How to For health care: it is better to encourage sports and physical activity and move away from the search for weight loss

There is overwhelming evidence that lifelong exercise is associated with a longer period of health, delaying the onset of 40 chronic conditions/diseases. In 1953, Jeremy N. Morris and his team conducted the first rigorous epidemiological study investigating physical activity and chronic disease risk, in which rates of coronary heart disease were increased in physically inactive bus drivers compared with drivers active. Since that study, a large body of evidence shows that physical inactivity is associated with the development of 40 chronic diseases, including major noncommunicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and premature mortality. In Ruegsegger and Booth's review, they highlight the long-term health benefits of physical activity, which are as follows. Exercise and cardiovascular health Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Among the many risk factors that predispose to the development and progression of CVD, a sedentary lifestyle, characterized by consistently low levels of physical activity, is now recognized as one of the main contributors to poor cardiovascular health. One of the most important measures of health than cardiorespiratory fitness or CRF (commonly measured by maximal oxygen uptake, VO2max). Physical activity and inactivity are the main environmental modulators of CRF, increasing and decreasing it, respectively. Resistance exercise is known to improve CRF and cardiovascular risk factors. Exercise improves numerous factors such as oxygen-carrying capacity, diffusion of oxygen to working muscles, and energy generation. Most importantly, lifelong aerobic exercise training preserves VO2max into old age. CRF generally increases until early adulthood, then decreases throughout life in sedentary humans, much as muscle mass does. One of the studies concluded that exercise capacity is a stronger predictor of mortality among men than other established risk factors for cardiovascular disease. On the other hand, it is well known that high levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and glycemic are predictors of cardiovascular diseases. With physical exercise, both aerobic and strength, it has been seen that reduces any of these values. On the other hand, hypertension also plays an important role in cardiovascular health. Long-term exercise can promote a net reduction in resting blood pressure. One study found that regular moderate to vigorous exercise performed 3 to 5 times per week lowered blood pressure by an average of 3.4/2.4 mmHg. Therefore, the reductions in blood pressure seen when exercise is included as an intervention along with diet modification and weight loss could have a significant impact on CVD incidence. Exercise and mental health Many studies support physical activity as a noninvasive therapy to improve mental health in cognition, depression, anxiety, neurodegenerative diseases (, e Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease), and drug addiction. This study comments that lifestyle modifications may be especially important in people with psychological distress. In addition, many of these people are at high risk for chronic diseases associated with sedentary behavior and medication side effects, such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and cardiovascular disease. It seems that mental health professionals do not adequately understand or appreciate the importance of exercise. Evidence has suggested that exercise may be an often neglected intervention in mental health care. The evidence has focused so much on the mind that the body has been totally neglected. Aerobic exercises, such as jogging, swimming, cycling, walking, gardening, and dancing, have been shown to reduce anxiety and symptoms of depression. These improvements in mood are proposed to be caused by increased blood flow to certain regions of the brain that control motivation and mood.