It’s difficult to find a person who would not know the benefits of regular physical activity. But the fact that such exercise can take away health as easily as it can give it away is known by few – most often by those who have experienced it firsthand. Is sport good for everyone? Or should some people think about different disciplines only while considering how to use a sport bonus for betting? And how to choose physical activity so that it doesn’t harm your health?
An Athlete Doesn’t Equal a Healthy Person
Have you ever seen the feet of a 40-year-old ballerina? And an MRI scan of the spine of a powerlifter with 10 years of experience? Professional sports are often more ruthless to the body than a sedentary lifestyle and morbid obesity. That is why professionals prefer to call recreational physical activity fitness rather than sports. The word “fitness” comes from “fit,” “appropriate,” “strong,” “in good shape. These characteristics are associated with health.
Sport is about competition, medals, overcoming oneself, achievement, strength of body and spirit. Moreover, it’s about sports coaches with higher physical education, sports doctors, a special diet and rest. Fitness is about health. At least, it should be.
It would be a mistake to think that only professional sports can harm your health. Many people go to gyms and work out according to a standard program, not taking into account individual peculiarities of their bodies and exercise techniques. Over time, there comes disappointment because this approach does not bring health: back pain and joint injuries quickly discourage a “healthy” life, which, it would seem, should be provided by physical activity.
This is because the body must be prepared for any activity. In this regard, we want to introduce you to the concept of “smart fitness”, which includes a competent selection of physical activity, proper preparation for it, as well as exercise technique to avoid unpleasant consequences for your body.
Do No Harm
A good coach must consider the preliminary assessment of his client’s health and preparation for physical activity. If you are planning to do any physical activity on your own, without the help of a qualified specialist, it’s important to consider the following factors:
- Musculoskeletal condition (diagnosis of posture and foot health).
- The state of the cardiorespiratory system (how prepared the cardiovascular system is for exertion).
- Genetic characteristics (hereditary predisposition to a certain type of physical activity).
- Presence of concomitant chronic diseases of other body systems.
- Age, social and other individual peculiarities.
If any of these aspects is overlooked, it can lead to injuries that will permanently discourage an active lifestyle. Even the proverbial 10,000 steps every day in the presence of violations of the posture and foot work can be detrimental to health. An untrained cardiovascular system will give a serious failure if a person starts to engage in high-intensity workouts like crossfit. Genetic predisposition also plays an important role in the choice of training, because a marathon runner will never become a sprinter and vice versa. Moreover, the choice of physical activity for a 14-year-old healthy teenager cannot be the same as for a 55-year-old woman who is overweight, has intervertebral hernias and a history of cavitary surgery. Everything is strictly individual.
Movement is life. But for extending life and giving health to a particular person, only individually selected types of physical activity with proven technique of exercise can help. Otherwise, a novice athlete will easily get bored of regular workouts, and they will bring him only negative emotions, which is terrible for both mental and physical health.
