Goodbye to sedentary lifestyle: 6 reasons to practice sports

The first substantial change in human life habits came after the so-called “industrial revolution” and the second change we are now experiencing after the “technological revolution”. Before the industrial revolution, food was affected by supply variability that existed according to the time, and the need for effort always came into play when it came to achieving the food.

This fact changed after the appearance of the large factories, at which time the machines were in charge of the fine grinding of the cereals and the removal of bran and all indigestible fiber parts, which caused a higher rate of absorption of glucose in foods rich in cereals. Due, produced an abundance of carbohydrate-rich foods with a high glycemic index, and therefore, of rapid assimilation that invaded our diet.

Today, after the arrival of the technological revolution, These trends have been promoted and advances have made a wide variety of new highly palatable foods available to everyone, with attractive colors and irresistible crunchy sounds when chewing. Some of these products are very rich in fast carbohydrates and fats: pastries, pastries and derivatives, sweets, etc. All these circumstances, together with the sedentary lifestyle, have increased the negative consequences of insulin resistance in the last 50 years.

The population in industrialized countries is exposed to excess energy intake, mostly in the form of rapidly assimilating carbohydrates and saturated fats. Are we taming ourselves?

A brain adapted to hunger

Although we try to avoid the consumption of foods rich in calories in our diet, we are aware of how difficult it is to deprive yourself of any of these dishes. For starters, those foods with a high lipid content are much tastier, which makes our nervous system prefer them.

If we go back in history, the periods that are most abundant are those of food shortages and famines, rather than those of abundance. For this, Our brain was adapting to have that preference for this type of food that helps the accumulation of fats and that they are an essential source of energy to survive long periods without food. The problem we have today is that the preference for this type of food is combined with the lack of need for physical exercise in daily activities, fostering the emergence of a society with a greater overweight.

These new conditions, applied to the population that carry the energy-saving genotype, make many people live in permanent hyperinsulinemia, carrying a series of diseases. Recent studies have indicated sedentary lifestyle as a factor linked to the appearance and severity of a large number of chronic diseases how are high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity among others.

Fighting against sedentary lifestyle

In Europe, the European Commission in White paper on sport acknowledges that it is not making enough progress in the fight against sedentary lifestyle and promoting physical activity.

The Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine considers that the prevalence of sedentary lifestyle is being higher than that of any other risk factor today, such as smoking or alcohol consumption, since only 12% of the population practice physical exercise adequately.

This is worrying, considering that practicing sports regularly can enjoy various benefits. Among them we can highlight the following.

1. It represents an economic saving

An investigation carried out in Argentina by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Nation with the qualified support of National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INDEC) showed that sedentary lifestyle not only encourages the appearance of diseases, but also has a high economic cost for the country: approximately 20% of the budget given to organizations related to the field of health could be saved by promoting frequent physical activity.

2. Has positive psychological effects

Higher levels of physical activity have been associated with few or few symptoms of depression and possibly anxiety and tension. For this reason, sport is one of the most frequent psychological interventions. Another advantage that we find is the construction of a stronger self-esteem, a positive self-image in women and an improvement in the quality of life among children and adults. These advantages may be due to the combination of physical activity and the sociocultural aspects that can accompany the activity.

3. Improve deep sleep

Restful sleep is like a fountain of youth, and exercise will help you achieve it. Regular exercise has been shown to help you fall asleep faster, as well as have deeper REM phases. At least 150 minutes of physical exercise a week will improve the quality of sleep.

4. Boost cognitive processes

Secondly, physical activity also plays an important role in cognitive processes. A series of studies conducted by the University of Illinois in the United States found a relationship between greater aerobic activity and less neuronal degeneration. Likewise, various studies showed that some cognitive processes and skills in older people were better if they practiced physical activity.

For example, a study carried out by the same university in 1999 observed a group of people who for 60 years had led a very sedentary life. After a 45-minute walk three times a week, their mental abilities improved, which tend to decline due to age. And it is not only in older ages where significant differences have been found; in the case of children who practice physical activity in a systematic way, the cognitive processes are better than those of sedentary children.

5. Improves brain development

There are numerous works that echo the relevance of physical exercise in brain function and development. In a study carried out by Chaddock, it was possible to verify how those children who had a good physical shape presented an increase in the volume of the hippocampus (very important area in learning and memory).

Thayer and his team in 1994 found through studies in mice that physical activity increased the secretion of the factor neurotrophic brain (BDNF), a neurotrophin related to nerve growth factor, located primarily in the hippocampus and in the cerebral cortex. This substance lengthens the life expectancy of neurons and protects the brain from possible ischemias. In addition, he found that physical activity causes the muscle to secrete IGF-1 (growth factor similar to the insulin) that enters the bloodstream, reaching the brain and stimulating the production of neurotrophic factor cerebral. Therefore, physical exercise helps to preserve the brain's cognitive and sensory function in better condition.

All these findings positioned physical activity as a neuropreventive role in different neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's or lateral sclerosis amyotrophic.

6. Delays cellular aging

Telomeres, structures that are located at the ends of chromosomes, shorten as we age. Long telomeres are associated with longevity.

Well, a team of scientists from the University of California has presented the results of a study wheree demonstrate that with the introduction of healthy habits we can modify the size of these structures, and therefore, the predisposition to suffer the typical ailments of age.

Concluding

Therefore, if we want to save money on drugs, have a stronger self-esteem, sleep better, have an agile brain and live longer and better, there is no doubt that we have to do from now on.

How much exercise do you have to do to be in shape? According to the WHO, in people between 18 and 64 years old, at least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic exercise and 75 minutes of vigorous activity. It can be increased to 300 minutes by combining with muscle strengthening exercises.

Bibliographic references:

• Chaddock, L., Erickson, K. I., Prakash, R. S., Kim, J. S., Voss, M. W. and VanPatter. M., (2010). A neuroimaging investigation of the association between aerobic fitness, hippocampal volume and memory performance in preadolescent children. Brain Research, 1358, 172-183.
• Duperly, J. (2005). Active lifestyle in metabolic syndrome. Bogotá, D.C.
• Matsudo, S.M. Physical activity: passport to health. Rev. Clin. Counts - 2012.
• Ramirez, W, Vinaccia, S and Ramón Suarez, G. The impact of physical activity and sport on health, cognition, socialization, and academic performance: a theoretical review. Social Studies Magazine, no.18, August 2004, 67-75.
• Ströhle, A. Physical activivty, exercise, depression and anxiety disorders. J Neural Transm (2009) 116: 777–784
• Suay, F. (2012). Why are you so sedentary?