Almost every second people does little or no sport these days. There are many reasons why there is no time for a regular sports program: Work life is often stressful and the rest of the free time is used for family, friends or other hobbies rather than sports.
Sport is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. And exercise does not mean a short walk around the block or the way to the nearest supermarket: You should make at least 30 minutes of at least moderate exertion – ideally three to four times a week.
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SPORT: HEALTHY OR UNHEALTHY?
Sport is considered healthy and it is – at least if it is done properly. Because regular athletic training
- among other things strengthens the immune system
- keeps the cardiovascular system fit and
- Can prevent a wide variety of diseases.
But if you overdo it with physical stress, sport can also be unhealthy for you. The consequence of a too high load can soreness , as well as sports injuries like meniscus damage, cruciate ligament tears his or stretched ligaments. Sport is also unhealthy when there is not enough time for the body to regenerate after exercise. To ensure that sport is healthy and not unhealthy, you should have a thorough examination by your doctor after a long break from sport before you start exercising again. He can check that your health is good and that sports are suitable for you, and that are not. In the case of existing illnesses, he can also work out a useful training plan with you.
SPORT IS GOOD FOR THE HEART
Regular endurance training fortifies the muscles of the heart-the heart can work more economically. With each beat the heart can pump more blood into the body thanks to the strengthened muscles and therefore has to beat less.. This protects the heart and the heart muscle can be better supplied with blood in the breaks between two beats.
Regular exercise also keeps the blood vessels elastic-reduces vessel resistance and reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure. But here, together with your doctor, you should create a proper training plan. In addition to the cardiovascular system, exercise also has a positive effect on the cholesterol level: while exercise lowers the “bad” LDL cholesterol, the “good” HDL cholesterol increases. This can prevent arteriosclerosis and consequential diseases such as a stroke or a heart attack.
PREVENTING DIABETES WITH EXERCISE
During exercise, more energy – including in the form of sugar – is consumed. This process lowers blood sugar levels. In addition, less insulin is required, since glucose is absorbed by appropriate transport proteins in the muscle fibers during exercise. Exercise can thus prevent diabetes mellitus.
However, regular physical training can also have a positive effect on people who already have diabetes. Because in diabetics, just as in healthy people, exercise lowers the blood sugar level.
As with high blood pressure, the same applies to diabetes: Discuss your training plan with your doctor beforehand in order to avoid possible risks or damage.
STRONG BONES THROUGH EXERCISE
Sports training stimulates our bones to form new bone substance. With increasing age, this process becomes increasingly important, as bone density slowly decreases from the age of 35 to 40 and the risk of osteoporosis increases. With the right physical training, the loss of bone substance can be prevented.
Suitable sports include:
- to jog
- Walking
- hike
- Strength training
It is important that the stimulus set is not too gentle. Probably, for example, swimming or cycling alone does not have a positive effect on the bones.
LOSE WEIGHT HEALTHILY THROUGH EXERCISE
Regular physical exercise affects in two ways beneficial to our body weight: On the one doing sports are plenty of calories burned. Exactly how many calories are burned depends on various factors. In addition to the type of sport, body weight and the duration and intensity of the training are also decisive.
On the other hand, regular exercise also increases the basal metabolic rate. This indicates how much energy the body consumes at rest. When you are well trained, you burn more energy at rest than an untrained person. That is why not only endurance training is worthwhile for losing weight, but also regular, targeted strength training to build muscle.
FIGHT BELLY FAT
Regular exercise can reduce body weight – and thus also the dangerous abdominal fat. It lies deep in the abdominal cavity and envelops the internal organs there. It is dangerous because it represents an ideal breeding ground for various inflammatory messenger substances. From the abdominal cavity, these can be distributed throughout the body and in the long run increase the risk of vascular diseases or diabetes.
In order to reduce belly fat, endurance sports such as jogging, walking, swimming or cycling are particularly suitable. If you do any of these sports, exercise for at least half an hour, or better, a little longer. Because only then does fat burning really get going.
MENTALLY FIT THANKS TO SPORT
Sport has an impact on our physical fitness: When looking at physiological parameters such as cardiovascular function, athletic people appear significantly younger than their peers who do not do sport. In addition to physical exercise, regular exercise also has an impact on our mental fitness.
Sport is supposed to increase our mental performance on the one hand through improved blood circulation. If the brain is supplied with better blood, it is supplied with more nutrients and more oxygen.
On the other hand, the brain should also be rejuvenated and used more effectively through regular exercise. Exactly what effects regular exercise has on our brain has yet to be researched.
