WHY EXERCISE By Juan Romero CHALLENGE WOULD I

WHY EXERCISE ? By Juan Romero

CHALLENGE: WOULD I NOTICE THE DIFFERENCE WHEN I DO NOT EXERCISE FOR A PERIOD OF TIME ? I tend to do at least an hour of exercise daily, thus my challenge is to not do any form of exercise for four days. A problem I may be presented with is the lack of endurance I will gain from this. I have friends that are smokers, which is one of the reasons why I constantly exercise since the second-hand smoke affects me. Thus, if I stop exercising my lungs will become more tire at a shorter amount of time when perfoming sports.

RESEARCH It is well known that exercise can not only make a person look in shape but it can also prolong life and provide the person with more energy. Exercise helps prevent excess weight and helps regulate blood pressure. Every time a person engages in physical activity calories are burned. The longer the workout or activity is, the more calories a person will burn. Simple things like taking the stairs or taking your bike to work can potentially lead you to a healthier life. Also, exercise combats diseases. Being active boosts a persons defense system. Daily exercise can help a person prevent and manage a wide range of health problems such as; strokes, diabetes, depression, and many others. Believe it or not, exercise can improve a persons mood greatly. Physical activity grants an individual the opportunity of decreasing stress. Physical activity can stimulate various brain cells that can lead you to feeling happier and more content, as well as relaxed. Constant exercise can improve a persons endurance and energy. Physical activity delivers nutrients and oxygen to various part of your body, including your tissues. This can ultimately help your cardiovascular system work more efficiently.

Not only that, but a daily exercise promotes a better sleep. Since you become tired after constantly being involved in an activity, exercise makes you fall asleep faster and deepens your sleep. It is better if you do not exercise around your sleeping hours, since you will be too energized to fall asleep. Surprisingly, regular exercise can have a positive effect on your sex life. Constant physical activity can lead to an enhanced arousal for women. While for men who constantly engage in physical activities are less likely to have erectile dysfuction problems.

INTENSITY; VIGOROUS VS. MODERATE A moderate physical activity is one that causes a moderate increase in heart rate and breathing. One way of knowing how to exercising moderately is by using the Talk Test. This basically means that a person should exercise enough to the point of breaking a sweat but still being able to hold a conversation comfortably. This is unlike a vigorous exercise, since due to the greater increase of heart rate and shortage of breath a person will not be able to sustain a full conversation. One way of calculating the intensity of your exercise is to use the Borg Scale of Perceived Exertion. This scale matches how hard you feel you are working with numbers ranging from 6 to 20. The Borg Scale takes into consideration your fitness level. The scale starts with the title of No Feeling of Exertion, which rates 6 and ends with Very Hard which is 20. Moderate activities rate between 11 to 14, while vigorous activities range from 15 and up.

MY DAYS OF NO EXERCISE Friday I woke up just like any other regular Friday and decided to go for a run. I had to stop myself from doing this subconscious activity. The whole day felt weird since I was not active. I realized towards the end of the day that I had spend the whole day on a regular mood but felt tired, even though I had eight hours of sleep the previous day. Saturday I woke up on Saturday extremely late, and usually I wake up around 9 a. m. during the weekends. Like the day before, I did not engage in any form of physical activity. I even decided to take the elevator to the fourth floor (my floor) instead of usually taking the stairs. I felt really sleepy throughout the day. I especially felt tired after spending the day with my friends and having smoke blown into my face constantly. I went to sleep extremely late that day, regardless of my level of tiredness.

Sunday Unlike Saturday, I woke up really early. I did not have a good night sleep nor felt energized. The whole day I was in a bad mood. Not only that, but the food I had been eating daily made me feel sick. I eat a lot of unhealthy food but I tend to balance that with the amount of exercise I do. Since I had stopped exercising for the past days, the food I was eating just simply disgusted me. I went to bed early that day. Monday I really did not imagine that not doing any form of physical activity other than walking would make me anxious. This day was especially frustrating since the majority of my friends decided to go play basketball at the gym, and I simply could not. I tried to eat something healthier, like replacing a burger for a salad, but it did not satisfy me as well. The day, for some reason, was extremely slow and boring. Around 9 p. m. that day I completely fell asleep.

CONCLUSION I was surprised to feel extremely out of shape after only four days of not engaging in any form of physical activity. I thought that it would simply be similar to whenever I am in vacation, since I am not constantly playing a sport. But for some reason I felt a lot worse. I think important factors that need to be considered are the fact that I was constantly exposed to smoke, which affected my breathing, and the fact that I continued to eat unhealthy meals without doing any exercise. My mood was ultimately altered and I believe this was due to the lack of energy that I felt throughout these days. Lastly, exercise obviously has positive effects on the human body. It is incredible to see the way a persons body can be affected by either doing or not doing exercise. Thus, I encourage everyone to engage in some form of physical activity; it could be either a sport or working out. But in reality, simple things like walking up the stairs or going for a light thirty minute walk at the park can greatly benefit a persons health.