Importance of Exercise Essay

Exercise for a Better you

For me exercise has changed my life, I was in a dark place for two years. I had horrible habits and lacked my personality traits. I wrote my bad personality traits in my notes on my iPhone and since have looked at them to gain motivation to strive and be a better version of myself. It started two years ago when I continued my educational career and CSU in Fort Collins. I only lasted two years at CSU before flunked out, this was due to my bad habits and lack of purpose. Since moving back home this past summer and changing those bad habits I’ve seen improvement in my life, exercise has given me, what feels like a second chance. I’ve lost 32 pounds, I have a purpose, and I have a passion. My calling is to own a gym and help people break their bad habits and help them become a better version of themselves with exercise. Exercise is an important hobby I partake in, it helps me mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. During my time at CSU, I was obese and could potentially have been leading myself to heart disease. The leading cause of death in America is heart disease, in fact, over 640,000 people died of heart disease in 2019. Simply partaking in moderate exercise such as walking can increase life expectancy by several years. This is my opportunity to walk someone through my experience and explain all good that’s come from exercise and the impact it has had on me. Although exercise is important to be healthy, it can be confusing on where to start and hard to be consistent. Exercising has given me mental health benefits, I’ve become healthier, and most importantly has given me happiness.

Studies show people who participate in exercise have an improvement in their mental health and well-being. Frequency and duration of regular physical activity were associated with lowered levels of depression. In a study, these Pakistan participants' results proved physical activity was the reason to lower their levels of depression. The key to them having lowered levels of depression was the duration of physical activity. These exercises included “walking for pleasure or exercise… gardening… any kind of leisure-time physical activity” (Kadariya et. al. 9). The inconsistent exercise showed regression of depression, which was very important to be consistent with exercise. In this example and this is the case for most people and intervention is what motivates people to exercise, it gets people more active and is positively contributed to positive mental health. This study shows the importance of moderate exercise and the benefits it can help “help better inform the public health strategies that can contribute to the positive mental health and wellbeing” (Kadriya et. al. 10). For older adults exercise much like the study above resulted in maintaining mental health. People had higher concentrating skills, enabling them to maintain a memory. Moderate activity improved cognitive performance, and frequent activity delayed the onset of aging (Goldman and Klatz 46).

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An adequate exercise regimen is a healthier you. We understand the importance of exercise and be consistent with it as one will improve their brain function and cognition. In 2016 a series of studies were able to demonstrate how exercise is able to aid in the protection of metabolic disease, cancer, and memory loss. “These studies provide a molecular basis for the concept of exercise as medicine” (Febbraio par. 3). No exercise/short periods of physical inactivity were linked to disruption of metabolic homeostasis and an increased risk of developing diseases such as type 2 diabetes. In a series of studies in 2016, a study was conducted on mice and how running increased their health. “The study demonstrated that exercise can induce the release of cathepsin B from contracting skeletal muscle to modify memory and brain function, which validates the hypothesis that exercise is beneficial for delaying dementia in aging” (Febbraio par. 3). Exercise increases memory function, improved memory function is from the myokine cathepsin B, also increased lL-6 and adrenaline secretion reduces tumor growth from the redistribution of Nk cells and the mobilization of those cells. Mark A. Febbraio went into depth about the health benefits of exercise, Mark talks about exercise inhibiting carcinogenesis by suppressing activation of mTOR signaling in mammary carcinomas. This carcinogenic response to physical activity is nonlinear and is accounted for by a physiological cellular stress response, exercise limits the amount of glucose and glutamine available to mammary carcinomas, which induces apoptosis due to reversal of humor-associated metabolic programing (Febrrario par. 4) Another study conducted in 2016 demonstrated that exercise reverses age-related injuries in older people. Exercise can reverse the vulnerability to retinal damage. These studies conducted in 2016 show insight into what exercise can do in the prevention of disease, “these studies provide additional evidence that exercise is medicine (Febbraio par. 6).

We as humans partake in activities that make us happy, exercise is a great way to achieve happiness. Findings from studies indicate that frequent exercise is associated with higher levels of happiness. Exercise results indicated happiness was strongest for people who participated in frequent physical activity. People who at least exercised for half an hour for a frequency of five times a week were more likely to be happy. A study of 1500 people in Korea aged 30-69 resulted in being happier. In a study of 3400 university students aged 17-24 who engaged in physical activity were more likely to be happy. Another study monitored adolescents aged 13-18 in Norway and the results showed frequent exercise leads to happiness. The beauty in these studies is that age is just a number, beginning physical activity has benefits for anyone no matter their age. A study conducted in the United States with participants that were 10 and older also has similar results, this was considered a “global phenomenon” and aligned with broader evidence for constructs of mental health (Richards et. al 9). Moderate to intense physical activity was most beneficial “better health outcomes were strongly associated with physical activity at a vigorous intensity” (Richard et. al 10). A survey called “The Taking Part” survey examined 24000 British adults and resulted in happiness being achieved from taking part in a recreational sport. Richards and the other authors said it best “our results demonstrate for the first time that happiness is associated with physical activity participation across multiple countries” (Richards et. al 12). In a study for older adults’ higher levels and volumes of physical activity related to higher levels of happiness. Physical activity is an important factor in health promotion in older populations. Physical activity reduced the risk of chronic disease, especially in the older population (de Souto Barreto 7). No matter the age physical activity was associated with being happy, intense was most beneficial for achieving happiness but so was moderate exercise as long as the minimum is met.

Exercising has done more than improve my physical appearance and self-confidence. Exercising consistently for the past few months has changed my life and brought excitement to it once again. Exercise has more effects on the human body than what the eye can see, inside you’ll feel healthier, happier, and mentally stronger. Change first starts with an intervention with yourself and a desire to break bad habits and become a better version of yourself. I look forward to what the future brings me and anyone that reads this paper getting inspired to become a healthier, happier, mentally stronger version of themselves.

Works Cited

1. de Souto Barreto, Philipe. “Direct and Indirect Relationships between Physical Activity and Happiness Levels among Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.” Aging & Mental Health, vol. 18, no. 7, Oct. 2014, pp. 861–868. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/13607863.2014.896863.
2. Febbraio, Mark A. 'Exercise Metabolism in 2016: Health Benefits of Exercise -- More than Meets the Eye!' Nature Reviews.Endocrinology, vol. 13, no. 2, 2017, pp. 72-74. ProQuest, https://proxy1.aims.edu:2443/login?url=https://proxy1.aims.edu:2090/docview/1858095243?accountid=35907, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2016.218.
3. Goldman, Robert, and Ronald Klatz. “Exercise.” Total Health, vol. 27, no. 2, June 2005, pp. 45–46. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=24106514&site=ehost-live.
4. Kadariya, Shanti, et al. “Physical Activity, Mental Health, and Wellbeing among Older Adults in South and Southeast Asia: A Scoping Review.” BioMed Research International, Nov. 2019, pp. 1–11. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1155/2019/6752182.
5. Richards, Justin, et al. “Don’t Worry, Be Happy: Cross-Sectional Associations between Physical Activity and Happiness in 15 European Countries.” BMC Public Health, vol. 15, no. 1, Jan. 2015, pp. 699–713. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1391-4.