According to the latest data from the World Health Organization, in Europe, 29.4% of the population over 18 years of age have insufficient physical activity (in Russia this figure is about 18%, in the United States – 42.5%). Why is it so difficult to start exercising regularly and devote at least some free time to exercise? The first and most obvious fact is that people just don’t like to do it. If you think back to evolutionary theory, our ancestors – cavemen – had no shortage of physical activity because it was an integral part of their survival. Hunters and gatherers walked long distances, climbed mountains, threw stones at prey, ran away from predators. They didn’t need willpower and self-control to force themselves to exercise. Naturally, after each prey, after each successful escape, there came that rare moment of rest, in which one could relax and calm down a little. And it was so precious that in us, modern humans, genetically laid the enjoyment of it. Survival mode is long over, but we are still just as programmed to enjoy rest, and our bodies are still programmed to get a dose of exercise. Today, however, we lack serious motivation: after all, the food is already grown, packaged, and sitting on the store shelf. Lack of motivation is a serious reason not to exercise. Emily Balsetis, a social psychologist and professor at New York University, argues that motivation is lost, in part, because some people simply see exercise as more difficult than it really is. A test among volunteers who had to walk a certain distance with weights showed that people who were less motivated judged the distance to be greater than it was. These days, what motivates better is knowing that exercise will positively impact every aspect of our biology. And it only takes a few moments to turn exercise from hard work into a welcome event. After all, exercise can be enjoyable, especially when combined with something you enjoy, like exploring a scenic park, taking a walk with a friend, or listening to your favorite band’s new album. By turning an ordinary activity into a rewarding pastime, you can overcome the genetic tendency to rest.

Changes in health and inability to perform any job well are often not due to aging, as many people believe, but to the fact that a person exercises less or stops physical activity altogether. Non-working, untrained organs and limbs tend to lose their tone and atrophy over time: muscles weaken, joints begin to creak, skin sags and wrinkles appear (and how many negative processes, inaccessible to the eye, occur inside!). Actually, aging largely starts from the fact that we simply do not continue to be active and lead a sedentary lifestyle. And the latter is one of the main factors in the development of many diseases and mortality. But if you add to this lifestyle and hereditary diseases, bad habits such as alcohol or smoking, irrational nutrition, then the disruption of one organ will gradually lead to improper functioning of another and, ultimately – to the dysfunction of the body systems, which will certainly reduce the life expectancy of a person – the so-called “domino effect”. Every year scientists find evidence that exercise improves our health and reduces the risks of various diseases: cardiovascular, obesity, diabetes, cancer and a number of others. But, in addition, it is now scientifically proven that high physical activity for nine years postpones aging at the cellular level! Such people have longer telomeres – the ends of chromosomes. The fact is that every time a cell divides, part of this “cap” is lost, and the person ages. But those who exercise regularly, in terms of telomere length are younger than their peers who do not lead an active lifestyle. Exercise is also a stressor for the body, just like any other irritant. Yet it is a “beneficial” stressor. Both emotional distress and exercise release cortisol. However, it is only after exercise that the hormone can change to its inactive form, cortisone. With psychological stress, cortisol, on the contrary, tends to accumulate in the body, thereby contributing to the development of hypertension, chronic fatigue, depression and other nervous disorders. Not too intense and short-term “physical stress” improves the musculoskeletal system, the work of antioxidant systems of the body, metabolism, reduces deposits of adipose tissue, increases tissue sensitivity to insulin, stimulates the release of growth hormone, counteracting prolonged and harmful stress. In addition, physical activity reduces blood pressure levels and the content of “bad” cholesterol in the blood. Also noticeable is the effect of physical activity not only on the body, but also on the brain. They make a person more intelligent, delay the approach of senile dementia and Parkinson’s disease, improve attention and general psycho-emotional state. That said, different types of exercise can have different positive effects on brain activity. For example, it was noted that high-interval training (HIIT) reduces hunger, and strength training leads to significant improvements in executive function in the elderly – balance exercises and simple toning exercises, in turn, did not have such an effect. Also, scientists from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands evaluated the effect of aerobic and combined exercises on adults with dementia. Thus, testing at the end of the experiment showed that the groups engaged in sports showed good results in problem solving and quite fast speed of information processing compared to the control group, but it was those people who were engaged in combined exercise who solved the tests best. Exercise releases special chemicals – endorphins – that bring feelings of pleasure and boost your mood. But the main thing here is not to overdo it: studies have shown that excessive strain on the body changes their beneficial effects, which ultimately leads to increased fatigue, decreased performance and depression.

You don’t have to run five kilometers every day or swim continuously for an hour to be toned. Researchers from Taiwan’s National Institute of Health Research have determined that it is enough to moderately exercise just 15 minutes a day. Under such activities are even a small jog or a simple walk at a brisk pace. At the same time, scientists noted in the course of the experiment, those who did not lead a healthy lifestyle and had addictions, still had a lower mortality rate – physical activity was beneficial in one way or another. You don’t have to go to the gym at all to exercise. Australian scientists have found that just 20 minutes of three times a day of physical exercise at the workplace improves not only overall health, but also relieves neck pain – a common occurrence among office workers – and increases work capacity.

Regular physical activity is another step in slowing down aging and increasing longevity. Many studies confirm that it helps to straighten posture, tighten muscles, increase the functionality of organs and body systems, and improve overall health. Physical activity should not be a “burden” or “obligation”, it should become a way of life, a daily and habitual activity, like eating or sleeping. Sport is a cure for many diseases, and in combination with a rational diet, proper daily regime, absence of harmful addictions, it becomes the best medicine against aging of the whole organism.