Sports

How Does Sports Benefit Your Health?

Taking part in team and individual sports is a great way to get in shape and help prevent serious illnesses. According to a report from the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Sport for Development and Peace, sports provide an opportunity for young people to develop their bones, heart and lung function, and improve motor skills and coordination. For adults, regular physical activity can improve cardiovascular health and mobility. The accelerated pulse caused by vigorous sports activity can increase muscle strength, especially in the heart, which reduces the risk of heart and vascular disease. Sports also allow you to maintain a healthy weight, which can help control the onset of diabetes. Sports also increase your general body strength and overall health, making you less susceptible to colds and injuries to over-extension.

Aerobic and Anaerobic Exercises

Aerobic means “with oxygen.” When you exercise aerobically, your breathing and heart rate increase, and your muscle cells demand a steady flow of oxygen. The oxygen is used to convert fat into energy. Glucose and protein can also be used as energy sources, but steady, moderate aerobic exercise actually encourages the use of fats for fuel. Regular aerobic exercise is going to train your body to become better at burning fat, something we all like! 

Good examples of aerobic activities:

For an exercise to be aerobic, you need to:

  1. Use the larger muscles of the body
  2. Exercise at a steady, nonstop, moderate effort
  3. Go for an extended period of time
  4. Keep your heart rate elevated.

Anaerobic exercise is just the opposite; it means “without oxygen.” This kind of exercise is usually of short duration and high intensity. Oxygen isn’t used in converting fat into energy. In fact, cellular demand of oxygen often exceeds the supply, so fat is not as readily burned. Instead glucose, an easy to use source of fuel, is used and is taken right from the blood stream or from glycogen that is stored in the muscles.

The beak down of glucose produces energy but also lactic acid. The build up of lactic acid is that burning sensation we feel when we push a muscle to work at a high intensity. Lactic acid build up is also the reason why we can only do so much of an anaerobic activity before our muscles feel like JELL-O and can’t move!

The body’s anaerobic method for producing energy is important for short periods of intense exertion, like running sprints.

More examples of anaerobic exercises are: