Review Article

Physical Activity Health and Health Education

Ivan Uher¹*, Milena Švédová² and Tünde Dzurov Vargová²

¹Institute of Physical Education and Sport, Pavla. Jozefa Safarik University, Slovakia

²Faculty of Management, Prešov University, Slovakia

Submission: September 16, 2021; Published: November 15, 2021

*Corresponding author: Ivan Uher, Institute of Physical Education and Sport, P J Šafárik University, Košice, Slovakia, Poland

How to cite this article: Ivan U, Milena Š, Tünde Dzurov V. Physical Activity Health and Health Education. J Phy Fit Treatment & Sports. 2021; 9(3): 555763. DOI: 10.19080/JPFMTS.2021.09.555763

Abstract

Health is a condition of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of illness or disability. That is the World Health Organization definition of health and was introduce in the organization’s constitution of 1946 [1]. In many respects, this is a goal with prospective long into the future and should be seen in connection with the same organization’s current slogan, “Health for all,” which is more than seven decades its guiding vision. Health is not something one receives but something one must work for and strive for-this presupposing active effort from the individual, the family, and the community. There are many links and associations in the chain of causative factors and pathological processes that can lead to illness, disability, and death. Some we know about; some are inconclusive and some unknown. Our commentary explores the benefits of physical activity for our health, analyzing the future direction and emphasizing personal responsibility and public education.

Keywords: Physical activity; Health; Illness; Responsibility; Education

Health & Health Education

Diseases due to lifestyle and environmental factors now dominate our health statistics [2]. Material standards of living and personal approach, philosophy of life bear a close relationship to the origin and development of these diseases and malfunctions [3]. Therefore, the health organizations emphasized the importance of prevention and stated that there is now a general agreement that preventive, holistic, pro-active medicine must be assigned much more priority than in the past [4]. Active individual participation is decisive in determining whether we will succeed in overcoming the health problems of today. Therefore, it is of importance to approach the public with information on how to maintain and enhance our overall health. Regular physical activity is seeing as one of the essential integrands in a lifestyle (holistic view). It is the basis for health-promoting suggestions [5]. Favorable development of a physically active lifestyle presupposes active participation in sport and outdoor recreation, leisure, and support for diver’s forms of exercise and physical activity. Physical activity, proper diet, abstention from substance abuse, smoking, adequate sleep, stress reduction, community involvement, etc., represent the pillars of our lifestyle that should belong to the contributions which everyone can make towards the achievement of health. We thus have considerable personal responsibility for our health and the health of our descendants.

If we insist on physical activity in connection with remaining healthy, we must also insist on documentation, vocalization, thoroughgoing inquiry of its benefits. Among possible practices for an investigation into the relationship between physical activity and health, we can include studying the effects of the opposite situation, more specifically, physical inactivity. The consequence of extreme inactivity has been well studied under controlled conditions [5,6] and has been showing to consist of significant physiological, psychological, and social changes [5,7]. These changes are substantial, reproducible, reversible, and the causal relationship with lower physical activity is unclear. Such changes may justifiably be regarded as detrimental to health because of the lesser ability of the body to carry out the functions of daily living (basic, instrumental, and advanced activity of daily living), especially in older cohorts’ population as well compromise the optimization of human potential.

Physical activity then and now

Suppose we interpret the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle as an expression of a modern activity deficiency syndrome. In that case, as it is now frequently suggested, we should prove that the level of activity in the past was higher than today. Even though the working day was long in the past, communications were poor, and mechanized help was far less available than today. Energy expenditure among industrial workers was higher, and the percentage of the population engaged in sedentary work was less [8]. Therefore, it may appear surprising [9,10] that the average energy expenditure 60-100 years ago in industrially developed countries was no more significant than today. It has also been showing that primitive people, such as the hunters in Africa and Australia, also aboriginal agriculturists in New Guinea [10], are in energy balance with an energy expenditure of 2200 to 2400 kcal a day, that corresponding to that of an office worker in developed EU countries today. Even if such observations must be critically assessed, they indicate that we may have been in danger of overestimating the daily energy expenditure of persons in so-called heavy physical occupations. We should conclude that there is an absence of data that would make it possible to compare energy expenditure accurately in the old days and now. Even if the temptation to lead a sedentary life is more significant today, the opportunities to indulge in planned and adequate physical activity are also more significant because of the leisure hours [11]. The question is to what degree these opportunities have been used. In other words, how well-substantiated is the assertion that the modern civilized average person leads a sedentary life? Moreover, we have reason to believe that we have now begun to move into a period in which the population, to an increasing degree, is using its leisure time for deliberate and planned physical training and activity [11,12].

What should we go from here?

The physiological, psychological, social effects of physical activity in various forms have been well studied and are therefore relatively well known [5,13,14]. Studies show significant trainability and maintenance of our body during our lifetime. The consequence is that the very great majority of individuals can, through physical activity, improve their functional ability and, therefore, their total life outcome. This holds good for healthy people and individuals with a long series of chronic illnesses and functional limitations [5,15]. Physical activity is, obviously especially beneficial for the young population also considerably salutary for older individuals [16-18]. The intensity of training and the amount of training necessary to secure a substantial gain in health appears to become gradually more apparent. Apart from this, the factors leading to disease, whether known or unknown, congenital, or acquired, have such profound effects that they most likely equally affect both trained and untrained individuals.

However, recovery after illness appears to occur faster in well-trained individuals [19]. Also, the functional reserve is more preserved in fit individuals. Even then, it’s still challenging to pronounce whether physical activity by itself can affect the life span in a favorable direction. This question has so far not been answering satisfactorily. That is, to a large extent, due to the lack of standardization, specification of conditions sample size, evaluation under which the studies are carrying out that make comparing results difficult. Moreover, we must consider the interrelations between physiological, psychological variables, lifestyle, genetic predispositions, environmental, social, and community impact [20-23]. Nevertheless, we can say that physical activity can be recommended with greater certainty for any population segment. Any objections to such activities are minimal in comparison to the health benefits. These recommendations are also following the principle of responsibility for one’s health. Activating the physically inactive and maintaining an already physically active person will be of great significance. A central task in this field is developing exercise programmers for those who do not habitually indulge in physical activity together with measures to prevent dropping out from sport, physical activity throughout life.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we can utter that physical activity enhances our health. Its benefits have undoubtedly also of economic value. We should examine existing efforts in the health promotion field and assess the importance of health in advancing the health community. Health should be seen as a benefit itself, a profit desirable even if it puts our community at an expense. Our examination indicates that physical activity can be a factor of diminished morbidity and mortality and is worth pursuing. Even though some questions that relate to the benefits of physical activity and health are problematic to answer satisfactorily. At the very end, we need a valid inquiry into the underlying causes of physical inactivity, the position of physical activity, and exercise in the context of lifestyle enhancement. Only then will we be in a preferable, position to better understand its underlying causes.

Disclosure

The authors have full access to all the specific materials used in this paper and take responsibility for the use and the accuracy of information provided.

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