Introduction:
Physical activity or movement leads to years of healthy life and longevity. Regular physical activity aids in the improvement of mental health, emotional health and cognitive function. It aids in protecting us from non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, stroke, or even some types of cancer. Physical activity also aids in improving our quality of life and well-being.
Physical inactivity and ageing increase the risk of chronic disease and can also result in skeletal muscle atrophy. When we are inactive, we tend to have an increase in body fat percentage and a decrease in lean body mass.
When we have an active lifestyle, we are more directed toward physical and mental well-being. Basic movement and physical movement are tools for preventing chronic diseases and enhancing overall health. Exercise and movement are very important for successful ageing. Low volumes of exercise can also help us achieve health gains. Movement does not need to be always a formal or structured activity. It can also be some common tasks like gardening, walking, housekeeping, etc.
Exercise and movement also help in preventing premature mortality like strokes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus as well as some types of cancer.
Very few people practice vigorous exercise regularly, but what one must understand is that when there is regular movement, it leads to musculoskeletal benefits such as reduction in age-related bone loss, improvement in muscle strength, and increase in muscle mass and neuromuscular coordination.
Movement is important in children as well. Greater duration of physical activity is linked with less weight gain. It also improves the weight and metabolic status of children. There are genetic, environmental and behavioural components of physical activity in children.
Sedentary behaviours like watching television, sitting on a computer, workplace seating, etc are associated with effects on posture and low energy expenditure. It was observed that viewing TV was associated with changes in diastolic blood pressure for men and women. Some studies have also shown that increased TV viewing for over five years has resulted in some adverse changes in waist circumference in people and an increase in clustered cardiometabolic risk scores for women.
Prolonged sedentary behaviour is a cause of reduced total energy expenditure. Some ways to reduce sitting time are by reducing screen time at home and increasing physical activity.
Takeaway :
The type of behaviour we choose decides our energy expenditure and our health. Movement is quite important for all age groups and is greatly affected by our lifestyle.
References:
- https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/7856823
- https://doi:10.1111/j.1467-3010.2007.00668.x
- https://dx.doi.org/10.1097%2FJES.0b013e3181e373a2
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diabres.2012.05.020
