“A sound body keeps a sound mind.” We hear this saying so often around us, this is what our parents, school teachers, and elders tell us when they need to emphasize the importance of exercise in our lives. So let’s try to understand what this means. In today’s fast-paced world, where productivity and profit are given the highest priority, and general well-being takes a backseat in light of extreme capitalism, it is imperative that people become more aware of how their body functions, and why it is necessary to keep it fit. The first and foremost cause of physical deterioration of the body lies in the mental state of a person.

With many social media platforms growing increasingly toxic, a large number of people today are facing mental health issues that are deep-rooted, and these are primarily hurting the physical well-being of these people. Exercise has been found to be one of the major protectors of a person’s mental well-being. Exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and negative mood, and by improving self-esteem and cognitive function. Exercise has also been found to alleviate symptoms such as low self-esteem and social withdrawal. Lack of exercise also has a cause-effect relationship with obesity. A lack of proper exercise causes it, and a lack of proper exercise is also induced by it.

In 2019, an estimated 38.2 million children under the age of five were found to be suffering from obesity. Why it is a problem is because raised BMI is a major risk factor for noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal disorders(especially osteoarthritis), and even some forms of cancer. Regular physical exercise increases people’s energy expenditure, which can help them stay in energy balance, and even lose weight, as long as they don’t overcompensate for the number of calories burned during the exercise period. Physical exercise also decreases the fat around the waist and total body fat, hence slowing down the advancement of abdominal obesity. Exercise also helps to lower the blood cholesterol levels, hence lowering chances of a heart attack. Physical exercise is also recommended by doctors due to the fact, that it influences the person and the body to form a habit.

If a person decides to start exercising, it will naturally boost good hormones such as serotonin, which leaves them feeling better, and that leads to the mind automatically convincing the rest of the body to make a habit out of it, so that boosts in mood and energy can be experienced more often. Hence, fitness and exercise can really improve the quality of life of an individual, and following such a lifestyle may just be the deciding factor for a healthier and longer life.