Exercising is well known that it can improve our health overall. It can help us some pounds, keep our hearts healthy and pumping, and keeps our muscles healthy too. But it can also do so much more than that. Exercising helps sharpen our minds, gives our immune system a boost, and helps our body become stronger, not only physically, but mentally. It can give us a confidence boost and give us a chance to see the world differently than we used to.
Physical activity has been proven to improve and to be an important part of self-efficacy, self-worth, disability limitations, and quality of life (Phillips, Wójcicki & McAuley, 2013). For students (especially), participating in any sort of activity helps give that confidence boost in self-worth that some students lack in themselves.
That boost in confidence also can lead to maintaining that healthy life-style, which maintains that boost in confidence. An improvement in quality of life was shown in the forms of improved self-efficacy, physical self-worth, and physical self-esteem (Joseph, Royse, Benitez & Pekmezi, 2014).
There is also the fast growing population of older adults and the rise in issues trying to maintain and improve the quality of life as aging progresses, such as impairment and disabilities. This makes it all the more important to maintain and maximize life expectancy and reduce the risks of diseases and disabilities as the older adults are more likely to be sedentary than the younger generation. It is crucial that we understand that physical activity plays an important role in our overall health and that it can make a significant impact on public health (Phillips, Wójcicki & McAuley, 2013).
Joseph, R., Royse, K., Benitez, T., & Pekmezi, D. (2014). Physical activity and quality of life among university students: Exploring self-efficacy, self-esteem, and affect as potential mediators. Quality of Life Research, 23(2), 659-667. doi:10.1007/s11136-013-0492-8
Phillips, S., Wójcicki, T., & McAuley, E. (2013). Physical activity and quality of life in older adults: An 18-month panel analysis. Quality of Life Research, 22(7), 1647-1654. doi:10.1007/s11136-012-0319-z