PHYSICAL EXERCISE

Common misconceptions
Many myths have arisen surrounding exercise, some of which have a basis in reality, and some which are completely false. Myths include:

That excessive exercise can cause immediate death. Death by exercise has some small basis in fact. Water intoxication can result from prolific sweating (producing electrolyte losses) combined with consumption of large amounts of plain water and insufficient replenishment of electrolytes, especially salt and potassium (e.g. when running a marathon). It is also possible to die from a heart attack or similar affliction if overly intense exercise is performed by someone who is not at an appropriate level of fitness for that particular activity. A doctor should always be consulted before any radical changes are made to a person's current exercise routine. Rhabdomyolysis is also a risk. Other common dangers may occur from extreme overheating or aggravation of a physical defect, such as a thrombosis or aneurysm. That weightlifting makes you short or stops growth. One caveat is that heavy weight training in adolescents can damage the epiphyseal plate of long bones.

COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS (by WHO) Being physically active is too expensive. It takes equipment, special shoes and clothesand sometimes you even have to pay to use sports facilities. Physical activity can be done almost anywhere and does not necessarily require equipment! Carrying groceries, wood, books or children are good complementary physical activities, as is climbing the stairs instead of using the elevator. Walking is perhaps the most practiced and most highly recommended physical activity and it is absolutely free. Some urban areas have parks, waterfronts or other pedestrian areas that are ideal for walking, running or playing. It is not imperative to go to a gym, pool or other special sports facility to be physically active. I'm very busy. Physical activity takes too much time! It only takes 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity five days per week to improve and maintain your health. However, this does not mean that physical activity must always be performed for 30 minutes at a time. The activity can be accumulated over the course of the day: a 10 minute brisk walk, three

times a day; or 20 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes later that day. These activities can be incorporated into your daily routine - at work, school, home or play. Simple things like taking the stairs, riding a bike to work or getting off the bus two stops before your final destination and then walking the rest of the way can accumulate over the day and can form part of your regular daily activities. Even if you are very busy - you can still fit 30 minutes of physical activity into your daily routine to improve your health. Children by nature have so much energy. They hardly sit still. There's no need to spend time or energy teaching them about physical activity. They are already so active. Each day children and youth aged 5 to 17, should accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity to ensure healthy development. However, physical activity levels are decreasing among young people in countries around the world, especially in poor urban areas. This decline is largely due to increasingly common sedentary ways of life. For example fewer children walk or cycle to school and excessive time is devoted to watching television, playing computer games, and using computers - often at the expense of time and opportunities for physical activity and sports. Physical education and other school-based physical activities have also been decreasing. Importantly, patterns of physical activity and healthy lifestyles acquired during childhood and adolescence are more likely to be maintained throughout the life-span. Consequently, improving physical activity levels in young people is imperative for the future health of all populations. Physical activity is for people in the "prime of life". At my age, I don't need to be concerned with it Regular physical activity has been shown to improve the functional status and quality of life of older adults. It is recommended that adults aged 65 and above do at least 150 minutes of moderateintensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or do at least 75 minutes of vigorousintensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or an equivalent combination of moderateand vigorous-intensity activity. Many noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) prevalent in older adults can benefit from participation in regular physical activity (cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, hypertension, falls prevention). Physical activity has also been shown to improve mental health and cognitive function in older adults and has been found to contribute to the management of disorders such as depression and anxiety. Active lifestyles often provide older persons with regular occasions to make new friendships, maintain social networks, and interact with other people of all ages. While being active from an early age can help prevent many diseases, regular movement and activity can also help relieve the disability and pain associated with these conditions. Importantly, the benefits of physical activity can be enjoyed even if regular practice starts late in life.

Physical activity is needed only in industrialised countries. Developing countries have other problems. Physical inactivity is now identified as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality. Physical inactivity is also an independent risk factor for noncommunicable diseases which caused more than 35 million deaths in 2005. Importantly, 80% of deaths from common NCDs occur in low- and middle-income countries. Therefore, noncommunicable diseases associated with physical inactivity are a significant public health problem in most countries around the world. Levels of inactivity are high in virtually all developed and developing countries. In developed countries more than half of adults are insufficiently active. In rapidly growing large cities of the developing world, physical inactivity is an even greater problem. Urbanisation has resulted in several environmental factors which discourage participation in physical activity particularly in the transport and occupational domains. In rural areas of developing countries, sedentary pastimes (e.g. watching television) are also becoming increasingly popular.

Targeted fat reduction

Spot reduction is a myth that exercise and training a particular body part will preferentially shed the fat on that part; for example, that doing sit-ups is the most direct way to reduce subcutaneous belly fat. This is false: one cannot reduce fat from one area of the body to the exclusion of others. Most of the energy derived from fat gets to the muscle through the bloodstream and reduces stored fat in the entire body, from the last place where fat was deposited. Sit-ups may improve the size and shape of abdominal muscles but will not specifically target belly fat for loss. Such exercise might help reduce overall body fat and shrink the size of fat cells.

Muscle and fat tissue

Some people incorrectly believe that muscle tissue will turn into fat tissue once a person stops exercising. This is not literally true fat tissue and muscle tissue are fundamentally different but the common expression that "muscle will turn to fat" is truthful in the sense that catabolism of muscle fibers for energy can result in excess glucose being stored as fat. Moreover, the composition of a body part can change toward less muscle and more fat, so that a cross-section of the upper-arm for example, will have a greater area corresponding to fat and a smaller area corresponding to muscle. This is not muscle "turning into fat" however it is simply a combination of muscle atrophy and increased fat storage in different tissues of the same body part. Another element of increased fatty deposits is that of diet, as most trainees will not significantly reduce their diet in order to compensate for the lack of exercise/activity.

Excessive exercise
Exercise is a stressor and the stresses of exercise have a catabolic effect on the body - contractile proteins within muscles are consumed for energy, carbohydrates and fats are similarly consumed and connective tissues are stressed and can form micro-tears. However, given adequate nutrition and sufficient rest to avoid overtraining, the body's reaction to this stimulus is to adapt and replete tissues at a higher level than that existing before exercising. The results are all the training effects of regular exercise: increased muscular strength, endurance, bone density, and connective tissue toughness. Too much exercise can be harmful. The body parts exercised need at least a day of rest, which is why some health experts say one should exercise every other day or 3 times a week. Without proper rest, the chance of stroke or other circulation problems increases and muscle tissue may develop slowly. It has also been noted by the medical field that expectant mothers should never exercise two days consecutively. Inappropriate exercise can do more harm than good, with the definition of "inappropriate" varying according to the individual. For many activities, especially running, there are significant injuries that occur with poorly regimented exercise schedules. In extreme instances, over-exercising induces serious performance loss. Unaccustomed overexertion of muscles leads to rhabdomyolysis (damage to muscle) most often seen in new army recruits. Another danger is overtraining in which the intensity or volume of training exceeds the body's capacity to recover between bouts. Stopping excessive exercise suddenly can also create a change in mood. Feelings of depression and agitation can occur when withdrawal from the natural endorphins produced by exercise occurs. Exercise should be controlled by each body's inherent limitations. While one set of joints and muscles may have the tolerance to withstand multiple marathons, another body may be damaged by 20 minutes of light jogging. This must be determined by each individual. Too much exercise can also cause a female to miss her period, a symptom known as amenorrhea.