Research paper

Haeleigh Martinez
Erin Lebacqz
ENG 120
October 15, 2016
Is exercise worth it?
ABSTRACT
This research provides information of the benefits and disadvantages exercises
has on a persons body. It is said that the benefits outweigh the disadvantages greatly.
Data was gathered from a range of medical sites. Finding supported the literature that
exercise is worth the disadvantages.
INTRODUCTION
This day in age many people think that exercise is the only way to get a great
body and a healthy life style. But what most people do not pay attention to is the
damage exercise has on a persons body. So is the benefits of exercise worth the
damage? People could find alternative ways to stay healthy and fit, not just by working
out. We will be finding out if the advantages outweigh the disadvantaged or vice versa.
With exercise comes sacrifice, pain, injuries, and giving up many foods. Based on my
research, I have found that the benefits of exercise is highly worth the injuries, health
issues and overall damage it can have on a persons body. Everyone should be
informed of both sides of working out, like the not so beneficial side and the rewarding
side. Many researchers have studies about the great advantages working out can do to
improve a persons health. But what hardly any researchers tell us about is how greatly

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exercise can injure a persons body. Most of us already know the benefits of exercise
because we hear about it everywhere, we are being informed of the transformation we
can make by getting out and exercising for thirty minutes a day. This topic is very
important to everyone and anyone because we all need to know the importance of
keeping our bodies strong and healthy.
METHODS
Researching about the benefits and disadvantages exercise can have on a
persons body is easy, the first thing that pops up in a Google search is ways someone
can improve their body with exercise. We cannot always go with the very first thing we
find because most of the time it is simply at the top because the publisher was willing to
pay to have it there. We have to dig deeper. As I researched I looked for articles from
physicians, health specialists, physical therapists and personal trainers. Often times
these will be found of sites such as WebMD, NIH, CDC, and MedicineNet. We can also
find good information from libraries, library databases and other research papers.
During my research I began by getting a list of websites and databases together,
then sorting through them to find the effective and reliable ones. After I picked the one I
wanted to use I was able to read through them thoroughly for information that would
potentially help with my research. I then began to think of my outline and what topics I
wanted to cover to answer my research question. After I set my topics I was able to do
detailed research on each of them, then began writing. I have found the most common
types of injuries, such as knee damage and tore or strained muscles. The health
disadvantages like asthma and a damaged heart. Health advantages such as good

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cholesterol. The
benefits of exercise
and the long term
issues exercise can
cause all to rule out
if exercise is worth
the damage it can
do to a persons body. The most common injuries exercise causes is first main thing I
began to research. The result I found were not very shocking to me because I have
heard of them before.

RESULTS
According to Web.MD the most common exercise injuries are, strained back at
78% (Gunnar), strained shoulder 52% (Gunnar), ACL/PCL injuries 42% (Gunnar),
runners knee 58% (Gunnar) (irritation where the knee cap is, sharp and sudden pain),
Achilles tendinitis and pulled or torn hamstring 32% (Gunnar). People often neglect the
strength of their knees and cause major damage by ignoring pains and pressure. Knee
damage can be dislocation, meniscal tears, tendon tears, collateral ligament and many
more. These damages can be caused by any type of physical endurance. Exercise can
cause someone to strain ligaments, tendons, joints, and bones. Over time, they could

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experience a loss of lean-based muscle mass. This is especially true if the body lacks
any type of nutrition.
As well as injuries, exercise can cause health issues, such as damaged
heart, asthma, weakened immune system, loss of bone density (Hanson). When you
exercise too much, your adrenaline is constantly pumping and your mind is racing fast,
making you difficult to fall asleep, stay asleep or feel as if you dont get enough sleep,
hence upsetting your sleep cycle (Hanson). With many health issues caused by
exercise people are more prone to eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia.
Cecelia Grace from Perfect Body Tone says you may develop mental complications
when you exercise too much, you become more irritable, moody, depressed, or
experience bouts of low self-esteem, because of the high expectations one sets for
themselves.
Resent
studies done
by the Mayo
Clinic,
exercise can
help prevent
excess
weight gain or help maintain weight
loss, but can also cause eating disorders. Exercise combats health conditions and
diseases. Being active boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol and

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decreases unhealthy triglycerides (Better Information, Better Health). Regular exercise
helps prevent or manage a wide range of health problems and concerns, including
stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, depression, a number of types of cancer,
arthritis and falls. Regular physical activity can improve your muscle strength and boost
your endurance, and regular physical activity can even improve energy levels and
physical appearance, which may boost your sex life (Better Information, Better
Health).
I have found that there are many long, and short term effect cause by exercise.
Some of them are, blood pressure increases, increasing flow rate and the speed of
delivery of O2 and nutrients to the working muscles, the bodies energy stores are slowly
depleted, can cause stroke that cause alternate body usage, and damaged bones,
ligaments, and tendons (NIH).
According to the CDC, among adults aged 85 and over, the percentage receiving
advice to exercise
nearly doubled
between 2000
(15.3%) and 2010
(28.9%). In 2010,
the CDC said about
one in three adults
who had seen a
physician or other health professional in the past year had been advised to begin or

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continue to do exercise or physical activity. The percentage of adults who had been
advised to exercise increased from 22.6% in 2000 to 32.4% in 2010 according to the
NIH.
DISCUSSION
Exercise such as anaerobics, aerobics, endurance, strength, balance, flexibility,
and stability, are all very helpful to a healthy and fit life style. Anaerobics is helpful in
ways such as, increasing the force of muscle contractions, increasing strength, speed,
and power output. Aerobics can improve large muscle groups, increase your
cardiorespiratory endurance or weight lose. Endurance and strength are helpful in
running and weight lifting. Balance, flexibility, and stability are all helpful in keeping
bones and tendons loose and stronger. After many finding on wether exercise is worth
the risk, I have found that the benefits highly out weigh the harm that exercise can have
on a persons body. Although some of the harmful effect that exercise can have are very
serious and damaging, they are no match for how much exercise can improve a
persons body. With extensive research done by many such as WWFE, PD
Tomporowski, CL Davis, PH Miller, and many other, they have all ruled out that exercise
is more beneficial than it is harmful.