Sport is good for your health. No doubt, since we are regularly reminded of this “truth”. But why? Why should regular physical activity improve our health and keep us fit? Before explaining why, let’s recall that various studies have shown, among other things, that regular physical activity reduces the risk of developing diabetes, dying from stroke or heart attack, prevents certain cancers, improves morale, fortifies bones, strengthens muscles, increases respiratory capacity, reduces the risk of falls and fractures in the elderly, helps control excess weight, etc.!
In recent years, research in this field has exploded, extending these observations even further. Among other things, exercise is said to stimulate the brain – especially the ability to carry out tasks requiring attention, organization and planning – and to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in some people. Biologists are also beginning to understand the mechanisms triggered at cellular and molecular levels by regular physical activity.
Table of Contents
Sports and health
Exercise encompasses any movement that causes muscles to work and calories to be consumed. These activities range from swimming, running, jogging, walking, dancing, and more. The health benefits of physical activity are numerous, both physically and mentally, and can even contribute to longevity. The benefits of exercise can be summarized as increasing energy levels, improving mood, and reducing the risk of chronic diseases.
In short, if you have busy schedules and a job that requires you to sit for long periods of time, you can start exercising slowly and look for ways to increase physical activity in your life. To maximize the benefits, it is recommended to try to reach the recommended amount of exercise according to one’s age. If a person can achieve this goal, he or she will notice a significant improvement in health and will contribute to the prevention of many diseases.
The benefits of physical exercise
The benefits of physical exercise are as follows:
Losing weight, or preventing weight gain
When you exercise, you burn more calories than when you’re at rest. This can help you lose weight or prevent weight gain.
We know that physical inactivity, i.e. less than 30 minutes of physical activity per day, is a key factor in weight gain and the development of obesity.
Year after year, people who reduce their level of physical activity gain significant weight.
Conversely, those who maintain or increase their level of physical activity avoid weight gain.
For example, over a 15-year period, inactive women can put on 15 kilos, while those who take part in sport will gain only 5, without any particular dietary changes or control.
Regular exercise has the advantage of calling on different energy sources to draw on fat and glycogen reserves.
To maintain your weight, we recommend a minimum of 45 to 60 minutes of brisk walking (5 to 6.5 km/h) every day.
To lose weight, you can increase the duration, intensity and variety of your activities.
Of course, this must be accompanied by a healthy, balanced diet that does not exceed your daily energy requirements.
Improve your mental health
Some of the benefits of physical activity on the brain occur immediately after a sports session such as:
- Improved mental performance.
- Improved thinking or cognition, especially in children.
- Reduced feelings of anxiety.
- Improved ability to think, learn and judge.
- Reduced risk of depression and anxiety.
Over the long term, physically active people have a lower risk of developing cognitive disease (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s) and a higher cognitive capacity score.
To reap these benefits for the brain, all you need to do is engage in at least one moderate or intense physical activity for 30 minutes a day.
Strengthening muscles, joints and bones
Regular exercise remains the best way to strengthen muscles, joints and bones.
We know that the lower a person’s muscle mass, the more exposed they are to chronic disease and the effects of aging.
For example, people with higher levels of muscle strength have fewer functional limitations and a lower incidence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, stroke, arthritis, coronary artery disease and lung disorders.
Regular physical activity is important to prevent loss of bone mineral density and osteoporosis, and therefore to maintain strong bones.
Muscle-strengthening and impact exercises (jumping, running) seem to have the most marked effect on bone health. This is strongly recommended for osteoporosis in the elderly and post-menopausal women.
In addition, physical activity helps maintain strong joints, by improving the health of tendons, ligaments and cartilage.
Having more muscle increases energy requirements, even at rest. This is particularly important for those wishing to lose or maintain weight.
Increased energy
Sport stimulates the metabolism and helps regulate the circadian rhythm, improving energy and alertness.
Regular, appropriate physical activity helps reduce fatigue, which many people experience on a daily basis.
This effect can be observed not only in healthy individuals, but also in those suffering from illnesses such as chronic fatigue, type 2 diabetes, cancer, etc.
To obtain these benefits, you need to adapt your activity to your level, then gradually increase the duration of your workouts.
