Are physical activities and exercise the same?

Some of us are often confused between physical activity, and exercise. Many of us have a thought that performing household works or occupational activities are enough for our fitness. It is true that during these physical activities our skeletal muscles move and we lose energy. But is this enough for health-related physical fitness? The answer is a big No.

Exercise is planned, structured, and repetitive physical activities that perform to improve or maintain physical fitness. Physical fitness is not restricted only to health-related but also has skill-related attributes. [2] In this aspect, yoga is one of the best forms of exercise. Yoga not only accomplishes the primary aim of the exercise but also promotes general well-being. [3]

What is the connection between yoga and exercise?

Aerobic, strength training, stretching and balance exercise are four primary forms of exercise. Marching in a place, squat, single knee rotation, knee lifting are examples of aerobic, strength training, stretching, and balance exercise. [3] But yoga is not merely a few postures (asanas) but an integrated system of actual physical fitness that promotes physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Yoga envisages health in totality on the principle of a healthy mind in a healthy body. [4]

Regular practice of yoga is a part of a holistic lifestyle. Practicing yoga helps to execute all the goals of exercise that include maintaining or improving one’s heart and lung fitness along with building strength, flexibility, balance, and functional movement. Yoga is an ancient Indian mind-body technique. Worldwide yoga is not only popular as a way to shape up the body but for overall well-being. [5]

Yoga for Cardiovascular physical training

The combination of certain bodily postures (asanas) and breathing techniques during regular practicing of yoga provides a positive impact on both cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Trikonasana (Triangle Pose), Utkatasana (Chair Pose), Marjariasana (Cat Pose), Shavasana (Corpse Pose) are some asanas that help to improve lung capacity and heart rate. Practicing these yoga postures also regulates blood circulation in a better way and lowers cholesterol levels. Step by step performing these asanas broadens the heart muscles, stimulates them by starching the chest cavity to regulate heart rhythm, promote cardiac functioning, blood circulation, and stamina of the respiratory system. Altogether practicing yoga acts as a stress-buster. Performing different yoga postures allows the body to extensive bending and stretching accompanying breathing control. Pranayama or breathing exercise is an integral part of yoga that teaches how to regulate breathing. Pranayama offers immediate relaxation, detoxifies the blood, and helps to treat cardiac disorders. [6, 7]

Muscle-strengthening training

We often have a misconception that only athletes need to perform the muscle-strengthening activity. But the fact is that every individual needs to practice physical activities to strengthen their muscles. The strength of your body comes from the strengthening of your deep muscles present inside the abdomen. These muscles have a connection with the spine and pelvis. These muscles are core muscles of our body that play a vital role in positioning and controlling central body movement. Strengthening of core muscles is also essential for preventing lower back pain.

Ardha Phalakasana (Low plank), Purvottanasana (inclined plane), Sarvangasana (shoulder stand), Vasisthasana (side plank), and Virabhadrasana (Warrior) are five simple yoga poses that are very effective for strengthening core muscles. Your body becomes flexible and strengthens core muscles by regularly practicing these yoga asanas. [8]

One should perform muscle-strengthening yoga for the easy and efficient performance of all our routine tasks including household chores. Muscle-strengthening yoga enhances our capability to do physical works without any pain symptoms.

Flexibility training 

Flexibility is a crucial element of physical fitness. Stretching of skeletal muscle can improve flexibility. Flexibility is an adequate range of motion that is essential for performing everyday tasks, supports good posture and muscle relaxation. Adequate flexibility boosts performance and reduces injury.

In Western countries, Hatha yoga is the most recognizable form of yoga. The aim of practicing Hatha Yoga is to improve physical health as well as general well-being. Iyengar yoga inclines from the most classical Hatha yoga tradition specially designed for improving flexibility.

The regular practice of Iyengar yoga helps the body to become more flexible by providing the muscles and joints a higher range of motion. Iyengar yogic stretching helps to release lactic acid from the muscle cells into the bloodstream to avoid obstruction in muscular contraction. [9]

Balance training

Two types of balances are necessary to maintain the center of gravity during standing or sitting (static balance) and in walking (dynamic balance). Impaired balance increases fear of falling. Such problems are frequent with elderly populations. They often limit their activity level that reduces their confidence along with increases anxiety.

Yoga is a mind-body practice and also has benefits for body balancing. It is well established that yoga improves balance and other psychological factors. Hatha, Iyengar, Bikram, Kripalu, and Silver Yoga are different yoga styles. All these forms of yoga have well-established benefits in improving and maintaining body balance and suitable for elderly populations. [10]

Each of these styles is a bit different from the others. You may also notice some variations depending on the teacher. You must discuss with a yoga expert to settle the suitable style that requires achieving your fitness goal.

NitaNaturale is not describing how to do all these yoga asanas. Often misinterpretation of the written direction leads to in-vain the effort of the performer. It is always better to perform these postures under the guidance of a yoga expert. He/she can also suggest you the precise individualized yoga training program.

