What are the benefits of physical exercise

Life lies in movement, especially for teenagers. Physical exercise during adolescence has a good impact on their physical development. When teenagers enter junior high school, their body shape and physiological functions reach the peak of development, so physical exercise at this time can greatly promote height growth, improve respiratory mechanism and heart function. So, what are the other benefits of physical exercise for teenagers?

Junior high school students are in a period of rapid physical growth and development, so we must first understand the laws and characteristics of our own growth and development.

Let’s first look at the external growth. From infancy to adulthood, the head will double in size, the torso will triple in size, the upper limbs will quadruple in size, and the lower limbs will quintuple in size. Relatively speaking, children have larger heads and shorter limbs. By the time people reach middle school, their head size is close to that of adults, and the next period (middle school) is mainly the growth of height, weight, chest circumference and limbs.

However, our bodies do not grow unconditionally as we age. It is closely related to genetics, nutrition, environment, sleep, etc. When the above conditions are similar, physical exercise is a very important factor affecting growth and development. Regular physical exercise can play a positive role in promoting the growth and development of various organs of the body.

1. The effect of physical exercise on body shape and function

1. Effects of physical exercise on bones

Physical exercise improves bone blood circulation, strengthens bone metabolism, increases bone diameter, thickens bone texture, arranges bones regularly and neatly, makes bones stronger and tougher. With the good changes in bone morphology and structure, the bone's ability to resist fracture, bending and compression is greatly improved. The reason why the human body can grow taller and bigger is that the medullary cartilage between the ends of the bones and the backbone continues to proliferate before ossification is completed. It can be seen that active exercise during childhood and adolescence, that is, before the epiphyseal cartilage is completely ossified, helps to grow taller. A strong physique and slender limbs are the manifestation of external beauty that many young people dream of.

2. The impact of physical exercise on muscles

Physical exercise can increase muscle size. The muscles of athletes in strength sports such as weightlifting and bodybuilding are significantly larger than those of normal people. This shows that physical exercise has a very obvious effect on muscle volume. Generally speaking, muscle volume can be increased as long as strength training is performed, and the volume of any muscle will increase. Muscle strength is directly proportional to the cross-sectional area of ​​the muscle. As the muscle volume increases, the strength also increases accordingly. Moreover, the effect of physical exercise in increasing muscle strength is also very obvious. Several weeks of strength training will cause a significant increase in muscle strength.

Regularly performing muscle stretching exercises during exercise can increase muscle elasticity, thus avoiding various sports injuries caused by intense muscle contraction and stretching during daily activities and physical exercise.

3. Effects of physical exercise on the respiratory system

We all know that once a person engages in strenuous exercise, his breathing will immediately speed up and his heartbeat will also speed up a lot. This is because, when the human body starts to exercise vigorously, it relies on the rapid contraction of skeletal muscles to provide power, and the expansion and contraction of muscles consumes energy. This energy is produced by glucose and oxygen in the body. Food provides sugar, breathing obtains oxygen, and the blood transports sugar and oxygen to muscle tissue through circulation for consumption by muscle expansion and contraction. Therefore, when the human body exercises vigorously, a large amount of energy supply is needed, and breathing and heartbeat have to speed up.

Regular physical exercise for children and adolescents can promote the development of the respiratory system, which is mainly manifested in the development of respiratory muscles, expansion of chest circumference and increase of lung capacity. The average lung capacity of ordinary people is 3500ml for men and 2500ml for women, while people who regularly exercise can reach more than 5000ml. The depth of static breathing increases and the breathing rate decreases when you are at rest. The average person breathes 12-18 times per minute, while athletes breathe 8-12 times per minute. The human body needs to inhale more oxygen and expel a large amount of carbon dioxide during exercise, which requires strong lung function. Good respiratory function helps the human body maintain vigorous energy and delays the aging process.

4. Effects of physical exercise on the cardiovascular system

Because muscle activity is enhanced during physical exercise, muscles need more blood supply to replenish consumed oxygen and nutrients, while transporting more carbon dioxide and metabolic products. The heart's workload increases, causing the heart rate to increase, blood flow to increase, and blood circulation throughout the body to improve. The myocardium is also exercised, the heart's contractility increases, and the heart rate decreases.

Engaging in physical exercise, especially long-term moderate to low-intensity physical activity (aerobic exercise), can slow down the heart rate when the human body is at rest. This phenomenon can allow the heart to have a longer rest period to reduce myocardial fatigue. People who regularly participate in physical exercise or athletes have a higher stroke volume than normal people, both at rest and during exercise. Especially when exercising, the increase in stroke volume is more obvious. This change enables people to have a larger cardiac output during physical exercise to meet the body's needs for strenuous exercise.

5. Physical exercise can improve the body's ability to resist disease

This is mainly related to the number of white blood cells and the content of immune proteins. Studies have confirmed that reasonable physical exercise can increase the number and function of white blood cells, especially the number of lymphocytes, which play an important role in white blood cell classification, which is crucial for improving the body's ability to resist disease. In addition, physical exercise can increase the number of natural killer cells and immunoglobulin levels in the body, and can effectively improve the body's ability to resist and prevent diseases. This is especially important for adolescents who are vulnerable to illness.

