Being active, what does it really mean? Walk ? Work ? To move ? Go out ? Running or practicing healthy sports? All this at once? As a doctor, I can at least affirm that in order for the body to remain “active”, it must be maintained or, rather, I should say, kept… in activity. So move for your health, yes, but how?
Sport to surpass oneself or to maintain oneself?
It is not a question here of sport but rather of how to put the moving body, or to keep it “active”. Because we still too often rhyme sport with effortthus implying a transcendencephysical constraint or competition.
However, you should know that the strenuous sport can be a source of rheumatological problems (look at the evolution of the knees of the addicts of the marathon), even cardiac in case of excess and disproportionate excess of his physical capacities.
The key Form offers you a different approach to physical activity. Of course, it’s about the stirthis body, but it is above all a question of bodily consciousness, of movement, of rhythm, of breathing, and of all that this entails, such as health benefits.
Because you have to know that for live better but also longer, maintaining a Good shape physics is essential for two reasons: on the one hand, because it makes it possible toreduce risk in the face of such illnesses as attacks and the cardiovascular disorders, which too often bring about a premature end; on the other hand, because it also acts on the mind by reducing the negative effects of stress.
Moreover, we now know that regular sports practice can to move back some brain diseases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the sedentary lifestyle is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide.
It is also believed to be the main cause of some cancer breast or colon, nearly 1/3 of cases of diabetes and about 30% of cases of ischemic heart disease.
Conversely, it has been shown that, in adults, regular practice of healthy sports, i.e. appropriate physical activity, reduced the risk ofhypertensioncoronary heart disease, stroke, diabetesof cancer breast or colon, depression and improves bone condition and functional health.
In addition, practicing healthy sports is a factor in energy expenditure; it is therefore fundamental to control one’s weight and reduce thus the risks ofobesity. “Adapted physical activities” (APA) can even be prescribed as proven non-drug treatments, in addition to conventional treatments, or even as a substitute for milder conditions.
healthy sports
Our current lifestyle is conducive to a decrease in physical activity and sedentarization, with Negative consequences and measurable on our state of health: we are witnessing a significant increase in the number of people suffering from overweight, high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
A major public health issue, the concept of “healthy sports”, which appeared recently, covers the practice of physical or sporting activities that contribute to well-being and health* . The goal is preventive, both to maintain good health, but also, in the more or less long term, to avoid certain diseases and conditions, chronic or not, by helping to prevent their aggravation or recurrence.
Physical activity thus makes it possible to gain years of life in good health, to reduce or prevent the risks associated with chronic diseases. The prevention is indeed a major goal of health sports.
The message is all the more fundamental since almost 40% of French do not meet physical activity recommendations to achieve a health benefit. A 2012 survey by the CCM Benchmark Group revealed that 1 out of 2 French people don’t know that exercising regularly can help prevent many diseases.
The practice of a moderate activity (at least 20 mins 3 times a week) or intense (at least 3 hours per week) would thus reduce the risk of premature mortality by around 30%. In addition to cardiovascular disease and obesity, it would also prevent bone and muscle problems.
Finally, she improved notably the emotional well-being and limits depressive disorders. A set of benefits that could be noted both in teenagers than among the elderly.
The benefits of simple physical activity
The benefits physical activity on the cardiac system as a whole are no longer to be demonstrated. A moderate activity of 30 to 40 minutes, called endurance activity, solicits the heart in a satisfactory way.
On the other hand, to improve its performanceit is necessary to work on the variations of rhythm, by practicing what is called split training: we alternate soft phases and more sustained phases, also planning recovery periods in order to modulate the cardiac intensity.
We seek to stimulate the heart to strengthen itbut without pushing it in the extremes. Above all, we refrain from exceeding our maximum heart rate. In practice, if we talk about walking for example, all you have to do is walk more or less quickly in 5-10 minute increments before changing the pace, the ideal being to be accompanied by a coach to start.
According to’American Heart Associationyou have to practice at least 5 times 30 min per week to have a effect protector on the hearta time in my opinion overrated. Indeed, any physical activity has benefits for cardiac activity, which is also linked to many other factors (overweight, tobacco, diet, etc.).
The mere fact of walk faster daily, to mount stairs instead of taking the elevator represents an increase in physical activity and potential benefits on the risk of heart disease.
Swimming, walking, cycling… find what healthy sports to practice (without trying to break records but simply for simple health effects by starting small challenges) and you will have results quickly. Who’s going to the gym this afternoon?
*In accordance with the WHO definition of health, which refers to a state of well-being in all three of these areas: physical, mental and social.
