What is satisfaction in your life?
Make the most of what God gives both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it
King Solomon, one of the greatest and wisest kings of ancient Israel, summarized this life-pursuit of satisfaction: "After looking at the way things are on this earth, here's what I've decided is the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives your life. . . . Make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what's given and delighting in the work." (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20, "The Message" translation of the Bible.)
What are all benefits of doing normal exercise?
Here we give a short account of the salutary effects of exercise on various organs and systems of the body.
1) Heart and circulatory system
Regular exercise makes the heart muscles stronger and more efficient. The heart-beats of an athlete do not increase appreciably even when doing something requiring physical exertion, and revert very soon to the normal rate afterwards. In contrast, even a little exertion sends the pulse rate of a sedentary individual rocketing up, and it takes time for the heart to settle down to its normal rate of beating.
The blood vessels dilate during exercise, and so more blood reaches the muscles. It has been found that during vigorous or rapid exercise, the blood circulation in certain muscles and organs increases 25 to 30 times, thus supplying the muscles and organs with more oxygen and a larger number of red blood corpuscles.
2) The respiratory system
Breathing becomes not only more rapid, but also deeper, thus making increased quantities of oxygen available.
3) The digestive system
The secretion of the digestive juices is stimulated by exercise. Thus digestion becomes more efficient. Exercises also stimulate the intestinal movements (peristalsis), resulting in more effective elimination of wastes.
4) The musculature
Regular exercise strengthens the muscles, promotes their development and increases their efficiency. Stronger muscles lend better support to the joints.
5) The skin
The pores of the skin open up during exercise. The result is a healthier skin, because of more efficient disposal of impurities and dirt.
6) Temperature of the body
The temperature of the body rises during exercise. This promotes the burning up of the toxic substances in the body.
In short, all the systems of the body derive invaluable benefits from exercise. Each one of us should set aside a minimum period of 30 to 40 minutes every day in the morning for exercise.
New Research – How Exercise boosts satisfaction with life
Had a bad day? Extending your normal exercise routine by a few minutes may be the solution, according to Penn State researchers, who found that people’s satisfaction with life was higher on days when they exercised more than usual. “We found that people’s satisfaction with life was directly impacted by their daily physical activity,” said Jaclyn Maher, graduate student in kinesiology. “The findings reinforce the idea that physical activity is a health behavior with important consequences for daily well-being and should be considered when developing national policies to enhance satisfaction with life. “The team examined the influence of physical activity on satisfaction with life among emerging adults ages 18 to 25 years because this population’s sense of well-being appears to worsen more quickly than at any other time during adulthood. “Emerging adults are going through a lot of changes; they are leaving home for the first time and attending college or starting jobs,” said Maher. “As a result, their satisfaction with life can plummet. We decided to focus on emerging adults because they stand to benefit the most from strategies to enhance satisfaction with life.”
The researchers recruited two groups of college students at Penn State. The first group, consisting of 190 individuals, entered information into a diary every day for eight days. The second group, consisting of 63 individuals, entered information into a secure website every day for 14 days. Both groups answered questions aimed at determining participants’ satisfaction with life, physical activity and self-esteem. The personalities of all participants in the first group were assessed at the outset of the study using the Big Five Inventory short form.
For the second group (the 63 individuals who filled out questionnaires online for 14 days), the researchers wanted to further investigate whether physical activity was indeed, the cause of participants’ increased satisfaction with life rather than some other factor such as mental health, fatigue, or Body Mass Index. “Shifts in depression, anxiety and stress would be expected to influence a person’s satisfaction with life at any given point in time,” said David Conroy, professor of kinesiology. “In addition, fatigue can be a barrier to engaging in physical activity, and a high Body Mass Index associated with being overweight may cause a person to be less satisfied in a variety of ways.”
By controlling for these variables, the researchers were able to determine that the amount of physical activity a person undertakes in a particular day directly influences his or her satisfaction with life. Specifically, the team found that by exercising just a little more than usual a person can significantly improve his or her satisfaction with life.
The results appeared online this week in the journal Health Psychology. “Based on these findings, we recommend that people exercise a little longer or a little harder than usual as a way to boost satisfaction with life,” said Conroy
No comments:
Post a Comment