Shirley Pineda

5 Articles Review
HPER 310
Dr. Katie Aasen
The Mental Health Benefits of Exercise
You already know that exercise is good for your body. But did you know it can also boost your

mood, improve your sleep, and help you deal with depression, anxiety, stress, and more?

Exercise is not just about aerobic capacity and muscle size. Sure, exercise can improve your

physical health and your physique, trim your waistline, improve your sex life, and even add years

to your life. But that’s not what motivates most people to stay active. People who exercise

regularly tend to do so because it gives them an enormous sense of well-being. They feel more

energetic throughout the day, sleep better at night, have sharper memories, and feel more relaxed

and positive about themselves and their lives. And it’s also a powerful medicine for many

common mental health challenges.

Regular exercise can have a profoundly positive impact on depression, anxiety, and ADHD. It

also relieves stress, improves memory, helps you sleep better, and boosts your overall mood.

And you don’t have to be a fitness fanatic to reap the benefits. Research indicates that modest

amounts of exercise can make a real difference. No matter your age or fitness level, you can

learn to use exercise as a powerful tool to deal with mental health problems, improve your

energy and outlook, and get more out of life.

If you don’t have time for 15 or 30 minutes of exercise, or if your body tells you to take a break

after 5 or 10 minutes, for example, that’s okay, too. Start with 5- or 10-minute sessions and

slowly increase your time. The more you exercise, the more energy you’ll have, so eventually
you’ll feel ready for a little more. The key is to commit to some moderate physical activity

however little on most days. As exercising becomes a habit, you can slowly add extra minutes or

try different types of activities. If you keep at it, the benefits of exercise will begin to pay off.
 Exercise & Fitness
Exercising regularly, every day, if possible, is the single most important thing you can do for

your health. In the short term, exercise helps to control appetite, boost mood, and improve sleep.

In the long term, it reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, dementia, depression, and

many cancers.

Why is exercise so important for seniors?

Whether you were once much more physically active or have never been one to exercise

regularly, now is a great time to start an exercise and fitness regimen. Getting and staying in

shape is just as important for seniors as it is for younger people.

Why is exercise important for older people? Getting your heart rate up and challenging your

muscles benefits virtually every system in your body and improves your physical and mental

health in myriad ways. Physical activity helps maintain a healthy blood pressure, keeps harmful

plaque from building up in your arteries, reduces inflammation, improves blood sugar levels,

strengthens bones, and helps stave off depression. In addition, a regular exercise program can

make your sex life better, lead to better quality sleep, reduce your risk of some cancers, and is

linked to longer life.

Many older adults hesitate to get moving because they’re unfamiliar with the types of

exercise and fitness that are effective and safe, and aren’t sure how much exercise they need to
do. The good news is that any kind of movement is better than being sedentary, so there’s

nothing wrong with starting small and working your way up to longer workouts. Your goal

should be no less than 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity per week, but if you can’t start

at that level, work up to it (and then past it). While there are many dedicated forms of exercise

and fitness for adults, you also want to stay physically active throughout the day by taking the

stairs, doing yard work, and playing with your grandkids.

When it comes to exercise and fitness for seniors, most can begin without consulting a doctor—

but there are exceptions. If you have a major health condition like diabetes, high blood pressure,

heart or lung disease, osteoporosis or a neurological disease, definitely talk to your doctor first.

People with mobility issues such as poor balance or arthritis should also get advice from their

doctor.
Using a Health Promotion Program Planning
Model to Promote Physical Activity and
Exercise
Physical activity and exercise are priorities for health and fitness professionals. It behooves

professionals to use a program planning model to clearly outline the program’s mission, goals,

and objectives. Throughout the scientific literature, program planning models have been used as

a foundation to test the efficacy of physical activity and exercise programs. Program planning

models guide health and fitness professionals through a process of strategically assessing the

needs of the priority population, carefully planning appropriate interventions, executing the

planned interventions, modifying the plan if necessary, and evaluating the immediate, short-term,

and long-term efficacy of the program. In addition, using such a clear, organized framework for

reference during the planning and implementation of an intervention ensures tangible

products/outcomes for presentation to key stakeholders. Therefore, the purposes of this Clinical

Applications column are to describe the steps in a Generalized Program Planning Model (GPPM)

as explained by McKenzie to give examples of how to operationalize these steps and to

incorporate best evidence in the promotion of physical activity and exercise interventions.

