It doesn’t work without movement
We are genetically programmed to move. Even a short walk is good for the joints and a sweaty workout gets the cardiovascular system going. Our body even benefits from this when we are resting, because regular training strengthens the heart over the long term. The result: fewer strokes and heart attacks. Diseases such as diabetes, dementia and cancer are also positively influenced by exercise.
Exercise and hormones
Lots of hormones, enzymes and messenger substances are released during sport – even if we are not performing at our best. Serotonin and dopamine have a mood-enhancing effect. Myokines help deliver oxygen to the brain. And a special enzyme, telomerase, ensures that the cells do not age prematurely.
The 10,000 step rule – a myth
There is a lot of debate about what is the right dose for exercise and very different information can be found. Way ahead: The 10,000-step rule, which says that you should walk 10,000 steps a day. However, this rule has no scientific basis. It’s more of a marketing coup: the number goes back to a pedometer that came onto the market in the 1960s and translated into German as “10,000 step counter”. Since then she has been in the world.
How much exercise is really good?
But there is also a whole range of information derived from studies. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week is good – or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise. The British statistician David Spiegelhalter has calculated: If you jog every now and then for 20 minutes, you live an hour longer. Other researchers have come to the conclusion that if you exercise for 50 minutes a day, you can cut your risk of death in half. However, you should know that all these numbers are only statistical averages. Fixed rules for the everyday sporting life of individuals cannot be derived from this.
There is no patent recipe for the right dose
The daily dose of sport and the type of training are as individual as each person. But there are a few rules: If you are untrained, you should start slowly and not overwhelm yourself. Also important: Older people benefit more from strength training than from fitness training because it builds muscle. This relieves the joints, among other things. Younger people get more out of it if they rely on perseverance. This keeps the vessels elastic. But sport is not everything. Lifestyle and genes also play a role when it comes to how fit someone is.
Also practiced climbing stairs
Sport does not necessarily have to take place in the gym. If you need instructions for workouts, you will find a large selection on the Internet. And you can also incorporate the training into everyday life and, for example, take the stairs instead of the elevator. Or leave the car at home more often. And if you can’t outsmart your weaker self on your own, you can look for people who will take part. No matter how you do it, the main thing is that you move. If you can do this regularly, you do a lot to stay fit and healthy.