Active means happy

Every soul is immortal, for that which is in constant motion is immortal.

- Plato

Is that why our body is mortal, because we move so little? Sophocles said that "people do not die, they commit slow suicide." One can argue about forms and doses of physical activity, but the beneficial effects of increased exercise on health and thus counteracting premature old age have been proven beyond any doubt. (1) Walking is a cheap sport. Basically, all we need are comfortable shoes. We may not always be able to afford to play sports due to doctor's contraindications or our physical disability, but nearly anyone can walk.

Researchers at Duke University conducted an unusually long study on more than 900 people, following them from birth to the age of 45, using data from New Zealand's Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study. They found that the more someone walked, the more likely they were to live a long life. Not walking was accompanied by an older facial appearance, poorer physical performance, worse sense of balance, weaker handshake (less strength), smaller brain volume and poorer condition of various organs. They also proved that walking pace affects how we feel, generally the faster the healthier. (4)

Physical activity has a huge impact on the central nervous system, regardless of our general condition. When we do sports, especially high-intensity sports, still when we do any kind of exercise, running, cycling - endorphins are released, thanks to which we have a better mood, greater self-esteem but also a stronger body. In fact, our body becomes more resistant to stressors, in other words, stimuli that cause stress. It helps us stay mentally balanced in stressful situations. Furthermore, "with regular training, new cells are formed in the hippocampus." (5) The hippocampus is mainly responsible for memory, it plays an important role in transferring information from short-term to long-term memory but also for mood regulation. If we want to take care of our memory, reduce stress and simply improve our mood, we should move more. "Movement makes everyone feel better and the level of negative thinking decreases and self-esteem increases." (5)

Carol Hart has a hint for people who don't want to exercise regularly. She lists a few ways to incorporate into our daily routine:

1. Use the staircase as often as possible rather than the elevator;

2. Park further away from the store when doing small purchases;

3. Every 30 minutes, get up and go get a glass of water or do some push-ups/squats;

4. When you feel tired, start stretching;

5. If you take the bus or subway, get off one stop further (earlier or later). (9)

According to the MultiSport Index 2019 report, every third Pole does not move at all, and about 40% of those who do move do so only a few times a month. We rank sixth from the end among EU countries. (10) Moreover, it turns out that closed gyms are not a good excuse at all, because most of the physical activity (biking, walking, running) Poles do outdoors. This is important, because immobility kills - WHO calculated that an hour of sitting shortens our life by 21 minutes, in comparison one cigarette smoked shortens it by 11 minutes. In France, physical activity is prescribed in the same way as pharmaceuticals. Physical inactivity costs the EU 80.4 billion euros a year and kills more than half a million Europeans each year. Today, one in four adults is physically inactive, and among teenagers the proportion rises to four in five. (11)

Dr. Eeva Karjalainen of the Finnish Forest Research Institute has scientifically confirmed that just being in the forest increases our resistance to stress, improves our overall well-being, diminishes aggression, and even increases happiness. (12) It's hard to get stressed while surrounded by nature. "A solitary walk in the woods gives great pleasure. The forest hums and smells beautiful. Unlike the majestic mountains, it has a human measure to it that I appreciate." (13) - said Prof. Vetulani.

According to government recommendations, adults between the ages of 18 and 64 should engage in 2 to 2.5 hours of moderate or 1 hour and 15-30 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week. (14) Children and teenagers should get at least 1 hour of vigorous exercise a day. The more exercise the better but not always, there are limits. As psychologist Dr. Rangan Chatterjee states, "I see symptoms of physical exhaustion among a high number of patients - they work from morning to evening without proper rest and then still catapult themselves to the gym. Our energy reserves are not inexhaustible." Increased physical activity, such as the gym in the evening, should not precede sleep, because then we will not manage to recover the balance of the body necessary for proper rest. In the evening, we can always go for a walk, when we oxygenate the body, it will be easier for us to fall into a deep sleep.

Bibliography:

1. Choroby cywilizacyjne. Jak żyć w zdrowiu i nie dopuścić do choroby?, Jacek Roik

2. Mądre mitochondria: Jak opóźnić procesy starzenia i żyć zdrowiej, Lee Know

3. https://www.medycyna-mitochondrialna.pl/blog/blog/funkcje-i-rola-mitochondrium

4. https://today.duke.edu/2019/10/new-zealand-study-connects-walking-speed-brain-health-45-year-olds

5. W zdrowym ciele zdrowy mózg, Anders Hansen

6. https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selektywne_inhibitory_zwrotnego_wychwytu_serotoniny

7. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/483159

8. https://parenting.pl/zespol-odstawienny-przy-lekach-antydepresyjnych

9. Secrets of Serotonin, Revised Edition: The Natural Hormone That Curbs Food and Alcohol Cravings, Reduces Pain, and Elevates Your Mood, Carol Hart

10. https://www.benefitsystems.pl/o-nas/centrum-prasowe/komunikat/multisport-index-2019-badanie-aktywnosci-fizycznej-polakow/

11. https://euobserver.com/health/139651

12. https://www.forbes.pl/life/travel/leczniczy-wplyw-lasu/6p3y3se

13. Ćwiczenie duszy, rozciąganie mózgu, Jerzy Vetulani, Grzegorz Strzelczyk

14. Twój supermózg, Deepak Chopra, Rudolph E. Tanzi

15. 4 filary zdrowego życia, Rangan Chatterjee