Exercises and Health-Conscious Diets
Introduction
Health-conscious eating and engaging in physical exercises are ideal ways of keeping the body free from various diseases such as cardiovascular challenges. People who embrace physical activity achieve firmed bodies which in turn translate to self-confidence and high self-esteem. Health-conscious diets are also essential in helping individuals overcome external cues that trigger people to eat when they are not hungry. As a result, they avoid overeating which contributes to obesity. Health-conscious eating coupled with physical activities keeps humans healthy besides increasing their self-esteem.
People from all age groups can reap several merits from engaging in physical activities. The cardiovascular system, for instance, draws lots of strength and efficiency from physical exercising following the increase in the level of supply of oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body. People whose cardiovascular systems are in a good working condition enjoy happiness in their daily lives. The human body comprises of a network of muscles which gain additional strength when individuals engage in physical exercises. On the same note, physical activities enhance the flexibility of the tendons and ligaments and humans can thus move with ease and are less vulnerable to sudden injuries (Humphreys et al. 33). The more the body muscles have strength, the more a person has a proper body alignment and an increased resistance against joint and lower back pains. Exercises also help in improving the overall body coordination and balance.
Physical exercising is an ideal way of maintaining body weight. People who are battling obesity challenges can burn calories when they work out their bodies and thus lose excessive weight. During exercising, the muscles develop and the metabolic rate also rises (Humphreys et al. 34). The combination speeds up the burning of the calories than when someone is sitting idle. The oxygen levels increase with physical exercises and the flow of blood across the body also improves (Humphreys et al. 39). Physical activities trigger the release of brain cells which form an essential ingredient in the production of cells in the hippocampus. The hippocampus necessitates the learning process and for controlling the memory. As a result, people who exercise more often will experience an improvement in their concentration levels which also lowers their risk of contracting the Alzheimer’s disease.
According to Kokkinos and Myers (1639), exercise is a perfect ingredient for attacking stress. When a stressed person engages in physical exercises, the heart rate increases which further helps to reverse the damages suffered in the brain due to stress. Stressful moments impact the brain negatively more so the hippocampus part which functions to control the human memory (Kokkinos and Myers, 1642). Being under stress can lead to becoming forgetful. Moreover, physical activities foster the production of neurohormones, for example, norepinephrine. The hormone improves the cognitive function, necessitates learning, and elevates the mood by confronting the dullness caused by stressful events (Humphreys et al. 45).
The study of Humphreys et al. (49) emphasizes that physical exercises act as a force that pushes the physiological system of the body to a closer communication than usual. The physiological system plays an integral role in responding to stress. For instance, there is communication from the cardiovascular to the renal system and later to the muscular system. The central and sympathetic nervous systems are responsible for controlling these communications besides the two being in constant touch with each other. Therefore, the more humans get sedentary, the more their bodies lose the vigor to respond to stress (Kokkinos and Myers, 1648). Rigorous exercises such as jogging, riding a bike, dancing, or walking are helpful in bringing an immediate reduction of stress.
Physical exercise helps in treating and preventing anxiety. When confronted with a threat, humans react by sweating, dizziness, or experiencing a raced heartbeat. Persons whose fear exceeds to a greater degree will become fearful and eventually panic. However, engaging in physical exercises works by helping the victims of anxiety less prone to panic when faced by nervous sensations. The rationale behind this explanation is that when people engage in physical exercises, they react the same way as when in anxiety, for instance, heavy perspirations, and increased heart rates. Therefore, exercise works as an exposure treatment where the victims of fear and anxiety associate the symptoms suffered to safety instead of interpreting them as dangerous moments (Kokkinos and Myers, 1647).