References

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1402378/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1424733/
3. https://www.health.harvard.edu/exercise-and-fitness/the-4-most-important-types-of-exercise
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4223195/
5. https://www.yogabradford.co.uk/the-difference-between-yoga-and-exercise/
6. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/more-than-a-stretch-yogas-benefits-may-extend-to-the-heart-201504157868
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4475706/
8. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322643294_A_Comprehensive_Review_of_Yoga_and_Core_Strength_Strengthening_Core_Muscles_as_Important_Method_for_Injury_Prevention_Lower_Back_Pain_and_Performance_Enhancement_in_Sports
9. https://daneshyari.com/article/preview/2619161.pdf
10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3995122/

A flexible parental mindset is the foremost important management to deal with these challenges and to reinforce the holistic development among teenagers. Parents should consider every teenager is a person and has diverse needs. Parents need to recognize and respond to these requirements keeping flexibility in their minds. Both teenagers and their parents jointly participate in different awareness programs to increase their understanding of nutritional, personal, sexual, and environmental health and hygiene. This can help parents to update their knowledge and teenagers can be a better decision-maker to live a healthy life.

Supportive care to deal with physical changes

The physical transition during teenage due to the onset of puberty requires some supportive care to avoid misguided your child from unauthentic sources. [2] During this stage, following parental supportive care require to cope up with the changes:

• Give stress to build self-esteem and confidence to your child so that he/she can positively accept his/her physical changes. Do not compare with others or criticize them.
• Play a positive role model by eating and offering nutritious foods and healthy drinks. Teenagers require a more calorie supply to match the physical demand. Healthy eating habit at this crucial stage of life remains its benefits until their later stage of life.
• Encourage physical activity to burn excess calories and help to keep themselves physically fit. [3] This can help to develop a positive self-image and they also tried hard to become a role model for the society.
• Express parental love by showing respect to their physical space but keep in touch with maintaining an open level communication.
• Allow teens to apply grooming habits and accept their prolonged bathroom time to sustain a sense of control over their developing bodies in their advanced adolescence age.
• Answer sex-related questions honestly but in a knowledgeable way. Show them proper images and educational videos for better understanding by referring to educational websites.

Supportive care to build cognitive development

Your child may not decide their life at their nascent stage but start thinking of their life after reaching their teenage. The concrete thinking operation processing in the brain starts developing after seven years of age and is completed at eleven years. At approximately twelve to fifteen years of age, teenagers developed advanced reasoning skills. Teens usually give priority to their feeling during the thinking process because at this stage brain develops meta-cognition processing. Realistic thinking, logical strategies, memory retainment are the parts of cognitive development during adolescence. [4] These cognitive changes require the following parental supportive care:

• Carefully listen to your teens and show respect to their process to develop a genuine trustworthy relationship.
• Discuss with your teenage boy/girl about their opinion on different behavioral rules. And encourage them to act in a safe environment and deal with the consequences of the reality check.
• Give chance to your teens to take risky actions under your supervision in a fully controlled environment.
• Share your bitter experiences with teens and what you learned from them, so that they may not repeat the history.
• Provide an opportunity for teens and encourage them to participate in community services for their overall development.

Supportive care for psychosocial development

How teens interact with family and friends is an indication of their psychosocial development. Often psychosocial development of teens influenced by peer pressure, as they spend more time with their friends and lesser time with family. Therefore, both acceptable and non-acceptable social skills are developed, and teens practice them in the influence of their peer group. But teens tend to make their long-term decisions related to their education and values in the influence of their parental inspirations. But they used to showcase themselves as a cool guy and want to enjoy life. Their interest frequently changes due to their fickle mind. [4]

Teens have a demand for their own space and privacy. They are more curious about sexuality and want to know how their parents handled this issue, but unable to ask. They start reading different articles and watch the video to get the answers. Often, teens tend to feel they know to become argumentative and start questioning the values and judgments of adults. [4] Therefore, following supportive care help teens to build consistent psychosocial behavior.

• Provide a safe and structured environment where a teen can get the opportunity to create their behavioral guidelines and deal with the consequences. This will help them to become a responsible person for their actions.
• Keep a close watch on friends and associations of your son and daughter. Try to make a friendly relationship with parents or guardians of your child’s friend circles. Discuss your views about them with your daughter or son and aware of them if you don’t feel anything right about their behavior.
• Give enough opportunity to your home, so that teens feel comfortable to chill out.
• Do not forget to praise teens for their efforts, and accomplishments.
• Exhibit your cool acceptance of their physiological growth and development. Like, mother and daughter go for lunch to celebrate her first onset of the menstrual cycle or a father can arrange camping and enjoy it with his son when he starts to shave.
• Helps teenagers to attempt realistic goal and reward their achievements and do not forget to praise them. This helps them to know the requirements to live a healthy and happy life.
• Give your teens importance by listening to them carefully and spending quality time with them.

Different supportive care systems require to deal with behavioral changes that occur during teenage. Parents have to understand the situation from their experiences and provide support to overcome the behavioral challenges their teens faced during their adolescent period.  Parents need to be always calm and showcase their care about their child’s help to avoid developing aggressive behavior among their teenagers at this stage.

References

1. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222714094_ISSUES_IN_HOLISTIC_DEVELOPMENT_OF_ADOLESCENTS
2. https://ceufast.com/course/adolescent-holistic-health-issues
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK201497/
4. https://ceufast.com/course/adolescent-holistic-health-issues