In addition, proper exercise is essential for the growth of teenagers and children. Children who don't exercise enough have no appetite during the day and can't sleep at night. As a result, I feel very sleepy in the morning and want to sleep, but I can't fall asleep at night. I go to class without eating breakfast in the morning, feel groggy all day, and obviously don’t get enough exercise during the day, which is a vicious cycle. Exercise itself can promote the secretion of growth hormone. The fatigue after a moderate amount of exercise can make people sleep soundly and soundly. We also know that deep sleep of teenagers and children can promote the secretion of growth hormone. After sufficient exercise, your appetite will increase and you will be able to sleep well at night. In the morning, you can wake up naturally with a clear mind and have a delicious and full breakfast, so that you can start the new day with a good attitude.

2. The role of sports in mental development

Some people think that sports are nothing more than physical activities of jumping around, and the result is "strong limbs but a simple mind". Those who hold this view are completely ignorant and prejudiced about sports. In fact, sports not only develop the limbs, but also have an immeasurable effect on the development of the brain.

1. Physical exercise can provide adequate nutrition for the brain

The main unit that makes up the brain is the brain cell. There are 14 billion brain cells in the human brain. Brain cells have the function of receiving stimulation and transmitting information. Brain cells are like computer parts. Computers need power to work. The human brain must also have sufficient nutrition and oxygen supply to work. Adequate oxygen and nutrition supply is directly related to the health of the human body. The human brain weighs only about one-fortieth of body weight, but the blood supplied to the brain accounts for a quarter of the heart's output, and its oxygen consumption accounts for one-fifth of the body's total. If the human body is in a state of sitting and studying for a long time, due to the effect of gravity, the brain will inevitably lack nutrition supply, and waste cannot be discharged in time, the brain's working state will deteriorate, and comprehension and memory will decrease. An experiment conducted abroad has shown that if children play active games for 30 minutes after the second class in the morning, their intellectual ability in the third and fourth classes can be improved by two to three times. There is a large part of potential in the human brain that has not been utilized and developed, especially the right brain, so sports are an effective way to develop the right brain.

2. Physical exercise helps regulate the brain’s learning state

Scientific experiments have confirmed that when a person is engaged in a specific intellectual activity (such as meditation), his or her visual center, auditory center, or language center is in a relatively inhibited state. The higher the excitability and the more concentrated a certain center is, the more deeply other centers may be inhibited. For example, when we are watching a very interesting cartoon, you will not be able to hear your parents calling you to eat or do other things. However, if you concentrate for too long, your brain will inevitably become fatigued and your work efficiency will decrease. During physical exercise, the center responsible for movement begins to get excited, and other central nervous systems (reading and thinking, etc.) get a good rest. Regular physical exercise can enhance the excitability of the cerebral cortex, deepen inhibition, concentrate excitation and inhibition, and enhance the ability to resist load. Even if studying and working for a long time, it can ensure a clear mind and quick thinking. Therefore, sports promote the development of intelligence and improve the effectiveness of mental work.

3. Physical exercise and cultural learning complement each other

In some people's minds, when it comes to literati, such as writers, scientists, etc., they are pale, weak, and have weak limbs. On the other hand, most sports people are physically strong but have simple minds and lack knowledge. It is impossible for them to have profound talents and achievements in culture, science and technology. This sets physical development and intellectual development in opposition to each other, and this is the root cause of emphasizing literature over body. Due to excessive pampering by their families, some children have relatively poor tolerance and ability to resist interference compared to healthy children, and are easily fatigued, which leads to a lack of concentration in the learning process. These students may also try very hard to concentrate, but always fail to achieve the desired results, and therefore become pessimistic and negative. , the consequences can be imagined. Physical exercise is the best way to change this situation.

4. The role of physical exercise in promoting mental health

Promoting and improving the mental health of middle school students has attracted the attention of experts and educators in recent years.

① Regulate emotions and cultivate sentiments. After a busy study, you can participate in some relaxing and lively sports activities, such as rhythmic gymnastics and dancing, and do activities to the accompaniment of beautiful music, which will naturally bring you a cheerful mood. When students feel frustrated and depressed, physical exercise can help them vent and divert their negative emotions.

② Enhance friendship and improve interpersonal relationships. By participating in sports, especially some collective activities, interpersonal interactions between people and teams are frequent, which can make people feel close to each other, make individuals forget the troubles brought by work and life, and eliminate mental stress and loneliness. And in sports, finding like-minded partners can bring psychological pleasure to individuals.

③ Improve self-confidence and improve yourself. In physical exercise and competition, especially in sports that one is good at, one can gain self-satisfaction and improve self-confidence in the process of completing various complex movements, in the tacit cooperation with teammates, in the battle of wits and courage with opponents, and in the joy of victory. And constantly improve yourself in training and competition. The content of sports that individuals participate in is mostly chosen based on their own interests, abilities, etc. They are generally able to perform well in the content of the sports, which is conducive to enhancing the individual's self-confidence and self-esteem, and they can find comfort and satisfaction in sports.

The above is an introduction to the benefits of physical exercise for teenagers. It can be seen that adolescence is a period full of youthful exuberance and infinite vitality and hope, so we should seize this golden period and participate in more physical exercise to allow teenagers to develop their body and mind together and develop into an outstanding teenager with all-round development of morality, intelligence, physique and aesthetics.