Written by Dr. Sanjana V.B Bhms,dbrm,cdn

Founder & medical director of siahmsr wellness.in

All rights reserved with siahmsr digital healthcare[siahmsr wellness]

Reviewed by SIAHMSR medical team

Health benefits of physical activity

-weight loss, prevention of lifestyle diseases, boosting mood

      Obesity results from energy imbalance. Keeping active can help people stay at a healthy weight or lose weight.  Weight loss occurs because of decreased caloric intake. However, evidence shows the only way to maintain weight loss is to be engaged in regular physical activity.

 It can also lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and certain cancers, as well as reduce stress and boost mood. Inactive (sedentary) lifestyles leads various types of lifestyle diseases and cancers.

     Physical activity has great role in weight loss and in preventing lifestyle diseases. Being physically active also helps to improve your mental health reducing stress. Stress and emotional upsets are one of the risk factors for obesity and other diseases like cancers. Physical activity reduces the impact of stress and helps to prevent obesity. It also burns calories and help in weight loss.

     Physical exercise or training can reduce fat mass & plays a significant role in energy expenditure and affect hormonal concentrations (insulin, cortisol, growth hormone, catecholamines, testosterone etc.) and metabolites (free fatty acids, lactic acid, triglycerides etc.).

Promote physical activity through exercise programs and games. It helps to manage various hormonal diseases and syndromes also. Physically active is important for women with diabetes, metabolic syndrome ,insulin resistance and gynaecological problems  such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, obesity, fibroid etc.

  Physical activity among people is declining in both developed and developing countries and it is contributing to obesity in the populations of these countries. The World Health Organization recommends that for good health, adults should get the equivalent of two and a half hours of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each week.

 Physical activity refers to all movements caused by skeletal muscles that cause energy consumption and it is classified into occupational physical activity and leisure physical activity.

Physical  activity is part of our lives in an involuntary manner. Walking, running, dancing, rocking in a chair while you read, going to your office in a cycle etc. are physical activities. If you rise from your chair and switch on a television, placed at a slight distance away from you also is movement of your body and it is physical activity.

    Exercise is a sub-concept of this physical activity and is included in leisure physical activity and it is defined as a structured activity that is planned and repeated.

Nowadays physical activity level is declining due to the innovations in technology and comforts. So physical activity must be included in our lifestyle as a deliberate action. 

Exercise is not equivalent to spontaneous physical activity, but  a subcategory of physical activity, refers to -planned, structured, and repetitive- activities aimed at improving physical fitness and health. It is a planned activity with the purpose of achieving good health or stamina. However, it is good for your health. Exercise can help promote weight loss, but it seems to work best when combined with a lower calorie diet plan.

Intensity of physical activity

    The intensity of physical activity is measured in metabolic equivalents or METs. One MET is defined as the calories burned while an individual sits quietly for one minute. For the average adult, this is about one calorie per every 2.2 pounds of body weight per hour.

Moderate-intensity physical activity is defined as activities that are strenuous enough to burn three to six times as much energy per minute as an individual would burn when sitting quietly, or 3 to 6 METs. Moderate physical activity in ageing people may help to prevent muscle weakness of old age.

Vigorous-intensity activities burn more than 6 METs.

Physical activity decreases fat around the waist and total body fat, slowing the development of central or abdominal obesity. It is very crucial in preventing metabolic syndrome and cancers.

Strengthening training activities build muscle mass, increasing the energy that the body burns throughout the day eg: weight lifting ,push- ups.

 Leptins and role of physical activity: 

 Leptin is often discussed with obesity. What role does leptin play in obesity? Does physical activity help in reducing the impact of leptins in obesity management?

Leptin is a hormone your adipose tissue (body fat) releases that helps your body maintain  normal weight on a long-term basis. It can regulate hunger by providing the sensation of satiety (feeling full) and helps in reducing food intake and help weight management.

Leptin hormone acts on your brainstem and hypothalamus chiefly to regulate hunger and energy balance.  The level of leptin in your blood is directly related to how much body fat you have. Leptin levels increase if your body fat mass increases over time, and they decrease as your body fat decreases over time. Having obesity results in high levels of leptin (hyperleptinemia). This can cause a lack of sensitivity to leptin, a condition known as  leptin resistance.

 Leptin resistance makes you  feel hungry and eat more even though your body has enough fat stores. Leptin resistance thus further contributes to obesity and causes additional weight gain. Leptin resistance results in a decrease in the ability of leptin to suppress appetite or increase your body’s energy use. This may lead to obesity, depression, fatty liver and cardiovascular diseases eventually.

 The effect of physical exercise on leptin concentrations is currently controversial. Several researches reported that exercise may result in reductions in leptin levels, depending on the duration and calorie expenditure whereas others have reported no change in leptin concentrations.

Leptin is a hormone, still not fully studied and understood by the medical science. However, according to certain research studies[6] , we believe that  intense ,long term exercise trainings has some role in reducing leptin levels and obesity. Further extensive researches are needed in this regard.

Some research data shows that zinc-deficiency exerts a negative influence on leptin concentrations and that zinc- supplementation improves leptin levels.

                                      SIAHMSR                              

      A few physical activity options for weight loss or obesity management

·       Aerobic exercise is a popular method for the management of obesity and overweight.

·       Combined calorie restriction [diet modification] and physical activity  for weight loss

Studies show that combined diet+exercise interventions are superior to diet-only method  in weight reduction.

Several studies have reported that declines in physical activity both in occupation and leisure may have an important role in the increase in obesity rates in the recent years.

·      To prevent weight regain after weight loss

     Most obese individuals do not maintain the loss for long periods. The recommendations for physical activity to prevent weight regain after weight loss was 200–300 min/week of moderate physical activity.

·       To maintain your weight work your way up to 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, or an equivalent mix of the two each week. However, it varies greatly from person to person.

·       Moderate physical activity include:

Walking briskly (a 15-minute mile)

Light yard work

Light snow shoveling

Actively playing with children

Biking on road

·       Vigorous physical activity:

   Your heart rate is increased substantially and you are breathing too hard and fast to have a conversation while doing this.

 Jogging/running

Swimming

Rollerblading/inline skating at a brisk pace

Cross-country skiing

Competitive sports (football, basketball, or soccer).

Jumping rope etc. are vigorous activities.

             References

1.    https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-causes/physical-activity-and-obesity/

2.    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6484923/

3.    https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/physical_activity/index.html