The Importance of Physical Training

The Importance of Physical Training

Physical exercise is important for maintaining physical fitness and can contribute positively to maintaining a healthy weight, building and maintaining healthy bone density, muscle strength, and joint mobility, promoting physiological well-being, reducing surgical risks, and strengthening the immune system. Exercise reduces levels of cortisol, which causes many health problems, both physical and mental.

Physical exercise is any bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons including strengthening muscles and the cardiovascular system, honing athletic skills, weight loss or maintenance, as well as for the purpose of enjoyment. Frequent and regular physical exercise boosts the immune system, and helps prevent the "diseases of affluence" such as heart disease, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and obesity. It also improves mental health, helps prevent depression, and helps to promote or maintain positive self-esteem. Health care providers often call exercise the "miracle" or "wonder drug” providing a wide variety of proven benefits that it provides.

Frequent and regular aerobic exercise has been shown to help prevent or treat serious and life-threatening chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, insomnia, and depression. Endurance exercise before meals lowers blood glucose more than the same exercise after meals. According to the World Health Organization, lack of physical activity contributes to, heart disease, diabetes, falls in the elderly, breast cancer and colon cancer.

There is some evidence that vigorous exercise is more beneficial than moderate exercise. Some studies have shown that vigorous exercise executed by healthy individuals can increase endorphins, increase testosterone and growth hormone, effects that are not as fully realized with moderate exercise.

Not everyone will benefit equally from exercise. There is tremendous variation in individual response to training; where most people will see a moderate increase in endurance from an aerobic exercise, some individuals will as much as double their oxygen uptake, while others can never augment endurance. However, muscle hypertrophy from resistance training is primarily determined by diet and testosterone. This genetic variation in improvement from training is one of the key physiological differences between elite athletes and the larger population. Studies have often shown that exercising in middle age leads to better physical ability later in life.

A number of factors may contribute to depression including being overweight, low self-esteem, stress, and anxiety. Endorphins act as a natural pain reliever and antidepressant in the body. Endorphins have long been regarded as responsible for what is known as "runner's high", a euphoric feeling a person receives from intense physical exertion. When a person exercises, levels of both serotonin and endorphins are increased. These levels are known to stay elevated even several days after exercise is discontinued, possibly contributing to improvement in mood, increased self-esteem, and weight management. Exercise alone with is a potential prevention method and or treatment for mild forms of depression. Also scientific research suggests that exercise generally improves sleep for most people, and helps sleep disorders such as insomnia.