Exercising helps to improve the physique appearance. People who exercise may not get any notable changes in their physical bodies in the first month of activity. However, with time, they achieve trimmed bodies and a firmer figure. During the first few sessions of physical activity, the excessive fats in the body burn and the muscles tighten which in the long run leads to a reshaped physique. With an improved muscle tone and posture, a person will feel more comfortable and appreciate themselves when they fit well in their favorite clothes. The improved appearance is a recipe that delivers self-confidence to individuals besides an increased self-esteem. Additionally, physical exercises help in improving the overall body health. As a result, the person has the strength to attend to their daily chores. The increased stamina helps in keeping away common illnesses such as colds and flu.
Health-conscious eating does not involve dieting where human beings choose to keep watch over their weights for a limited period by embracing healthy diets coupled with physical exercises. Rather, it is a way of life where people choose their eating lifestyles and embrace them at all times. They consume foods depending on their health benefits irrespective of whether they love the meal or not. They put their choices and preferences aside and prioritize on consuming healthy foods which give them good health.
Choosing health-conscious eating is similar to nurturing dreams such as furthering education or prospering in one’s career. However, here individuals opt to achieve good health first and believe that every other goal will follow when they are in fit in their bodies (Lofgren 214). Health-conscious eating looks at health as a source of wealth, and consumers will do anything possible to make their bodies rich in health including determining the origin and composition of the food before they can consume it.
When determining whether a diet is healthy conscious, consumers check the labels on the food containers to see the ingredients, and if any of them does not conform to their health beliefs, they shun it. Some of the ingredients the consumers look for on the label include omega 3, vitamins, the antioxidants, calcium, high fiber, and non-saturated fats (Lofgren 215). The items that could appear on the labels and make the health-conscious ambassadors shun the product include saturated fats, coloring, and preservatives. Moreover, a health-conscious meal cares more about the number of calories contained than the significance of taking a balanced diet. Health-conscious eating does not consider the cost because the consumers believe cheaper foods are not healthy and would rather spend more money on food than taking meals that do not contain any health values. Health conscious diets do not shun sugary foods because not all sweetened diets are unhealthy (Lofgren 216).
Embracing health-conscious foods is a strategy for empowering individuals with a choice. In most instances, persons cannot control their overeating habits. Since health conscious eating adheres to rules and regulations such as eating small food portions and only when one is hungry, the habit of overeating does not overpower the person since they have to eat at the defined times. In the long run, health-conscious diets help to shun regular eating habits which in turn lead to excessive weight gain (Lofgren 213).
Eating health-conscious foods helps individuals to say no to the external pressures that push them to eat and only take meals based on their internal cues. In most instances, humans will feel triggered to eat not because they feel physical hunger but because of signals that push them to crave foods. For example, we develop the desire to eat when someone around us is eating. However, when we embrace health conscious eating, we can manage the external cues that force us to eat even in the absence of physical hunger (Lofgren 214). In the long run, the individual can routinely trust themselves to answer the question of whether they are starved or are responding to external pressures. With time, this check helps the person to foster a positive relationship with food.
Conclusion
Physical exercise is advantageous to man in various ways such as preventing diseases like cardiovascular conditions. Physical exercising gives individuals a firmer and trimmed body thus increasing their self-confidence. Health-conscious diets, on the other hand, are significant because they help persons to manage their external cues that lead them to eat food even when they are not hungry. These diets help the body to develop resistance against all forms of diseases. Humans need to exercise besides embracing health-conscious meals as a strategy to enjoying full lives free from diseases.
Works Cited
Humphreys, Brad R., Logan McLeod, and Jane E. Ruseski. “Physical activity and health outcomes: evidence from Canada.” Health Economics23.1 (2014): 33-54.
Kokkinos, Peter, and Jonathan Myers. “Exercise and physical activity clinical outcomes and applications.” Circulation 122.16 (2010): 1637-1648.
Lofgren, Ingrid Elizabeth. “Mindful Eating An Emerging Approach for Healthy Weight Management.” American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine 9.3 (2015): 212-216.
Glossary
Cardiovascular – involving the heart and blood ve