Global Perspectives sports and recreation poster

1.
How
does
fitness
affect
people’s
well
being?
Introduction
There have been numerous studies
that suggest that there is a strong
relationship between exercise and
well-­‐‑being.
Alsha Patel Sports & Recreation
It defines how people feel and
function in their lives as well as their
happiness. It also relates to peoples
abilities at engagement, relationships
and their purpose for life. Well being
is influences by many things
including genes, experiences and
environment.
What is well-­‐‑
being?
Exercise is most commonly associated with its benefits on
Improving health and reducing risk of cardiovascular
diseases however there have been increasing reaserch
studies on its effect on mental health. These have
summarised the potential for exercise as a therapy for
clinical or subclinical depression or anxiety, and the use of
physical activity as a means of upgrading life quality
through enhanced self-­‐‑esteem, improved mood states,
reduced state and trait anxiety, resilience to stress, or
improved sleep.
Regular exercise is also very theraputic and has shown
trmendous results on people without mental illnesses. There
are several mental benefits in addition to the physical ones.
One of which includes sharpening brainpower. The
endorphines released help you concentrate better as well as
Stimulating the growth of new braincells which helps to
prevent age-­‐‑related decline.

2.
2
The science behind it…
When you exercise, your body releases chemicals
called endorphins. These endorphins interact
with the receptors in your brain that reduce your
perception of pain.
Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the
body, similar to that of morphine. For example,
the feeling that follows a run or workout is often
described as "ʺeuphoric."ʺ That feeling, known as a
"ʺrunner'ʹs high,"ʺ can be accompanied by a
positive and energizing outlook on life.
Endorphins act as analgesics, which means they
diminish the perception of pain. They also act as
sedatives. They are manufactured in your brain,
spinal cord, and many other parts of your body
and are released in response to brain chemicals
called neurotransmitters. The neuron receptors
endorphins bind to are the same ones that bind
some pain medicines. However, unlike with
morphine, the activation of these receptors by
the body'ʹs endorphins does not lead to addiction
or dependence.
CONTROLS WEIGHT
Exercise can help prevent excess weight gain
and keeps you in great shape.
COMBATS HEALTH CONDITIONS
Being active boosts high-­‐‑density lipoprotein
and decreases unhealthy triglycerides. This
reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases,
diabetes and several others.
IMPROVES MOOD
Regular exercise leaves you feeling more
relaxed and happy. It’s a great way to reduce
stress, boost confidence and improve your
self-­‐‑esteem. You also feel less anger and
frustration.
BOOSTS ENERGY
Physical activity improves your muscle
strength and boost your endurance. Your
heart and lungs work more efficiently to
deliver oxygen and nutrients to the tissues.
PROMOTES BETTER SLEEP
Regular physical activity can help you
fall asleep faster and deepen your sleep.
This leaves you feeling more energized
the next day.
How does exercise effect behavior?
Frequent exercise leads to significant improvements amongst
people suffering from depression. People that exercise
experience anxiety less often as they are much more
confident. Exercise also reduces stress and allows you to feel
much more relaxed. When faced with mental or emothional
challenges in life, those who exercise regularly are able to
cope with it in a healthy way rather than resorting to drugs,
alcohol or other negative behaviors that simple worsen the
situation. Exercise has also shown to increase optimism and
people taking a more positive approach to life.
The benefits of
EXERCISE:

3.
3
Survey Results:
I decided to investigate and see if there
really is a connection between fitness and
well being. I sent out a survey and received
over 135 responses. Here are my findings:
Do you think you are fit?
This was the first question I asked as I wanted to
understand people’s views on themselves and
weather or not they believe they are fit as this
would influence the way the respond to the
survey. I had quite a balanced outcome.
14% of the people exercise everyday which I was very
surprised by. 13% exercise 5 times a week. The majority
(46%) exercise 2-­‐‑3 times a week. 24% exercise once a
week and 3% exercise once a month. This information
shows me the exercising habits of my local community.
How frequently do you exercise?
What do you most often do for
exercise?
This allows me
to familiarize
myself with
common
exercise routines
within my
school. As you
can see most
people prefer to
go for a run or
play a team
sport.
How much exercise do you
think you get?
Over half the responses (56%) indicate that people are not
happy with their exercising habits and feel they need
more. I am interested to find out why. 42% of the people
feel they get sufficient exercise whilst only 2% think
they get too much.
How important is exercising to
you?
97% of my responses
show that people
think exercise is
somewhat important
to them and 3%
show that its not.
These results were as
expected as exercise
is a crucial part of
both health and
well-­‐‑being.
How do you feel after exercising?
5% of the people don’t feel a difference before and after
exercising. 2% feel terrible after exercising whilst 71% would
describe it as great. 22% of the people feel “really good” after
exercising. One of the comments stated “I feel amazing after
exercising, it really has a big impact on my mood for the rest
of the day”.
Do you think exercise effects your
mental health?
Rate your happiness out of 10:
10 /10 -­‐‑ 12.24%
9 /10 – 10.20%
8 /10 – 34.69%
7 /10 – 24.49%
6 /10 – 7.14%
5 /10 – 6.12%
4 /10 – 4.08%
3 /10 – 0.00%
2 /10 – 0.00%
1 /10 – 1.02%

4.
Tips and Suggestions to improve your well being:
Meditation has shown a lot of positive results in improving well being. It’s a simple process which if practiced
regularly is soothing and relaxing as it helps clear your mind of any impurities. Inspiration is another great way
to improve well being and exercise can help you with that too. You should also start to appreciate all the little
things and show gratitude as it improves your own happiness. Exercise is commonly practiced by everyone and
is very beneficial as it releases endorphins into your brain which makes you motivated and allows you to carry
out tasks more efficiently. How to make the most out of your exercise:
• Make an exercising schedule and aim to do 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 times a week. “Moderate
Exercise” means being energetic enough that you:
o Breath heavier than normal, but aren’t out of breath
o Feel warmer but don’t necessarily end up hot and sweaty.
• Instead of working out in an enclosed room, get some fresh air and exercise with nature surrounding
you (e.g. at a park, go for a hike, at the beach etc.)
• It is much better to exercise with a group than by yourself so bring someone along with you.
• Set goals to motivate you. These can also be used to measure progress and build up a sense of
accomplishment (which is great for self-­‐‑esteem and confidence).
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