6 AMAZING BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION FOR HEALTH - ARTE - 2024

The benefits of education and physical activity have been known for years. Exercise is essential for physical and psychological well-being and therefore for leading a good quality of life.

In my case, I have done aerobic (tennis, soccer, dance or swimming) and anaerobic (gym) exercise throughout my life. However, there are times when, having to study or work, I have not been able to do anything.

And, although I am going to name you what has been scientifically proven below, when I am active doing any type of activity I have been able to observe:

• Greater psychological and physical well-being.
• Better physical appearance.
• Greater self-esteem.
• More creativity.
• More energy.

If the body and mind are not exercised, they deteriorate. Hippocrates already said:

If you are going to start playing sports, keep the following in mind:

• Start small: Events like a heart attack are very rare, but the risk is higher if you suddenly start doing an activity that makes your heart rate unusually fast.
• Consult your doctor if you have cardiovascular disease, diabetes or arthritis.

Outstanding benefits of physical education

I am going to comment on the most important ones below. You no longer have excuses to follow a sedentary life. In addition, all are scientifically proven (at the end of the article I leave the links to various investigations).

1-Control the weight

Physical education is essential to control your weight. When the calories you burn are less than the calories you eat or drink, you will be putting on weight.

2-Reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, but doing 2 hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate physical exercise greatly reduces the chances of suffering from it.

In addition, exercise lowers cholesterol levels and hypertension.

3-Reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes

Regular physical activity can lower your risk for type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Lower rates of these conditions are seen with 2 hours and 30 minutes of exercise per week at moderate intensity. Of course, the more activity, the less risk.

4-Strengthens bones and muscles

Research has shown that aerobic exercise can reduce bone density loss with age.

Moderate intensity exercise for 2.5 hours a week has also been shown to improve arthritis symptoms.

5-Reduces the risk of some types of cancer

Being physically active lowers your risk of getting breast and colon cancer.

Other research suggests that it also reduces the risk of endometrial and lung cancer.

6-It is beneficial for your psychological well-being

Improves symptoms of depression and anxiety and increases self-esteem.

Also:

• Delays mental deterioration (memory, attention, perception…).
• Improves sexual performance.
• In group sports it allows you to socialize.
• Addictions: because dopamine is released with sports, addicts (and those who do not) are allowed to feel pleasure in a healthy way.
• Aerobic activity increases the ability to learn new information and retain it in the long term.
• It can improve memory and attention.
• Increases life expectancy.
• It enhances sleep quality.

How much exercise do you need?

If you currently do not do any exercise, any type of activity will be positive for you, just remember to start small.

Any activity that increases your heart rate is good for preventing illness and burning calories. Some research has shown that walking for 15-20 minutes a day lowers your chances of having a heart attack, diabetes, stroke, or dying young.

It is recommended to do at least 2 and a half hours of moderate intensity exercise a week. You can also combine moderate and intense exercise.

It is recommended that adults also do muscle training at least two days a week.

In case you have trouble distinguishing between moderate and high intensity exercise:

Moderate is any activity that produces a noticeable increase in heart rate. One test is speaking; if you can do it while exercising it is moderate.

High-intensity exercise causes faster breathing and a higher heart rate, but you can possibly still have a normal conversation.

The cost of being sedentary

A sedentary life has the opposite effects to the benefits I have mentioned, the main ones being the increase in the probability of being overweight and contracting diseases.

Despite this, in 2014, more than 1.9 billion adults aged 18 and over were overweight, of which more than 600 million were obese. Furthermore, the European average shows that 42% never do sport (37% men, 47% women).

In Spain the figure is 44%: almost one out of every two people never exercises.

In my opinion, the tragedy of this issue is that there are many studies (like this one), which have shown the relationship between obesity and the habit of watching television or other sedentary behaviors.

It was found that for every two hours a woman spent watching TV, she increased her chances of being obese by 23% and her chances of developing diabetes by 14%. The more TV they watched, the more likely they were to gain weight or develop diabetes.

There are also other studies that have shown that people who spend more time watching television, sitting or driving are more likely to die at a young age than those who spend less time practicing a sedentary life.

Researchers believe that sitting for hours can change metabolism in ways that promote obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic diseases.

References

1. Dunstan DW, Barr EL, Healy GN, et al. Television viewing time and mortality: the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab). Circulation. 2010; 121: 384-91.
2. Patel AV, Bernstein L, Deka A, et al. Leisure Time Spent Sitting in Relation to Total Mortality in a Prospective Cohort of US Adults. Am J Epidemiol. 2010.
3. Warren TY, Barry V, Hooker SP, Sui X, Church TS, Blair SN. Sedentary behaviors increase risk of cardiovascular disease mortality in men. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010; 42: 879-85.
4. Hu% 20FB, Li TY, Colditz GA, Willett WC, Manson JE. Television watching and other sedentary behaviors in relation to risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus in women. JAMA. 2003; 289: 1785-91.