Obesity and Exercise

Obesity and Exercise

At one time walking was considered to be one of the very important exercises which never required a specific time in many people's daily life. All religions advocate that people should attend morning prayers, pooja or namaz at their respective place of worship. People walked in groups almost regularly in the mornings before they started other activities of the day, some still do. They used to walk long distances to their work place, or travelled by bicycles.

Automation has modified the need for physical activities. Elevators, automobiles - two and four wheelers - and the like, have replaced walking, cycling and other natural exercises in our lives.

Walking and cycling, though tire a person while doing them, give much needed exercise and mental relaxation. Travelling by crowded buses and trains do not give exercise but only physical exertion and exhaustion. When two and four wheelers were rare, youngsters walked down to the marketplace for shopping and for other such chores but nowadays even a very young boy depends on two wheelers - bicycle or scooter, for going to even the nearest shop. When compared to two and four wheeler drives, a journey by bus or train is better because at least a bit of walking is involved in it.

Aversion to physical exertion leads to mental exhaustion

Today we come across people who go for a walk in their cars! Yes, they drive to a specific place, mostly sea- shores, park the car there and walk on the sand for a few minutes, and get back into their car to return home, having completed their walking! This has actually happened in a family known to me, where both the husband and wife tried reducing weight. While the lady of the house took to the correct route of reducing through diet, and other activities, the husband by going for walking in the car has remained obese and more so, till date.

Physical exertion in housekeeping has also tremendously reduced due to labour saving devices. But all this has not spared people from getting as tired as the older generation used to who did not have these facilities. They got tired because of their physical exertion. Any amount and all types of food they consumed were instantly converted to energy because of their labour consuming activities. Their overtired body regained freshness after a very sound sleep. Nowadays people experience tiredness which is nervous in origin and not physical. So the same type of food is not converted to energy but fat. Absence of physical tiredness causes loss of sleep or disturbed sleep. This makes them more exhausted than ever.

All about aerobic and rigorous exercise

Though aerobic and rigorous exercises are recommended to lose weight,they are not without disadvantages in a long run. In rigorous exercises there are three stages. First, when you take up a programme like aerobic exercise, spot reducing, weight lifting and the like, the first few days make you a bit tired. But by watching others do it with enthusiasm, you are encouraged to continue for a few more days. This encouragement forces you to wait and see the result. This is the second stage when you experience a well-being and regained strength. The third stage is when doing these exercises very regularly without break, limbs, joints and back start aching a bit, the body too becomes quickly tired. If you stick to it despite the tiredness, the pain slowly disappears. You continue to enjoy the exercises and its benefits. A stage comes when for some reasons you skip such exercises, you become restless unless you resume them. A dependence on these exercises as with drugs or food, slowly takes hold of you.