Exercise
Physical exercise is the performance
of some activity in order to develop or maintain
physical fitness and overall health. It is often
directed toward also honing athletic ability or
skill. Frequent and regular physical exercise is
an important component in the prevention of some
of the diseases of affluence such as cancer, heart
disease, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes,
obesity and back pain.
Exercises are generally grouped
into three types depending on the overall effect
they have on the human body:
Flexibility exercises such as stretching
improve the range of motion of muscles and joints.
Aerobic exercises such as walking and running focus
on increasing cardiovascular endurance.
Anaerobic exercises such as weight training or sprinting
increase short-term muscle strength.
Physical exercise is considered important for maintaining
physical fitness including healthy weight; building
and maintaining healthy bones, muscles, and joints;
promoting physiological well-being; reducing surgical
risks; and strengthening the immune system.
Proper nutrition is just, if not
more as important to health as exercise. When exercising
it becomes even more important to have good diet
to ensure the body has the correct ratio of macronutrients
whilst providing ample micronutrients, this is to
aid the body with the recovery process following
strenuous exercise. When the body falls short of
proper nutrition, it gets into starvation mode developed
through evolution and depends onto fat content for
survival. Research suggest that the production of
thyroid hormones can be negatively affected by repeated
bouts of dieting and calorie restriction.
Proper rest and recovery is also
as important to health as exercise, otherwise the
body exists in a permanently injured state and will
not improve or adapt adequately to the exercise.
The above two factors can be compromised by psychological
compulsions (eating disorders such as exercise bulimia,
anorexia, and other bulimias), misinformation, a
lack of organization, or a lack of motivation. These
all lead to a decreased state of health. Delayed
Onset Muscle Soreness can occur after any kind of
exercise, particularly if the body is in an unconditioned
state relative to that exercise.
