Physical activities such as walking, athletics and games, which may all be grouped as exercises, are important in maintenance of health at all ages for both males and females.
Regular exercises are particularly useful for those normally involved in occupations that do not involve much movement like office assistants, administrators, accountants and lawyers among others.
Many people are not aware of the benefits that can be drawn from regular exercises.
For best results the amount and type of exercise done will depend on the age and even health of the individual. When the right amount and type of exercises are undertaken, all parts of the body work at their best.
By carrying out exercises for a period of time, the muscles become firm in tone, strong and work at maximum efficiency.
Fatigue and accompanying aching and soreness are postponed during exercise.
The heart, whose role is to pump blood round the body, also works more, efficiently. For example, when an individual is resting, the heart pumps five liters of blood every minute. During exercise, it can pump as much as 25 liters a minute.
Since all organs of the body need oxygen, many parts of the body that may go without adequate provision of blood and oxygen are well nourished during exercise because of increased pumping of the blood.
The lungs also function more efficiently during exercise. As you already know, the lungs participate in capturing the atmospheric oxygen which is required by the rest of the body to burn food. During exercise, the lungs deliver more oxygen to the blood and facilitate expulsion of waste gases from the body.
The digestive tract, including the liver, also functions better during and after exercises. This is partly because the digestive tract is usually overloaded with unnecessary food. Since increased expenditure of energy occurs during exercise, the food eaten is used up to cope with the increased body demands. Individuals therefore tend to feel hungry after exercise or heavy physical work.
It has also been noted that the nervous system also works more efficiently. For example, reflexes become brisker and muscles respond more promptly and are more effective against any special stress or strain individuals may encounter.
There also emotional benefits. Individuals who are involved in regular exercise feel more satisfied with life and are less affected by the common worries of life. They can forget them by exercising themselves. When such individuals fall into bed at night, their physical tiredness, combined with release of certain chemical substances cause them to sleep soundly.
It is thus clear that regular exercises are beneficial to the body. Failure to take exercises affects the body adversely at all ages.
Failure to exercise leads to slackness of muscle in children. The affected children do not usually utilize their lungs to the full in breathing because insufficient amounts of oxygen, which is needed to burn food for energy. Exercise should be encouraged because of their rapid growth and a high demand for oxygen. Children without exercise are more likely to suffer from lung diseases.
It is, therefore, important to encourage children to play without restrictions. Even the handicapped should be encouraged to play within some limits.
In adult life, and particularly middle age, lack of exercise is associated with putting on significant amount of weight. Putting on excess weight goes a long with a number of illnesses and discomforts, including constant complaints of constipation and dyspepsia, which are not related to overeating at all.
At this stage in life, what is more serious is that there is an increased tendency to the development of a medical condition called atherosclerosis and coronary thrombosis.
You might now ask, are there dangers to over-exercise?
Over-exercise usually doesn’t cause permanent harm provided that the individual has no medical condition and is not injured during the exercise.
The body is adaptable, such that if there is a possibility of undue strain being placed upon the heart, fainting may occur so that the exercise in question is stopped before harm is done.
In conclusion, we should note that if there is any undetected disease of the heart, too much or undue exercise can cause permanent damage. It is therefore important to have a careful medical examination before undertaking any severe form of exercise. This aspect is important in the case of school children or those joining the armed forces.
For all of us, moderation should be the rule if the exercises are not being supervised by a trained person. For more information contact the author on his website.