Fitness Essay Example for Free

Fitness Essay Why do people exercise? This may be a simple question, but it can generate multiple and varying responses. Assumptions such as pure weight loss, arise. Although this may be true, weight loss is not the only reason that drives people to engage in such activities. If curious minds dig a little deeper within this topic, different perceptions are brought up or given a better understanding of the situation. People exercise for many reasons. These reasons can be categorized to physical, psychological, and emotional dimension. In the physical sense, people exercise to better their appearance by losing or maintaining weight and overall health. One of the most noticeable effects of exercise is the physical changes that occur to the loss of body fat in a person. A person who may be overweight see exercise as a tool to help him achieve his desired body composition. With continuous exercise, the body burns calories. Excess fat that are stored within the body are utilized and burned for energy, leading to weight loss. Aside from weight loss, exercising provides beneficial heart effects to a person. It strengthens the heart muscle by allowing it to pump blood more effectively which results in the reduction of pressure on the walls of the blood vessel, which lowers blood pressure. (Sherwood, 2010). Other heart benefits include good HDL cholesterol levels, reducing bad LDL cholesterol levels, and reducing inflammation of arteries, as suggested by the University of Maryland Medical Center, or UMMC (as cited by Sherwood, par. 4). According to the website WebMD, regular exercise can help prevent diseases and ailments such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, back pain, and osteoporosis. Beyond the physical effects of exercise come psychological effects. Running, after a long and stressful day at school or work can help a person feel better afterwards. The link between exercise and mood is pretty strong, Michael Otto, PhD, a professor of psychology at Boston University says. Usually within five minutes after moderate exercise you get a mood-enhancement effect. (as cited by Weir, 2011). Aerobic exercises help the body produce chemicals called endorphins. Endorphins are polypeptides that that bind the neuron-receptors in the brain which provides relief from pain (ciarac, 2006). Endorphins also help treat contributing factors to anxiety and depression. Exercise can help reduce immune system chemicals that may worsen depression. Aside from that, it helps increase body temperature that may have calming effects on a person. Some people also exercise as an alternative to drinking. Exercise is a healthy coping mechanism for anxiety and depression, as opposed to drinking alcohol or dwelling on negative thoughts which can lead to difficult situations. Engaging in moderate amount of exercise will result in improved emotional state as well. Some people exercise in the assumption that they will gain a sense of achievement. In some cases, exercising provides that first push for a person to aim for, and achieve self-confidence. When a person meets his or her exercise goal or challenge, it helps feed that yearning of achievement. The emotional state of a person also ties in with the physical result of exercise. When a person loses weight, he or she tends to feel better about his or her appearance. Being able to wear clothing you desire, gives that extra good feeling. Exercising also becomes a positive distraction from the stresses of everyday life. It helps take a person’s mind off his or her worries temporarily. Another reason why people exercise is to get more social interaction. Exercising can provide opportunities to meet more people by going to the gym, jogging at the park, or signing up for dance class. Positive interaction improves a person’s emotional state. These interactions can vary from a friendly smile to creating strong meaningful bonds. Exercise promotes better sleep as well. Regular physical activity tires you out and get to fall asleep faster as well as deepen it. Do you feel tired or out of shape when it comes to sex with your special someone? It could sparks up more intimacy in your relationship between lovers as well. Regular physical activity can leave you feeling energized and looking better, which may have a positive effect on your sex life. But theres more to it than that. Regular physical activity can lead to enhanced arousal for women. And men who exercise regularly are less likely to have problems with erectile dysfunction than are men who dont exercise. As well as performance that both the male and female enhances for greater pleasure. Gain health benefits as you have fun. If you want to lose weight or meet specific fitness goals, you may need to exercise more. Remember to check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program, especially if you have any health concerns. One more important thing about exercising is that it is very fun when you just think about it. Exercising is one of the best way to better your connection within your family, you’re not just improving your health but your well-being too. There are several ways you can enjoy exercise, not just going to the gym constantly, such as hiking, mountain climbing, swimming, snorkeling, diving, etc. There is wide variety of activities to choose from just to keep yourself from being bored from doing the same thing every day. So work out, get your lazy behinds up and get a move on. You won’t get the satisfaction like any other just by sitting down doing nothing but watching television.