Final answer:
Regular physical activity boosts cardiovascular health, cognitive function, mental health, and immune function, contributing to a longer and healthier life.
Step-by-step explanation:
Four health benefits of being physically active, which can increase your chances of living longer, include improved cardiovascular health, enhanced cognitive function, better mental health, and stronger immune function. By increasing cardiovascular and muscular fitness, engaging in regular physical activity helps to maintain a healthy body weight, and promotes tissue repair through the release of hormones called myokines with anti-inflammatory effects. Physical exercise plays a critical role in improving the quality of life and life expectancy by reducing disease risk and improving overall health.
- Cardiovascular health: Regular physical activity reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by improving heart efficiency and reducing risk factors such as hypertension and excess body weight.
- Cognitive function: Exercise enhances brain function and has been shown to offer protection from neurodegenerative disorders like dementia.
- Mental health benefits: Physical activity reduces stress, improves body image, and promotes positive self-esteem, helping to treat mild-to-moderate depression as effectively as pharmaceutical antidepressants.
- Immune function: Moderate exercise is associated with a decreased incidence of upper respiratory tract infections and has been linked to a reduction in death rates from certain cancers.