Start with 15 minutes a day of physical activity such as brisk walking, light jogging, cycling or muscle-strengthening exercises. Then increase each session by 5 minutes per week.
Too high a volume or intensity can, over time, have the opposite effect, i.e. extreme fatigue (overtraining syndrome).
Reduce stress and improve sleep
When you exercise every day, you stimulate the regulation of your internal clock (circadian rhythm).
As the phases of wakefulness and sleep are dictated by this system, you can considerably improve your sleep.
This is particularly true when you exercise outdoors, in natural light and sunlight.
However, you should avoid intensive sports sessions after 7 p.m., as they can disrupt your ability to fall asleep, notably by stimulating wakefulness via cortisol production.
Finally, over the long term, physical activity is accompanied by a drop in cortisol levels, which can reduce stress.
What’s more, sporty people seem to manage stress better and are less sensitive to its effects.
Improving cardiovascular health
Regular exercise strengthens your heart muscle. Like other muscles in the body, it needs to be trained to function perfectly.
Through sport, you can lower your blood pressure, improve circulation in the coronary arteries and prevent the risk of heart disease.
Your body adapts to physical activity by increasing blood volume and circulation, notably by building a better network of blood capillaries.
This brings more oxygen and nutrients to all your organs, such as the heart, skin, brain, muscles…
The more efficient your blood circulation is, the more your cells can eliminate their waste products.
As a result, improved blood circulation helps to maintain healthy tissues, and thus prevent many aches and injuries.
It’s also one of the reasons why sport is so good for the skin.
Every day, activate your heart and circulation for at least 30 minutes!
Combating health problems and disease
There is irrefutable proof of the effectiveness of regular physical activity in the primary and secondary prevention of many chronic diseases: cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, obesity, depression, osteoporosis.
Most modern diseases, such as obesity, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, cancers or type 2 diabetes, are caused by our lifestyle:
- Unsuitable and unbalanced diet.
- Excessive alcohol and cigarette consumption.
- Physical inactivity.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified these three diseases as the most serious non-communicable diseases, causing the most suffering and health problems.
To prevent as well as to treat health problems, regular exercise is the best solution.
Following the recommendations and performing at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity physical activity can help you prevent and treat these diseases. You can reduce your risk even further with more physical activity.
Regular physical activity can also lower your blood pressure and improve your cholesterol levels.
Living longer and in good health
We now know that physical activity makes you live longer, in good health!
Physical exercise appears to be the treatment that offers the greatest reduction in the risk of death, whatever the cause.
For example, being fit and physically active is associated with a reduction of over 50% in the risk of premature death.
People who are physically inactive (exercising less than 1 hour a week) live shorter, less healthy lives.
The good news is that it’s never too late to start exercising and reap the longevity benefits.
In fact, inactive people who take up regular physical activity over a 5-year period can experience a 44% reduction in the relative risk of death compared to those who remain inactive.
To live longer and in good health, even 15 minutes of sport a day brings results, with a 14% reduction in mortality.
And for every 15 minutes of exercise added to the daily minimum of 15 minutes, all-cause mortality is further reduced by 4%.
Similarly, a higher number of steps per day is associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality. 8,000 steps per day reduced mortality risk by 50% compared with 4,000 steps per day.
Another interesting finding: people who run for 30 minutes 5 times a week have telomeres (genetic markers of ageing) that appear 10 years younger than inactive people.
Reducing pain
The benefits of sport on pain can be partly explained by the release of endorphins.
Endorphins, often referred to as “feel-good hormones”, are peptides produced by the brain that reduce pain perception and trigger feelings of euphoria.
At moderate training intensities, the pleasant sensations provoked by endorphin release can encourage regular exercise and craving.
Until now, the recommended treatment for chronic pain has been rest and inactivity.
Now, recent studies show that physical activity helps relieve chronic pain, while rest makes it worse.
This is particularly true if you suffer from chronic pain such as back pain, fibromyalgia, ankylosing spondylitis, polyarthritis…
Movement helps to relax muscles and soften joints, which in turn helps to relieve many types of joint and muscle pain.
Strengthening the immune system
The immune system is a complex adaptive system that monitors foreign proteins, such as viruses and bacteria, to protect us.
