A group of researchers from the United Kingdom looked at the increase in levels of depression and anxiety in the population after quarantines. In this sense, a health expert highlighted the need for physical exercise to improve physical and mental health and recommended cycling or bicycling.
The research was carried out by the University of Bath and the results showed that levels of depression and anxiety skyrocketed after quarantine.
This is why the best doctors in England are urging the population to start riding a bicycle to improve your health.
“One of the most effective ways to improve healthWhether it’s cardiovascular or mental, it’s physical exercise,” said UK Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty.
Riding a bike is the sport recommended by the expert
Why riding a bike is good for your health
To make a comparison, Whitty mentioned the high levels of use of the bicyclethat existed in the UK in the 1950s and noted that back then bicycles were three times more popular than they are today and used by a quarter of the population on a regular basis.
“There is a feeling that it is difficult to get people to start cycling, but in the 50s and 60s there were extremely high rates,” he recalled, according to The Sun.
An investigation of The Health Foundation – an independent organization that aims to improve health and healthcare for the people of the UK – suggests that thousands of lives could be saved if the worst regions of England walked and cycled.
Whitty told the Local Government Association’s annual public health conference that “we should be under no illusions” about the negative impacts of the lockdown.
He noted that many aspects of public health had “regressed” during the pandemic, including a significant worsening of childhood obesity.
Following these conclusions, Chris Whitty He called on the British to ride a bicycle to improve their health in all its aspects.
The expert revealed why riding a bike is good for your health
What is the sport that allows you to burn more calories, according to Harvard
Currently, many people wonder what would be the most complete exercise when looking to burn a good amount of calories. Recently, a new study from Harvard University seems to shed very interesting information on the subject.
The scientist who carried it out was I-Min Lee, professor of Medicine and Epidemiology, who indicates that the most suitable sport for this is swimming for different reasons, among which the almost zero impact on the joints stands out, which allows people of all kinds of complexions can carry it out. She also explains that it promotes heart health and in preventing brain diseases. In addition, like any physical activity that involves moving the muscles, high doses of endorphins will be secreted, making it very suitable for reducing stress and combating depression.
Swimming is a less stressful sport for bones and joints
“Swimming is good for the obese and those with arthritis because it is less stressful for the bones and joints,” he reveals in the study and recommends, to lose weight, carry out between two or three weekly sessions of at least 45 minutes.
It is important to remember that as beneficial as it may be, swimming is an aerobic sport that is not particularly recommended for gaining muscle mass. That is why it is always convenient to consult a specialist when deciding which discipline to perform.
Be healthy, lose weight or gain muscle: how much exercise do you have to do to achieve each goal
When deciding to exercise, each person has different goals. Some are looking to lose weight, others are looking to gain muscle mass, others are aiming to stay healthy, and many are aiming for a combination of all three.
According to what is sought with the practice of exercise, the intensity, time and frequency with which it is recommended to do the chosen activity vary.
The physical activity guidelines set by health organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) can serve to give you an idea of the time that should be devoted to the practice of exercise to achieve each objective. They serve as minimum guidelines with which to combat the effects of a sedentary lifestyle.
How much exercise each person should do according to their age
The guidelines provided by the WHO are framed according to age groups.
For the average adult, they establish 150 minutes to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity per week.
Or about 75 minutes to 150 minutes of intense aerobic physical activity. The organization also suggests the possibility of an equivalent combination between both rhythms.
It is also recommended to perform strength activities that involve all muscle groups for 2 or more days a week.
Several aspects, such as the increase in the rate of breathing, heart rate or temperature, can help you identify the intensity of the type of exercise you do.
As experts explain, a moderate intensity does not interfere with the ability to speak and allows you to easily feel the pulse on the chest or wrist.
The frequency and time of sports practice vary according to the objectives that each person has
Also, it can be held for many minutes without causing extreme fatigue or exhaustion in healthy people.
More specifically, the Mayo Clinic describes brisk walk, swimming or mowing the lawn as moderate aerobic exercise activities, while running or dancing classifies them as vigorous activity.
Strength training can include the use of weight machines, dumbbells, or your own body weight.
Your goal to be healthy should involve at least 30 minutes of physical activity moderate each day, according to these guidelines.
It is also important to take into account the time you spend sitting. The more hours you spend inactive, the greater your risk of metabolic problems, so make sure you get a little bit of movement every day.
To lose weight you will need to burn more calories than you take in, so food is a key element.
So is exercise. Both to encourage energy expenditure and to prevent the loss of muscle mass and the rebound effect.
It is convenient to intersperse cardio and strength training. The former will improve health while the latter will gain lean muscle. in this way, the activity of the metabolism will be increased.
The practice of exercise allows you to improve your health and also achieve other goals on a physical level
According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), to lose weight you should exercise for at least 150 to 250 minutes a week.
From Healthline they recommend doing 30 minutes of moderate intensity cardiovascular activity at least 5 days a week (150 minutes a week) or 25 minutes of intense aerobic activity 3 days a week (75 minutes a week).
With age, muscle mass is lost, so the recommendation is to include strength training frequently in the routine to reduce this impact.
The WHO guidelines mark dedicating at least 2 days a week to muscle strengthening activities.
Similarly, a 2016 meta-analysis published in Sports Medicine suggests that strength training at least 2 days a week can effectively build and strengthen muscles.
For its part, the specialized health media advises 2 or 3 days of cardio (of greater intensity) and at least 3 days of strength training per week.