The Effect of Physical Activity on Individuals
Melanie Muntean
English 102
Mr. Hickman
October 11, 2018
January first comes around and gyms are filling with people making new member ships, is that coincidence? People are looking to shed weight and live a healthier style by increasing the amount of physical activity they complete. Physical activity benefits the human body in numerous ways. Although physical activity can many times show physical results such as weight loss or muscle built, it also benefits the body in ways invisible to the human eyes. Physically active people, Show results of weight loss, gain strength, and improve their quality of life.
The United States of America is considered the country with the highest level of obesity and we have the statistics to show it. In 2013 it was measured that 12 million children and 78 million adults in America are obese, this is not including individuals that are overweight but do not fall under the category obese. In 2013 every state had an obesity rate of twenty one percent or higher. Being physically active can help solve the obesity epidemic in America. By taking apart in physical activity rates of individuals with hypertension, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and respiratory diseases can decrease immensely. Technology is trapping Americans and grabbing their full attention bringing them to a sedentary position all day. If individuals could take an hour out of their day and dedicate it to physical activity the rate of obesity would slowly decline.
The majority of individuals begin to incorporate physical activity into their lives with the main goal of losing weight. Although physical activity can help an individual shed weight it goes hand in hand with changing your diet. When individuals work out they increase the number of calories the body uses for energy, by burning more calories off than consumed you begin to lose weight. If an individual decides they are not going to change their diet but just add physical activity to their daily schedule they will need to work much harder. "You will need a high amount of physical activity unless you also adjust your diet and reduce the amount of calories you're eating and drinking. Getting to and staying at a healthy weight requires both regular physical activity and a healthy eating plan." (CDC par 6) People believe that physical activity solely means vigorous exercises such as running and weight lifting for hours in the gym, its ok to start small and slowly build up endurance to perform more vigorous workouts. For example individuals can start with simply adding thirty minutes of walking outside or on the treadmill every day.
Weight loss in individuals due to physical activity offers many health benefits. "In the United States, 66.3% of adults are overweight or obese 1, which represents a major public health concern." (NCBI par 2) America is considered the country with the highest obesity rates putting the vast majority of our society at risk of cardiovascular diseases such as stroke, heart failure, arrhythmias, etc. "The American Heart Association's scientific statement on obesity and weight loss 3 recommends weight loss in overweight and obese patients to reduce the severity of CV risk factors. Weight losses in these patients have been associated with improvements in many cardio metabolic risk factors such as prevalence of the metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes (T2DM), dyslipidemia, hypertension, pulmonary disease, CV disease, and inflammation." (NCBI par 2) Many people are in denial of the health risks associated with being overweight or may not have been aware. Individuals who part take in physical activity have a substantially lower risk of cardiovascular dieses than those who are comfortable with being in an obese state. Doctors stress the importance of physical activity on individuals to help them avoid the risk of receiving diseases.
Not only does physical activity help individuals shed weight, it helps them build strength. You walk into a gym and see individuals that have been dedicated to incorporating physical activity into their lives and they have a lean body type. As individuals continue to challenge themselves in the gym they begin to see results of muscle strength increase. There are three different kinds of muscle, cardiac, skeletal and smooth muscle, we are talking about the increase in skeletal muscle. The exact mechanism that builds muscle strength is not clear although scientist have found processes which are involved. "The neural basis of muscle strength enhancement primarily involves the ability to recruit more muscle cells--and thus more power strokes--in a simultaneous manner, a process referred to as synchronous activation." (Scientific America par 3) Muscles are complex structures that have many components involved in contraction and building. Muscle strength stimulus is also a component scientists consider to play a part on strength increase. As the strength stimulus increases the muscle contracts more vigorously, this is controlled by recruitment which brings more muscle fibers into action. "After you work out, your body repairs or replaces damaged muscle fibers through a cellular process where it fuses muscle fibers together to form new muscle protein strands or myofibrils. These repaired myofibrils increase in thickness and number to create muscle hypertrophy (growth).1 Muscle growth occurs whenever the rate of muscle protein synthesis is greater than the rate of muscle protein breakdown." (Built Lean par 6) This happens during a resting period, not during the action of physical activity. One factor that contributes to muscle growth is muscle tension. In an article published by Built Lean it is stated that to build muscle you have to apply a load of stress greater than what your muscle have previously adapted to. To do these individuals would need to life progressively heavier weights. Another factor contributing to muscle growth is muscle damage. Soreness after physical activity is a sign of localized muscle damage. "This local muscle damage causes a release of inflammatory molecules and immune system cells that activate satellite cells to jump into action." (Built Lean par 12) Muscle can be built through various acts of physical activity if done properly. Muscle can be built by lifting heavy weights and continually challenging yourself to lift heavier or by changing up your exercises causing damage to different muscle fibers pushing them to grow.
