Motivations and benefits of regular physical exercise

¶ … Exercise

The subject of exercise has been consistently brought to the forefront, as it is the focus of increasing attention and discussion. This however is nothing new, as interest has begun to wane, with it suddenly becoming topical once more. To answer the question of: who exercises and why, requires understanding the various reasons for an individual choosing to exercise. Once this takes place, it will provide the greatest insights as to the overall benefits and drawbacks of exercising.

Who Exercises?

Simply put, exercise is any bodily activity, which enhances / maintains physical fitness, and health / wellness. It consists of two popular types: aerobic and isometric. Each of these can be of three different intensities to include: light, moderate, and vigorous. The people, who are considered to be active, would be those that exercise at least three times a week for 20 minutes a day. (Wellikson, L., 1987, pg. 216)

There are a wide variety of individuals from all walks of life who exercise. This can vary from participating various sports (such as: football, baseball or running) to taking a brisk walk. In some cases, individuals are choosing to exercise as part of a consistent effort, while at other times this could be considered a reality of everyday life. For example, someone who is exercising as part of their career would be doing so for different reasons, in comparison with an individual who chooses to do so. In this case, individuals that are required to exercise as a part of their career; must be able to deal with the rigorous challenges that their body could be forced to endure (i.e. A solider or professional athlete). This is important, because it shows how someone will exercise based on a necessity for their career field. Where, there could be those individuals who are exercising, yet they might not enjoy it. When you compare this to someone who exercising because of personal choice, they are doing so for: health reasons, socialization and enjoyment. This is significant because it shows, how there are wide variety of reasons as to why someone will exercise. In some cases, it is for a host of motivations, while others is based on select factors.

Conclusion

Clearly, there are a wide variety of reasons as to who chooses to exercise and why. In some cases, the individual will do so because of personal choices such as: improving health, enjoyment and socialization. At the same time, some individuals will exercise as part of their career. These distinctions are important, because they will play a part of an interconnected role, influencing the underlying motivations as to why someone will exercise. As each individual will have their own personal / career related reasons. In some cases, they could involve exercising out of necessity, where the person has no choice. Yet beyond this fact, the main motivation why most people engage in physical activity is to improve their underlying levels of health. At the same time, there are a host of different reasons as to why someone will exercise the most notable include: weight control and improved circulation. These two elements are important, because they highlight the underlying health benefits that someone will receive from exercise itself. When you put these different elements together, this shows that there are a wide variety of individuals who exercise and reasons why. This is important, because it highlights how specific individual factors will play a major role, in determining who will exercise. However, at the end of the day one of the indirect and direct reasons why everyone exercises, is because of improved health benefits. In many ways, one could argue that this is the biggest factor affecting who will choose to exercise and who will not.