The importance of exercise for your physical and mental health
Physical inactivity is a major health problem worldwide, especially in developed countries like Australia where 1 in 4 adults are physically inactive. What makes this bad is that it is associated with heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes as well as some cancers (breast and bowel), leading to lower quality of life and a decreased life expectancy.
Appropriate physical activity, including interval and steady state cardiorespiratory fitness (known in the gym as “Cardio”), decreases the rates of these diseases, and improves your life expectancy.
As a bonus, physical activity is also known to have benefits for your mental health, reducing stress and improving symptoms of anxiety, depression, as well as improving your brains cognitive capacity (your brains computer!).
Although the benefits of exercise far outweigh the risks, there are still risks involved, especially if you don’t do it the right way. Musculoskeletal injuries are the most common risk due to poor technique or overuse – which can result from training without professional advice. Overexertion is also a risk, which has the potential to result in serious cardiac events. This is one of the reasons having close contact with specialist health and exercise professionals is important.
Written by Dr. Daniel
How AI can help you exercise in a safe way to achieve mental and physical wellbeing.
Athletic Institute are a specialised strength and conditioning gym consisting of degree qualified instructors and allied health professionals.
AI is different from other gyms. Every member undergoes thorough functional movement screening and testing prior to receiving a specifically designed program personalised to each individual goal. This training program is written to help build and increase your strength, stamina, endurance, flexibility and mobility, all while ensuring your safety.
Regular training sessions based on your personalised program will eventually negate the need for extra time and money spent on physiotherapy, chiropractic or naturopathy appointments.
More importantly, these exercises plans will be pivotal in the reduction and/or reversal of many mental and physical health ailments.
REFERENCES:
Cardiorespiratory fitness as a quantitative predictor of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events in healthy men and women: a meta-analysis.AU Kodama S, Saito K, Tanaka S, Maki M, Yachi Y, Asumi M, Sugawara A, Totsuka K, Shimano H, Ohashi Y, Yamada N, Sone H SO JAMA. 2009;301(19):2024.
Worldwide trends in insufficient physical activity from 2001 to 2016: a pooled analysis of 358 population-based surveys with 1·9 million participants. Guthold R, Stevens GA, Riley LM, Bull FC Lancet Glob Health. 2018;6(10):e1077. Epub 2018 Sep 4.
WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health – https://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/factsheet_recommendations/en/
The effect of exercise training on anxiety symptoms among patients: a systematic review. Herring MP, O’Connor PJ, Dishman RK Arch Intern Med. 2010;170(4):321.
Physical Activity and Incident Depression: A Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies. Schuch FB, Vancampfort D, Firth J, Rosenbaum S, Ward PB, Silva ES, Hallgren M, Ponce De Leon A, Dunn AL, Deslandes AC, Fleck MP, Carvalho AF, Stubbs B Am J Psychiatry. 2018;175(7):631. Epub 2018 Apr 25.
Association of Efficacy of Resistance Exercise Training With Depressive Symptoms: Meta-analysis and Meta-regression Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. Gordon BR1, McDowell CP1, Hallgren M2, Meyer JD3, Lyons M1, Herring MP1,4. JAMA Psychiatry. 2018 Jun 1;75(6):566-576 Exercise and cognitive function: a randomized controlled trial examining acute exercise and free-living physical activity and sedentary effects. Loprinzi PD, Kane CJ Mayo Clin Proc. 2015 Apr;90(4):450-60. Epub 2015 Mar 4.
Physical activity promotion and safety prevention: what is the relationship in different population groups? Diener-Martin E, Bruegger O, Martin B Br J Sports Med. 2011;45(4):332.
Exercise and the risk of sudden cardiac death. Corrado D, Migliore F, Basso C, Thiene G Herz. 2006;31(6):553.
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