Wise Exercise – 1

This is the first of a series of articles on exercise. Apart from solid basic information there will be lots of earth-shattering tips, not for those who want to be a world champion marathon runner, but more on a realistic every-day level.

Research on the effects of exercise on health have been going on for decades with subjects tested over many years as part of randomised controlled trials. Depending on the type and frequency of exercise, the risk of serious illnesses can be greatly reduced.

The range of health problems helped by exercise is massive, depending on the type of exercise someone takes and how much of it. Research has shown a lowering of risk of heart disease and stroke by as much as 35%. Risks of some cancers and diabetes also fall.

Exercise builds and maintains muscle strength. Bones too and performance. Bones are live tissue and need to put under a load to make them stronger and with more strength and better balance the risk of falls and breaks for older people can drop by 40%.

At the moment, there is no cure for arthritis and previous advice has been to rest. These days, arthritis sufferers are usually advised to keep active and this has been found to help the maintenance of healthier joints.

Tension and stresses within the muscles will be eased by the exercise which can lead to improved sleep patterns.

According to the British Heart Foundation, heart and circulatory diseases cause nearly 170,000 deaths in the UK alone every year. The situation is similar in most western countries.

The brain needs exercise too.

Neuroscientists do a lot of research on the effects activity and exercise have on the brain. The brain is the most complex organ in the body, and in the known universe.

No accurate cause or cure has yet been found for Alzheimers or other forms of dementia but it is known the increased flow of oxygenated blood increases the levels of neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin and neuroadrenaline. These all affect human behaviour in creating greater self-esteem and helping ease depression.

Even a single work-out can boost attention and focus for two hours.

For a more long-lasting result, the exercise needs to be a regular habit. With the exercise, the hippocampus actually increases in volume as it produces new brain cells. The result is that long-term memory improves, there is a better attention function and improvements in mood become long lasting. Improvements in mood can include reduced levels of depression and stress as the stress hormones of adrenaline and cortisol are reduced.

The Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, examined 46 studies from around the world which had followed non-depressed people for 7 years.
They asked how much exercise they did and compared the most active against the least active. They found that with the most active, 15-16% fewer suffered from depression. This was the case across all regions and age groups, even after allowing for such things as smoking and excess weight.

The next article in the "Exercise" series will be about how much, how little and what type of exercise is most suitable.

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