Impact of Exercise on Weight and Health. Term Paper

Impact of Exercise on Weight and Health
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Institutional Affiliation
Impact of Exercise Weight and Health
Abstract
Several factors affect the ability of individuals to achieve and maintain the correct energy balance so that they can have a consistent body weight. The frequency and effectiveness of exercising is one of the factors that impact the ability of individuals to acquire the right energy for a good body weight balance. The aim of this study is to analyze exercise habits affect body weight. The study involved 100 participants. Validated close ended questionnaires were distributed to the participants and their responses were analyzed using “Spearman Correlation coefficient (r). The results of the study established that 70 (70%) of the participants had a normal Body Mass Index that ranged between18.5-24.5. Out of that number, 45 (64.3%) were found to exercise at least three times a week. 15 (21.4%) of them exercised less than three times a week while the remaining 10 (14.3%) never had a frequency of exercising saying they only did it once in a while. The results established that there was a low relative correlation (r=0.08) between the frequency of exercising and the people whose BMI was normal. The conclusion from the study was that the frequency of exercising can have a positive correlation with an increase in the prevalence of normal BMI. Thus, those who exercise often are more likely to have a normal body weight.
Keywords: Exercise, Body weight, Impact
Introduction
Obesity has been on the rise globally. Today, several people are overweight compared to several decades ago. Consequently, there has been an increase in the number of interventions that can be used to address the issue of obesity. Most of the proposed interventions aim at implementing protocols to change the composition of the body through losing weight (mass reduction) (Clark, 2015). Today, a large number of people involve in exercising as a way of managing their weight.
When managing weights, the discussion needs to go beyond just reducing body weight or even the health factors. There is a need to ensure that the involved individuals embrace self-motivated and self-selected behaviors to achieve the best outcome. According to Donnelly et al. (2013) exercise plays a secondary role in weight management mainly due to lack of studies that can be used to verify the completion of exercises and to measure the energy expended on exercises. Weight issues are mostly prevalent in the developed countries compared with the developing countries. A number of factors such as genetic, psychological, behavioral, and environmental factors contribute a lot to weight issues (DiPietro&Stachenfeld, 2013). Positive energy balance influences these conditions a lot. Exercise has been proven to be the most effective intervention in preventing obesity and contributing to weight loss (DiPietro&Stachenfeld, 2013). Researchers have established that increased body activities can help in attaining a healthy body and improving the general health of the body. Additionally, exercise has additional significance for obese people because it improves cardiovascular, respiratory, and metabolic functions in addition to the weight loss. It can help these people to reduce their chances of suffering from chronic conditions.
Anyone who wants to reduce their weight must include exercise training as a part of their treatment plans. Normally weight changes result from the differences in energy consumed and those expended. Those who gain weight normally have low energy levels but excess dietary consumptions will lead to a gain in weight (Swift et al., 2014). Weight loss can help in reducing the severity of cardiovascular risk factors. Through exercises, there can be improvements in insulin resistance and metabolic syndromes which are among the most prevalent cardiovascular risk factors.
Methods
The study involved 100 individuals of whom 45 were males and 55 were females. They were aged between 18 to 35 years. The participants were selected randomly, but preference was on those that had a good body mass index to help in determining whether exercising or lack thereof has contributed to their BMI. The participants were given close-ended questionnaires that had 10 questions. Most questions were related to their practicing habits. The BMI of the participants was calculated according to the provisions of the World Health Organization (WHO). All the participants to the study willingly agreed to participate because they were of legal age and of sound mind. In total, the study took duration of 5 months (January 2018-June 2018). All participants returned their filled forms and they responded to all the questions accordingly. For easy comparison, all the responses were compiled in tables and graphs. The Pearson correlation coefficient was computed to determine the relationship that existed between exercising and normal body mass index (BMI).
Results
The BMI of the partic...