Healthy Habits: Sports
Physical exercise is the performance of some activity in order to develop or maintain physical fitness and overall health. It is often directed toward also honing athletic ability or skill [ study link ]. In this article, we cover the benefits of sports incl. longevity & brain health, and types of exercise from flexibility, aerobic, and anaerobic.
NOTE: All sports-related Workouts in your Apple Health app counts towards your Sports Habit in the Healthzilla app.
Benefits of physical exercise
In addition to the obvious benefits of how exercise can help in managing your weight, building muscle mass and overall fitness, there are a number of well-researched and surprisingly profound benefits. It really is the silver bullet we’ve been searching for.
Exercise reduces inflammation
Exercise is known to reduce a number of inflammatory markers, like c-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), which are linked to a number of diseases (such as cancer and diabetes). A 20-minute moderate workout has measurable effects on the immune system. [ study link ]
Exercise reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke
Active people have lower rates of CHD and cardiovascular disease (CVD) than inactive ones. [ study link ]
Exercise makes you younger
Telomeres are nucleoprotein caps positioned at the end of chromosomes. Aging causes telomeres to shorten significantly and results in gradual cell deterioration. Research showed that regular activity accounted for significantly longer telomeres in U.S. adults accounting for 9 years of reduced cellular aging. [ study link ]
Exercise makes you smarter
Especially aerobic exercise, such as running, has positive effects on brain structure and function, such as adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) and learning. Essentially it spurs the growth of new brain cells. It can also improve your memory and thus prevent dementia. [ study link 1, study link 2 ]
Exercise makes you happier
Low physical activity is a big risk factor for depression and increased physical activity has been shown to help in depression as effectively as many other forms of treatments. [ study link ]
Exercise can make you more social
If you participate in sports or social exercise it can improve enhance psychological and social health outcomes through social interactions [ study link ]
Methods for physical exercise
Starting to exercise is never too late.. Some physical activity is better than none and even small increases in activity will bring benefits. Consistency is key. Consistent moderate activity is better than occasional strenuous activity. As you train more, you should increase the length and intensity of the exercise.
Exercises are generally grouped into three types depending on the overall effect they have on the human body. You should do a mix of all these exercises:
Flexibility exercises (e.g. stretching, yoga)
Improves the range of motion of muscles and joints. Aim for a program of stretching every day or at least three or four times per week.
Aerobic exercises (walking and running)
Focus on increasing cardiovascular endurance. Aim for 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week, or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity. [ study link ]
Anaerobic exercises (e.g. weight training, functional training, sprinting)
Increase short-term muscle strength. Aim for two to three times a week of strength training for all major muscle groups. In the beginning, it can be solely bodyweight exercises like squats, push-ups, sit-ups. You can add resistance from weights, a band, or a weight machine.
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