Notes on Physical Activity and Health Benefits

Key Benefits of Regular Physical Activity

• Lower Risk of Heart Disease: Regular physical activity can lower the risk of heart and circulatory disease by 35%.

How Physical Activity Affects the Body

• Muscle Activity:

  • Increases body temperature, making you feel warmer.
  • Heart rate increases, pumping more blood to working muscles.
  • Heart, being a muscle, gets bigger and stronger with regular activity.

• Oxygen Demand:

  • Muscles require more oxygen when active.
  • Breathing rate increases to supply more oxygen to the blood.
  • Lungs work harder to facilitate oxygen exchange.
  • Extra oxygen is delivered to working muscles.

• Capillary Growth:

  • Regular activity leads to more capillaries in muscles, making activity feel easier over time.

Benefits for Diabetes

• Type 2 Diabetes:
  • Helps in utilizing insulin and glucose effectively.
  • Physical activity enables cells to use glucose even without insulin.

Cognitive Benefits

• Memory and Attention:
  • Regular activity improves memory and attention span.
  • Involvement of brain regions responsible for memory and learning increases in size.

Long-Term Health Improvements

• Heart Rate and Blood Pressure:
  • Leads to lower resting heart rate and blood pressure, reducing heart disease risk.

Psychological Benefits

• Endorphins Production:
  • Physical activity triggers the release of endorphins, which:
    • Reduce pain perception.
    • Enhance feelings of positivity.
• Stress Reduction:
  • Reduces levels of stress hormones and anxiety.

Recommendations for Physical Activity

• Balanced Diet:
  • Combine physical activity with a balanced diet to maintain a healthy weight.
• Activity Guidelines:
  • Aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week.
  • Try to be active every day; every 10 minutes counts.