We know that the best method to stay healthy is to stay active. However, did you know it can also raise your happiness and quality of life? All age groups of people, including kids, teenagers, and adults, need frequent physical activity. Regardless of your body type or BMI, you should continue to engage in physical exercise to maintain excellent health. Knowing the advantages of physical fitness and the appropriate activity level will help you retain excellent health and enhance your general quality of life.
Which exercise is ideal for you?
The type of exercise you engage in may be influenced by various factors, including age, area of interest, health issues, and physical limitations. Start by exercising for shorter periods or doing more strenuous activities like walking, yoga, cycling, and exergaming. Now, let’s talk about some exercises you should include in your everyday routine:
- Aerobic exercise: Also known as cardio, aerobic exercise speeds up your heart rate and breathing. It promotes the health of your blood vessels, heart, and lungs. Examples include swimming, tennis, Zumba dance, and sports like football.
- Strength training: This involves utilizing equipment like dumbbells or your body weight to increase muscle mass and strength. Strength training makes you feel stronger and healthier by reducing body fat, maintaining muscle mass, and strengthening bones. Weightlifting is an excellent example of this.
- Stretching: This is flexing or stretching a particular muscle to increase suppleness. Increased flexibility is the outcome; better flexibility can result in better posture, reduced stress, and fewer injuries. Although there are many stretching techniques, ballet or gymnastics programs typically incorporate much stretching.
- Balance: This refers to your ability to maintain your position and center of gravity when you are still or moving. You’ll have better posture, coordination, and joint stability if you can enhance your balance. You can perform many activities to improve balance, but gymnastics and surfing are two examples of sports where balance is required. Balance is crucial to keep as you age when falls are more common.
Exergaming is a concept that uses a person’s love of gaming to change what was once considered drab behavior into something more active and healthful. People of all ages are encouraged to increase their physical activity by being forced to get up and move while still allowing them to play and enjoy the activity.
Benefits of physical activity and exercise
Before we get into more detail regarding disease prevention and mental health, we’ll review the key advantages of exercise and physical activity. These consist of the following:
It keeps you healthy and capable.
Your body gradually loses strength, stamina, and capacity for function without regular exercise. It’s similar to the proverb, “You don’t get old from moving; you grow old from ceasing moving.” Your ability to perform other physical tasks grows due to exercise-induced muscle strength gains.
It naturally improves your mood.
Anger, melancholy, anxiety, and stress can all be reduced via regular exercise. Do you know that “euphoria” you have after working out physically? Imagine it as a pleasant drug without any negative consequences! Most people discover that as physical activity becomes a regular part of their life, they gradually start to feel better.
It assists in avoiding the doctor.
When you consume your daily apple, stand up! Excessive sitting and other sedentary behaviors might increase your heart disease and stroke risk. According to one study, adults who watch more than 4 hours of television daily had an 80% increased chance of dying from cardiovascular disease.
It might lengthen your life.
70 is the new 60, it’s true, but only if you’re in good health. A healthy weight and physical activity can extend life expectancy by roughly seven years compared to obesity and inactivity. Moreover, those extra years are often more beneficial, which is an essential factor. Maintaining an active lifestyle helps postpone or avoid chronic illnesses and disorders linked to aging. As a result, active persons age more independently and with a higher quality of life.
Here are a few other advantages of fitness:
- Healthier weight, leaner muscles, and less body fat
- Better skin
- Lower blood pressure
- Less inflammation
- Lower stress levels
- Better mood
- The capacity to think more clearly
- Boosted immune system
- Improved cognitive performance
- Fewer fall-related injuries
Benefits of Exergaming:
Exergaming as a healthy and beneficial form of physical activity continues to be supported by research. Exergames of various types have been shown in studies to produce moderate to vigorous physical exercise and positive physiological effects. As with any activity, the type of results obtained will be determined by how the individual participates. The following are some of the additional advantages that exergaming can provide:
- Fun: More than 84% of adolescents said having fun was the most critical aspect of their lives. Furthermore, boredom is one of the primary reasons adults abandon their workout routines. Exergaming offers participants a pleasurable experience through technology, with some claiming they are unaware they are exercising.
- Multiplayer Exergames: Many exergames like Lu interactive games allow multiple players to play simultaneously. Peers can interact with one another while playing and communicating about the activity. Participants can discuss game mechanics and even help one another improve.
- Individual Choice: Because exergames are self-paced, participants can make their own decisions while playing. Users can select their preferred mode of play, difficulty level, opponent (themselves, a friend or peer, the computer, or online competitors), and, in most cases, an avatar with which to identify. This keeps participants motivated to get and stay active by preventing them from becoming discouraged.
- Video game motivation: The video game industry has over $10.5 billion. Playing video games is one of the most popular pastimes in today’s society. Exergaming allows people to play their favorite games while getting some exercise and staying healthy.
Adults who lack motivation for exercise need a strategy to get and stay active enough to enhance their health. Exergames or Lu interactive games can inspire anyone to exercise.