Physical activity improves individuals overall quality of life by contributing to both physical and mental health. Regularly being active helps individuals lose weight and also build muscle mass, but on top of that individuals have experienced better digestion and more frequent bowel movements. Physical activity also improves metabolism in individuals substantially helping them lose weight or maintaining it while eating more. Incorporating physical activity into your schedule can help improve individual's immune system and decrease risk of disease such as cancer. My Baptist Health uploaded a video of Doctor Anthony Fletcher speaking about the benefits of physical activity that contribute to a better quality of life. Dr. Fletcher emphasizes that even moderate physical activity can improve one's health; he states that anything is better than no physical activity. Dr. Fletcher also mentions that exercise can help control blood pressure and help raise levels of good cholesterol. Cardiovascular risk decreases with the help of physical activity. "Physical activity helps you live longer and prevent many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, abnormal blood lipid (cholesterol and triglyceride) profile, stroke, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and colon and breast cancers. " (Healthy Lifestyles living par 7)
Quality of life goes hand in hand with mental health; physical activity helps improve individual's mental health. Many individuals use exercise as a stress reliever to clear their heads. Physical activity helps reduce anxiety, depression, and improve individual's mood. "Exercise has also been found to alleviate symptoms such as low self-esteem and social withdrawal" (NCBI par 4) Minimal physical activity can be done and individuals will see improvement in their mental health. It also offers individuals increased sex drive, better endurance and an increase in energy and stamina and reduction of tiredness. Improved sleep is one of the positive side effects of incorporating physical activity into daily schedules. Dr. Daniel Hsu states that people who exercise sleep better because stress hormone levels drop several hours after you exercise and those who have trouble sleeping have increased levels of stress hormone in their blood.
Individuals have an overall improved quality of life when they incorporate physical activity into their daily schedule. An individual that takes part in physical activity has a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease than those who do not exercise. People who are physically active have the improved metabolism to keep up with anything that comes their way. Molly is proof that weight loss is possible and beneficial; she was at the young age of twenty- nine and weighed in at three hundred ninety-eight pounds. "I was only 29 years old at the time. I was shocked and couldn't believe I had arthritis at such a young age. As a nurse, I knew the other potential health problems I was at risk for, and knew that I had to make some changes or I was going to end up with even bigger problems." (Shape Fit par 2) Molly lost one hundred eighty five pounds with the help of incorporating physical activity into her life. "My life has completely changed! I no longer have hip pain, I have so much energy, people treat me better, and I feel on top of the word. If I could inspire even one person with my story, it would be worth it!" (Shape Fit par 6) After turning her life around and recognizing the risks of being overweight let alone not feeling confident, Molly is now happy and healthy with a substantially lower weight after taking her life back into her own hands.
Physical activity can help individuals lose weight, gain muscle, and improve their quality of life. Individuals that take the step to change their lives and begin to be physically active see benefits soon after. People who begin to be active improve their mental and physical health. Individuals are able to relieve stress and anxiety through physical activity as well as gain confidence. Many people have the misconception that physical activity needs to be vigorous, although individuals can start slow, for example by taking a walk a couple times a week. Like Dr. Fletch said, any physical activity is better than none.
Works cited:
"Physical Activity for a Healthy Weight." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15 May 2015.
Andrews, Mark A. W. "How does Exercise Make Your Muscles Stronger?" Scientific American, Scientific America.
"Physical Activity Improves Quality of Life. "About Heart Attacks, American Heart Association, Feb, 2015.
"Benefits of Exercise." Medline Plus, U.S National Library of Medicine, 22 Aug. 2018
"Physical Activity Improves Quality of Life." Healthy Lifestyles Liv
