (Source 2). According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, exercise is defined as a form of physical activity that is planned, structured, repetitive, and performed with the goal of improving health. Despite the enjoyment and benefit of exercise, Americans have become more sedentary since the 1990's. In fact, only 42 percent of men and 30 percent of women

For those who are not involved in sports, exercise can be a hassle. Each day is busy, filled with appointments and work. Exercise is critical to everyday health, as the lack of exercise can impair health in the future. In the article, “How Much Exercise Do I Really Need” by Dr. Jordan Metzi, facts and statistics are given to help push the positive effects of exercise in our daily lives. Some people may have more time than others, but effective time-management skills can make exercise possible for anyone. It is important that a sufficient amount of exercise is attained every week to ensure good health for the future.

Many barriers have been identified which attribute to why people do not exercise regularly to obtain and maintain health benefits [35, 36]. Commitment towards family, work pressure, and time have been rated as common barriers people face to be physically active [8]. Recent advances in technology have resulted in an increases in time spent sedentarily, especially at work [37], but also in leisure time [38, 39]. In addition, long hours of work is specifically a barrier for adults as they are mentally exhausted and do not feel like exercising [40]. Specifically for older adults, fear of getting injured from physical activity and self-efficacy restricts them from being sufficiently physically active to observe optimal health benefits [40]. In addition to these, weather conditions, lack of transportation, poor facility,

Another unfortunate hindrance to physical activity in schools is the notion that physical activity takes away from time that could be used for academic studies. This is unjustified however, because children of this age group are unable to sit and concentrate for long periods of time without being able to get up and move (McDevitt & Ormrod, 2010).

Many people underestimate and do not realize the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle but, living a balanced life and being active are the keys to maintaining a healthy and happy life. To live a healthy and active lifestyle means different things to different people. To me it is eating right and exercising enough so that I am confident in myself. To other people it might be just about having more energy or better sleep. Living a healthy and active lifestyle is not only important for our mental health but for our physical health. By eating healthy and fit you can reduce the risks of multiple diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and even cancer. Being healthy can also refer to making healthy sexual decisions and positive choices towards drugs and smoking. By not engaging in safe sex just once could create a risk of multiple diseases, some of which could affect you the rest of your life. Knowing your limits is one of the most important factors to living a healthy life. If you know you are not ready for sex or you don’t want to take the drugs your friends are taking then, you should know how to say no. It only takes 20 days to make something a habit, so by starting to eat healthy and exercise regularly can become your normal routine and can make living your life so much better.

Since the whole body is used while dancing, physical fitness is a necessity in regards to proper execution of steps, reducing the risk of injury, and increasing the longevity of a performer’s career. According to Koutedakis, “physical fitness is an individual’s ability to meet demands of specific physical tasks.” Aerobic strength allows dancers to work harder for longer periods of time; an increase in stamina helps dancers get through demanding pieces and classes. ___Muscular strength can also be applied in regards to fitness as it helps reduce injuries and focuses on exercise specific to a certain outcome (Irvine). A common misconception is that dancers do not need strength training because bulging muscles are contradictory to the smooth, elongated lines of the dancer aesthetic. In actuality, there are two types of muscles that can be built: slow and fast muscle fibers. Slow muscles are leaner and are more flexible. Fast muscles are the ones that bulge; they are used largely in jumping, hence male dancers having large quadriceps that aide in their high jumps. Resistance training is often used as a way to increase muscle strength without increasing muscle mass in a drastic way. Overloading is the only way to increase muscle strength during training; a muscle must reach its maximum capacity of contraction in order for true generation of muscle to begin. It is also imperative that the muscles that come in pairs, an example being the quadriceps and hamstrings of the legs, grow

Physical fitness, defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as good health and strength achieved through exercise, gives students nationwide a goal to work towards. High school sports, particularly football and basketball, are very popular in the United States of America as a way for students to stay in shape and compete during their teenage years. While 975,808 students nationwide participated in basketball in 2016, football showed itself to be the most popular sport in the country, being played by 1,085,272 students across the United States.