Health and Fitness
It has long been established in the world of medicine that physical fitness directly impacts overall health in people. In fact, it has only been in recent years that scientists and physicians are taking the research to the next level and discovering exactly how greatly fitness effects health (President's Council, 2012). With more and more individuals living a sedentary lifestyle and minimizing their physical activity, it has become apparent that fitness is not only useful for health, but essential to maintaining good health and a long life. Simply put, physical fitness and overall health are directly related. Physical fitness benefits the brain, keeps the body strong, and boosts the immune system to prevent and shorten illness. Physical fitness directly benefits the overall health and longevity of the brain. The brain is a living organ in the body and requires healthy, oxygen-filled blood in order to thrive (The Human Brain). According to studies, even the simple act of aerobic walking is highly beneficial for the brain, and an exercise that most anyone can accomplish. In a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine (2012), it was found that walking regularly not only improved senior citizen's overall memory skills, but also decreased the risk of stroke by 57 percent (Gill). These benefits were accomplished by walking as little as 20 minutes each day. Another study published in the Journals of Gerontology (2002) found that proof of the
When an individual engages in physical activity, it decreases the sedentary life, promotes healthy emotional well being while maintaining a healthy body weight. Physical fitness is very important in order to be fit an individual must us proper nutrition. The effect various based on the nutrients that affect the body. When the body needs to repair and grow it uses protein. The body uses carbohydrates during physical activity as an energy source. When an individual is fit the body uses its nutrition to help heal and main certain hydration when conducting physical activity. Healthy physical activity helps the individual sleepy at night, possible live longer, feel better, healthy weight.
A study conducted by Harvard Medical School regarding on how could exercise help your brain and what kind of exercise will help your brain to have a better result. In this article, we learn that exercises can help your brain and can also help your memory. The researchers examined different people to try to understand what exercises could help your brain using 30 minutes section. In this study, the researchers randomly evaluate people doing exercises like cardio and compared their memory and their productivity with those that didn’t any type of exercises.
Exercise in general has been known to reep many benefits in health of the body, for example the seven components of fitness as mentioned in ‘ABC of sports and exercise medicine, third edition by Sir Roger Bannister’. (Edited by Gregory P Whyte)
Research has proven that physical activity improves cognitive function and can also improve brain function throughout a lifespan. Moreover, staying physically active has so many benefits as well. For example, doing exercise and fitness activities help build cells and natural pathways to help reduce changes in memory loss or dementia. Also, it has so many health benefits including long-term improvements to the cognitive function as the young adult reaching mid
Cavanaugh and Blanchard-Fields (2015) state that there is research showing how brain plasticity can be enhanced through aerobic exercise (p.51). It is important that adults be active in their lives. A 30-minute walk or some type of physical activity will benefit them as the age. The text mentions a study done by Erickson and his colleagues in 2009 where they studied the effect of aerobic exercise on the hippocampus. They found that due to aerobic exercise it produced greater volume in the hippocampus. This is significant because the hippocampus is the part of the brain that is responsible for memory, emotions, and spatial functioning. The body does not only need physical activities to produce healthier cognitive functioning but also nutrients. The text identifies three nutrient biomarker patterns that are significant on the aging brain. These nutrients are vitamin B, C,D, and E, omega-3, and trans fat. the foods that belong to these nutrients are beneficial to the brain. Older adults should make an effort to include these nutrients into their diets. positive impacts these nutrients make are better cognitive functioning and greater brain
Physical education has numerous psychological, sociological, and physiological benefits. At its core, proper physical education class helps children become more intelligent, learn cooperation and teamwork, reduce stress, improve self-confidence and develop self-esteem.
