Exercise and Life Quality

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By Terrie Johnson | UAB Community Health & Human Services Intern

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Regular exercising is a crucial component of a healthy lifestyle since it improves physical and mental health, reducing the risk of chronic diseases and affecting overall well-being. Aside from weight loss and muscle building, exercise has several benefits that improve life quality. This blog post focuses on the impacts of regular physical activity on physical and mental health that can enhance the quality of life.

Physical activity and regular exercises have numerous benefits for physical health beyond muscle building and weight loss. In particular, regular exercising reduces the risk of chronic diseases and conditions, including high blood pressure, heart-related issues, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and breathing problems (Marques et al., 2018). Exercising also improves movement coordination and strengthens muscles and bones, reducing the chance of physical injury. Moreover, physical activity enhances the immune system, making people less susceptible to infections and diseases. Physical activity is a crucial aspect of a healthy lifestyle due to its positive impact on physical health.

Aside from positively impacting physical health, exercising enhances lifestyle by improving mental health. Regular exercise efficiently reduces anxiety and depression symptoms by stimulating the synthesis of endorphins, chemicals associated with happiness (Wang et al., 2021). Moreover, regular physical activity improves productivity during the daytime and sleep quality at night. Another benefit of exercising is that it can distract a person from everyday stressors, letting them clear their mind. Furthermore, group physical activity can enhance social connections, help find new friends, or help spend more time with family. These advantages of regular exercise can help a person improve and maintain their mental health.

Regular exercise is a powerful tool that can significantly impact a person’s health and overall well-being. The benefits of physical activity for physical and mental health cannot be overstated so that it can improve life quality. By making exercise a daily routine, a person can boost their energy levels, reduce stress, mitigate the risk of chronic diseases, and even enhance social connections. Why not start regularly exercising today?

References

Marques, A., Peralta, M., Gouveia, E.R., Martins, J., Sarmento, H., & Gomez-Baya, D. (2018). The Association between Physical Activity and Chronic Diseases in European Adults. European Journal of Sport Science 20:9, 1268-1276. DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2017.1400109

Wang, L., Sun, Y., Zhan, J., Wu, Z., Zhang, P., Wen, X., Ge, S., Han, X., & Lu, L. (2021). Effects of Exercise Therapy on Anxiety and Depression in Patients With Coronary Heart Disease: A Meta-Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Study. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, 8:730155. DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2021.730155

The Importance of Self-Care

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By Terrie Johnson | UAB Community Health & Human Services Intern

Photo by Yan Krukau on Pexels.com

Self-care is a concept concerned with an individual taking actions to promote their well-being. It is pegged on creating a surrounding that supports meeting one’s needs. Self-care’s relevance has developed into a critical healthcare paradigm since it features practices that limit admission into care facilities. For example, it provides a vital bearing to avoid stressors by planning one’s schedule. Other than this aspect, self-care mitigates the risk of being involved in unrealistic behaviors. Its promotion at the individual and group levels provides the needed impetus for positive outcomes.

The self-care element can be advanced in varied ways to meet a person’s needs. An individual can be encouraged to take steps to tend to their physical needs. For example, they can be guided on the criticality of creating an exercise regimen. Thus, taking the initiative in physical exercises will enable the person to maintain a desired body weight and avoid obesity. Meeting one’s emotional needs is also part of self-care. This aspect can be fulfilled by attending to feelings that may cause stress (Riegel et al., 2021). Additionally, people can design their surroundings to feature supportive elements that mitigate mental overload. Executing this practice allows one to take control of their cognitive well-being. Thus, being aware of how to promote self-care is relevant to lead a meaningful life.

The stance in caring for self has numerous benefits for one’s well-being. One of its advantages is creating a platform for an individual to maintain positive care trajectories. Self-care also provides leverage for communities to promote health through practices such as hygiene and seeking medical care when required (Riegel et al., 2021). Additionally, the concept creates an opportunity for managing stressors. Thus, people with self-care practices will likely avoid mental health risks that could lead to depression. Embracing the concept, therefore, should be necessary to foster positive holistic outcomes.

Reference

Riegel, B., Dunbar, S. B., Fitzsimons, D., Freedland, K. E., Lee, C. S., Middleton, S., Stromberg, A., Vellone, E., Webber, D. E., & Jaarsma, T. (2021). Self-care research: Where are we now? where are we going? International Journal of Nursing Studies, 116, 103402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2019.103402