Moderate physical activity strengthens the function of certain immune components, such as natural killer cells, lymphocytes and macrophages.
So, when you exercise regularly, you strengthen your immune system, enabling you to respond better to infections.
However, intensive exercise occasionally leads to a marked decline in the functioning of all the main cells of the immune system.
In healthy individuals, this reaction is not a problem when it occurs only occasionally and is followed by sufficient recovery time.
So be sure to train mainly at moderate intensity, and occasionally include high intensity if you wish.
Benefits of exercise for bones and muscles
Physical activity helps prevent many age-related changes in your bones, muscles, and joints. The benefits of exercise for bones and muscles include:
- Makes bones stronger.
- Helps slow the rate of bone loss.
- Increases muscle mass.
- Delays the development of osteoporosis.
- Helps keep joints and muscles flexible.
Benefits of Exercise for Diabetes
Moderate exercise can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and delay the onset of diabetes as much as possible. In addition, exercise lowers blood sugar in people with diabetes by decreasing the sensitivity of cells to insulin.
In addition, exercise provides many general health benefits for people with type 1 diabetes, and physical activity and exercise should be recommended for all individuals with diabetes in order to control blood sugar and improve overall health.
Benefits of Exercise for Cancer
There is strong evidence linking physical activity to a reduced risk of certain cancers. It has been found that individuals who engage in higher levels of physical activity may have a lower risk of developing certain types of cancer, including colon cancer, stomach cancer, esophageal cancer, breast cancer, bladder cancer, uterine cancer, and kidney cancer.
Although the evidence regarding the association of physical activity with a lower risk of other types of cancer is less clear, the body’s positive response through improved overall health when practicing physical activity reflects the significant positive impact that exercising to maintain an active lifestyle can have on human health.
The psychological benefits of exercise
Exercise has the ability to improve mood and reduce nervousness, this is because during exercise the body increases the release of serotonin, a hormone that improves mood and relaxation.
It has also been found that exercise may help reduce the incidence of depression.
The social benefits of sport
Sport teaches educational values
Rugby is often highlighted for the values it transmits: friendship, courage, sincerity, honor, modesty, respect, self-control, politeness… Generally speaking, sport remains an incredible school of life for young people.
Sport creates social ties
Sports clubs and associations bring together people who share the same passion. It’s a great way to forge links and broaden your social circle. Sport is often used to reintegrate people on the margins of society.
What is the best way to exercise?
Anyone with any medical condition and at any age can exercise, and the results can be noticed almost immediately even after the first practice.
But we definitely aim to exercise more often, we want to make physical activity an integral part of daily life and improve the quality of life with it.
Practicing for just 30 minutes 3-4 times a week can work wonders, so let’s take it one step at a time and see how we do it.
Tips for increasing your physical activity
In today’s hectic society, persevering with regular physical activity can be difficult, requiring time and effort. Here are a few tips to help you increase your level of physical activity:
Set yourself realistic goals: making a commitment to increase your physical activity is an important first step. Setting a goal (e.g. taking 10,000 steps a day) and planning what you need to do to reach that goal (e.g. walking part of the way to work) can help you stay committed and focused on your goal.
Take the stairs: An easy way to increase your daily physical activity is to take the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible.
Involve your friends: We train better with friends – try joining a sports team or going for a run or brisk walk with a friend.
Walk part of the way to work: Try getting off one stop earlier or parking a little farther from work so you can walk part of the way.
Regular breaks from sitting: Many of us spend most of our day sitting, whether at work or at home. Try to interrupt sitting regularly to take a short walk or stretch your legs and avoid sitting for too long.
Make it fun: Exercise shouldn’t be a chore. Just like a healthy, balanced diet, if we don’t enjoy it, we won’t be able to keep it up for very long. Try to find an activity you enjoy and can stick with over the long term.
Conclusion
It seems obvious that physical activity has many health benefits. However, we must bear in mind that physical activity is only one facet of a healthy lifestyle, and that for good health, we should also focus on a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, certain dairy products, nuts, legumes, eggs, lean meat and oily fish, and limit our intake of saturated fats, sugars and salt.
