There can be many different and unique types of physical activities that you enjoy. You may like to play basketball, or maybe you prefer skiing, riding mountain bikes, or playing volleyball. Whatever you choose or prefer, regular physical activity can optimize your body’s potential and performance. Physical activity can be any form of movement or endurance that causes your body to use energy.
It may be done to achieve a purpose like gain or lose weight, or even when you exercise to tone your body or even play sports. It may also adopt it as part of your physical routine. For example, when you wash your car or take your dog for a walk. There can be many different forms of physical activities that can improve your level of physical fitness and eventually increase your body’s potential and performance.
It builds up your ability to carry out your daily tasks efficiently and thus have enough reserve energy to respond to unexpected demands that may come. Maintaining physical fitness during physical activities would give you a sense of total well-being, and it is also an essential lifelong health goal.
Benefits of Physical Activity
Physical activity can also provide health-related benefits that can last a lifetime. It helps to strengthen the physical and mental, emotional, and social sides of your health triangle. Doing physical activities would make your body stronger, increase your energy, and improve your posture. It would even reduce chronic fatigue and stiffness. It would strengthen your muscles and bones and help to reduce the risk of having severe diseases. Regular physical activity promotes overall health, which is also a health behavior that would positively affect your body systems, such as:
- Cardiovascular System
Regular physical activity strengthens the heart muscle, thus allowing it to pump blood efficiently. - Respiratory System
When you engage in physical activities, your respiratory system begins to work more efficiently, allowing you to breathe larger amounts of air, and the muscles used in respiration don’t tire quickly. This also helps you to perform physical activities such as running further without getting out of breath. - Nervous System
Physical activities also help you to respond more quickly to stimuli. Physical activities can improve your reaction time. This is especially helpful when you are driving or cycling.
Benefits to Mental and Emotional Health
Being physically active can have many positive effects on your mental and emotional health. It can help reduce stress. Doing some easy stretching exercises before bed can help you relax tense muscles and make you sleep better after a difficult day at work. Physical activity also allows you to manage your anger or frustration. By stimulating and allowing the release of certain chemicals that affect your brain, physical activity can improve your mood and decrease the risk of depression. There are other ways as well where physical activity benefits your mental and emotional health. This includes:
- Helping you look better and feel better can help to increase your self-confidence and self-image
- Contributing towards a positive self-concept by giving you a sense of pride and accomplishment in taking care of yourself
- It can also help you to reduce mental fatigue by bringing more oxygen to the brain. This improves your concentration, allowing you to think more clearly and work more efficiently
- Physical activities are known to build your endurance, as it gives you a ‘can-do’ spirit when faced with new challenges
Achieving a Good Social Health
Do you perform recreational activities at a club, gym, or school? Do you swim at a neighborhood pool? Do you like hiking or exploring traits in your community? If so, then you would probably have met and formed friendships with others by now. You would have found like-minded people to share your interests with them about doing physical activities. Participating in a fitness regiment with your friends can always be fun and may motivate you to stick with your fitness program. In turn, it can always encourage you and your friends to do fitness activities together. Physical activities can also benefit your social health by:
- Building up strong self-confidence, which helps you to cope up better in social situations, such as when you meet new people
- It also allows you to interact and cooperate with others
- It helps you to manage stress, which can enhance your relationships with others
Today’s Generation towards Physical Activities
Today, many teenagers have a sedentary lifestyle. Their way of lifestyle involves very little physical activity, as they spend most of their time watching TV, playing video games, spending time on social media or using smartphones too frequently, or spending time on a computer or laptop rather than being physically active. The adverse effects of a sedentary lifestyle may cause unhealthful weight gain, which can be linked with several potentially life-threatening conditions.
Author bio
Dr. Jim Bentley a martial arts instructor. He is also the author of WING CHUN The Evolutionary Science of Self-Defense, Combat, and Human Performance. In addition, Dr. Bentley has written many blogs on the importance of self-defense techniques, tactical efficiency, principles of Wing Chun, and how they could be used in the face of danger. Dr. Bentley also provides certification programs through his website BeachTownAthleticClub.com. As a doctor, he provides care for many legendary martial artists and current MMA fighters like Erik Paulson, Curtis Millender, and Pearl Gonzalez. With his acclaimed healing methods, and martial arts curriculums he wants to spread his message to the people that the science, art, and philosophy of martial arts is truly a way of life. To learn more about Dr. Bentley please visit DrJimBentley.com.