There is ample evidence to demonstrate that through the normal ageing process alterations to the brain in structure and function are directly related to cognitive changes (Glisky, 2007). With an increasing ageing population strategies for prevention of disease and age related cognitive decline are necessary to improve quality of life and reduce the associated healthcare costs (Australian Government Productivity Commission [AGPC], 2013). Physical exercise is known to be crucial in maintaining physiological health; it can also be used as a means of neuroprotection and assist in modifiable risk factors for improved brain health and subsequent cognitive function. This review will critically analyse current research into the effects of exercise
Most of the time when exercise is being performed, it is perceived that there is a need or want to become healthy, or stay healthy. When the word healthy comes to mind the first instinct is to think of the health of the body; to lose weight, tone the muscles, increase strength. Today there is a big focus on exercise for its many benefits that have been found from research in recent years. With great focus on weight, diet, and reducing the risk of disease in the future. This is proven, we need exercise to keep the body systems healthy. It helps reduces weight, blood pressure, the risk of many diseases, and helps us lead a long healthy lifestyle. What most are blind to however, is that not only does exercise help with body composition and reduction of risk, but it can also help to increase the cognitive function of the brain. Exercise is the food for the brain. ?Studies in ageing humans show that endurance exercise is protective against cognitive decline, especially executive planning and working memory. In both humans and primates, exercise increases attention and performance on cognitive tasks? (Ploughman, 2008). Exercise is a must, not only for the benefits for the body systems, but most importantly for the brain. Most individuals exercise for reduction of disease risk to in turn
Health and Physical Education is a mandatory learning area in the school curriculum which provides opportunities for all students to live healthy and active lifestyles. Schools are recognised as primary settings for developing health-related knowledge and skills. Health and physical education supports students to enhance their own and others’ health. HPE is a learning area of Australian curriculum through which students can make healthier choices. It focuses explicitly on developing movement skills and encourage students to participate in range of physical activities. Therefore, Health and Physical Education is a vital learning area in the school curriculum.
As we all know from research, regular physical activity is the perfect preventive step against the development of United States number one killer, cardiovascular disease. It’s understood that becoming physically active in childhood and staying that way throughout one’s adult life offers the greatest protection. While the prevention of cardiovascular disease is the overall objective of physical activity at all ages, there are additional risk-reduction goals for every age group. My risk reduction goal is for adults the age of 41-65, is to reduce the risk of cognitive decline by doing physical activity. There are many ways physical activity can factor in to reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
Good physical health is a vital part of the well-being of every person. A major component of our physical health is “Cardiovascular fitness”. Cardiovascular fitness is the ability of the heart and lungs to provide oxygen to the muscles for activity of an extended duration. If we have a good level of cardio-vascular fitness we are able to sustain activity for a reasonable period of time and not fatigue easily. This can give individuals a variety of health benefits and allow more regular and enjoyable activity to be participated in. This research report will examine my results of cardio-vascular fitness tests and weekly physical activity events, which
Physical activity has been proven to have phenomenal benefits on the human body and is an important part of a balanced lifestyle. Statistics have shown that regular exercise can prevent illness and lower one’s likelihood of being diagnosed with a series of diseases significantly. It has been ‘medically proven’ that regular exercise can reduce a subject’s chance of being diagnosed with coronary heart disease or stroke by 35%, type two diabetes by 50%, colon cancer by 50%, breast cancer by 20%, early death by 30%, osteoarthritis by 83% and a number of other life threatening illnesses. Regular exercise can improve a person’s overall wellbeing and immunity to common illnesses. During physical activity, a person’s heart rate can increase significantly and allow more oxygenated blood to be supplied to muscles. A person’s breathing rate can increase during exercise and supply more oxygen to the lungs. The increased blood flow during exercise allows the brain to function better. Exercise has many benefits to the human body and is a major factor of disease
Through out the world there will is always news on health and fitness, it is ever changing. Whether if there is a new diet to help lose weight, a new invention to keep people fit or, new discoveries from research on a disease, health and fitness, will be a part of human life.
Physical Activity is undeniably good for everyone, not only does it keep you fit and healthy but when started at a young age, it can set up good habits for life. Sometimes however, people do not take care of their physical wellbeing, resulting in obesity and other eating disorders which can be detrimental to their health.
The articles by Erikson et al., Gatz, Korol et al., and Draganski et al. explore the concept of increased physical activity and/or mental activity having effects on the cognitive function and development or deterioration of the brain as we age. Although I agree that physical exercise is critical in increasing cognitive function because of the health benefits it provides, as well as the increased blood flow and circulation throughout the body, I ultimately believe that a healthy brain is not achieved solely by physical exercise or mental exercise, but both. I think there is a link between physical and mental exercise, and that the combination of these two activities creates higher cognitive functioning of the mind as well as the body. The mind and body come together and meet to make an overall healthy individual.