Health and exercise

Any bodily activity performed to enhance health and well-being, maintaining physical fitness, promoting growth, preventing aging and improving the strength of muscles is known as exercise.

It is also a good way to socialize as individuals congregate in outdoor exercises.

Classification of exercise:

Exercises are broadly classified into three main types on the basis of their overall effect on the system of human body.

These classifications are as follows:

Aerobic exercise: It is any physical activity involving large muscles of the body consuming more oxygen than the resting state. It allows increased cardiac tolerance and vascular endurance. Running, cycling, swimming, brisk walking, rowing and hiking are some examples of aerobic exercises.

Anaerobic exercise: it is any physical activity that increases strength and tone of muscles as well as enhances bone strength, balance and muscular coordination. It includes strength and resistance training activities such as pull ups, push-ups, lunges and bicep curls using dumb-bells.

Weight training, functional training, eccentric training, sprinting, interval training are also included in anaerobic exercises.

Flexibility exercises: These exercises allow the muscles to stretch and increase their length.  Stretching improves flexibility of joints and muscles, this increasing the range of movements and reduced chance of injury.

 Physical training that focuses on accuracy of movements, agility, speed and power are also included in exercise.

The terms dynamic and static exercises are also widely used. These refer to activities that cause lowering of diastolic pressure (dynamic), and increase in systolic pressure (static).

Benefits of exercise:

Physical exercises help maintenance of health and well-being through a number of ways:

It allows maintaining a healthy body weight.

Allows regulation of digestive health.

Allows build up and maintenance of bone density.

Increases muscle strength and mobility of joints.

Promotes normal physiological functions.

Reduces risks of surgeries.

Boosts immune system.

Reduces potential of inflammation, thus preventing aging.

Improves metabolism.

Improves neurological functions.

Enhances cardiovascular activity.

Exerts antidepressant effect.

Improves quality of sleep.

Increases life expectancy and improves quality of life.

 Importance of diet with exercise:

A well balanced diet is as important as exercise. While exercising, it becomes more important to consume a healthy diet so that the body is provided with ample amount of nutrients in the correct ratio, in order to support the body to recover after strenuous exercise.