It's time to get into sports 🏃♀️
SERENITY.
Welcome to a new issue of the Serinity’Blog,
We are often told that sports are good for health, but without really explaining why, that is what we will see today. 🏃🏽♀️
Before explaining why, let’s remember that various studies have shown, among other things, that moving regularly reduces the risk of developing diabetes, dying from a stroke or heart attack, prevents certain cancers, improves mood, strengthens bones, builds muscles, increases lung capacity, reduces risks of falls and fractures in the elderly, helps to control excess weight, etc.! Not bad, right?
150 MINUTES OF MODERATE ACTIVITY PER WEEK, IS THAT ALL?
Twenty years ago, preventive medicine experts only advocated intense activity. Today, they also emphasize the benefits of regular and moderate sessions. One of us (JoAnn Manson) has contributed to demonstrating the comparable health benefits of intense or non-intense physical exercise in large-scale studies.
During physical exercise, oxygen migrates to the mitochondria in muscle cells, compartments that provide energy to the cells. In other words, it’s good for health.😃
The WHO recommends engaging in at least 2.5 hours of activity every week to reap the benefits of physical exercise.
GOOD FOR MEMORY!
More recently, neuroscientists have been interested in the chemical changes in the brain associated with exercise that improve concentration, thinking, and decision-making abilities. In 2011, a study conducted on 120 people aged 55 to 80 by Kirk Erickson from the University of Pittsburgh in the United States showed that physical exercise increases the size of the hippocampus, a region of the brain involved in memory.
Interesting, right?
A BETTER TRANSPORT OF CHOLESTEROL!
Other analyses have shown that physical exercise affects LDL lipoproteins more by changing their properties than by decreasing their concentration in the blood. In fact, LDL (and HDL) lipoproteins are particles made up of proteins and lipids that transport cholesterol, a lipid, in the blood. Produced in the liver, LDL particles deliver cholesterol to tissues, where it participates in the formation of cell membranes (HDL particles, on the other hand, transport excess cholesterol back to the liver, where it is excreted in bile).
Studies show that physical exercise increases the number of large LDL molecules, which are less harmful, while decreasing the number of small, more harmful ones.
LET'S FIGHT AGAINST DIABETES!
When physical exercise is daily, muscles become more sensitive to the effects of insulin. The pancreas therefore works less to regulate blood sugar: a lower concentration of insulin provides the same results as higher amounts before. Various studies also suggest that physical activity may promote glucose absorption through another pathway, independent of insulin.
DON'T STAY SEATED!
In 2012, data from six studies that followed a total of 655,000 adults for about ten years living in the United States were analyzed. People who spend even just 11 minutes a day on activities such as walking, cycling, climbing stairs, or gardening gain 1.8 years of life after the age of 40, compared to their inactive peers. Participants who engaged in moderate physical activity as recommended by guidelines have a life expectancy that is 3.4 years longer. And those who perform between one hour and one and a half hours of physical exercise per day can expect 4.2 additional years of life.
This makes you want to move a bit, doesn’t it?
You will have understood, doing sports has only advantages and no disadvantages.
Never forget that our body is the "vehicle of our mind"... take care of it!
See you soon for a new issue 😉