Health and fitness professionals can become integral partners within a variety of community,

clinical, or school-based sectors given that they have the knowledge, attitudes, skills, experience,

and credentials necessary to develop, implement, and evaluate evidence-based physical activity

programs as well as conduct exercise testing and prescription. Using a program planning model
to guide the process of conducting a needs assessment, setting goals and objectives, developing

an intervention, implementing the intervention, and evaluating the program results will help keep

the program planners organized and on track, as well as assist in communicating the strategic

plan and progress to gain and maintain support of key stakeholders.

Piriformis Syndrome
First described in 1928, piriformis syndrome is a painful neuromuscular disorder that occurs

when the piriformis muscle irritates and/or compresses the proximal sciatic nerve. Sometimes

referred to as wallet syndrome, pseudo sciatica, or hip socket neuropathy, piriformis syndrome is

six times more prevalent in females than males. This may be caused by differences in the angle

of the quadriceps femoris muscle, differences in pelvic structure, or to hormonal changes,

especially during pregnancy, that affect the muscles around the pelvis.

The piriformis muscle is a flat pyramid-shaped muscle located deep in the buttocks near the hip

joint that connects the sacrum to the top of the femur. Activation of the piriformis muscle lifts

and rotates the thigh away from the midline of the body, allowing us to walk by shifting weight

from one foot to the other and to maintain balance. The muscle is activated during all movements

that require lifting and rotating the thighs — the vast majority of hip and leg motion.

Passing alongside, or in some individuals through the piriformis muscle, the sciatic nerve

descends the back of the thigh to the lower leg and eventually branches into smaller nerves that

terminate in the feet. Although relatively rare, piriformis muscle spasm also can impinge the

pudendal nerve that controls our bowels and bladder, resulting in groin tingling, numbness, and

sometimes even incontinence.

Conservative treatment includes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications for symptom relief,

massage, pain-free stretching exercises, and avoidance of contributing activities such as running,
cycling, and rowing. Avoidance of prolonged sitting is highly recommended, and short

movement breaks every 30 minutes also are recommended. Light stretching is recommended

three to four times per day up to, but not beyond, the point of pain.

As symptoms alleviate, strengthening exercises should be added that involve the hip abductors,

adductors, external rotator, and extensor muscles. A physical therapist or personal trainer can

provide guidance with developing an appropriate strengthening and stretching routine.

Most causes of piriformis syndrome are preventable and frequently are related to activities of

daily living. Avoidance of prolonged sitting and utilization of correct sitting posture are two

important prevention strategies and essential for other aspects of overall health and wellness.
 5 Surprising Benefits of Exercise
1. Exercise is great for your brain.

It’s linked to less depression, better memory and quicker learning. Studies also suggest

that exercise is, as of now, the best way to prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s

disease, a major fear for many Americans.

Scientists don’t know exactly why exercise changes the structure and function of the

brain, but it’s an area of active research. So far, they’ve found that exercise improves

blood flow to the brain, feeding the growth of new blood vessels and even new brain

cells, thanks to the protein BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). BDNF triggers the

growth of new neurons and helps repair and protect brain cells from degeneration. It may

also help people focus, according to recent research.

2. You might get happier.

Countless studies show that many types of exercise, from walking to cycling, make

people feel better and can even relieve symptoms of depression. Exercise triggers the

release of chemicals in the brain serotonin, norepinephrine, endorphins, dopamine that

dull pain, lighten mood and relieve stress. “For years we focused almost exclusively on

the physical benefits of exercise and really have ignored the psychological and emotional
benefits of being regularly active,” says Cedric Bryant, chief science officer of the

American Council on Exercise.

3. It might make you age slower. 

Exercise has been shown to lengthen lifespan by as much as five years. A  small new

study suggests that moderate-intensity exercise may slow down the aging of cells. As

humans get older and their cells divide repeatedly, their telomeres the protective caps on

the end of chromosomes get shorter. To see how exercise affects telomeres, researchers

took a muscle biopsy and blood samples from 10 healthy people before and after a 45-

minute ride on a stationary bicycle. They found that exercise increased levels of a

molecule that protects telomeres, ultimately slowing how quickly they shorten over time.

Exercise, then, appears to slow aging at the cellular level.

4. It’ll make your skin look better.

Aerobic exercise revs up blood flow to the skin, delivering oxygen and nutrients that

improve skin health and even help wounds heal faster. “That’s why when people have

injuries, they should get moving as quickly as possible not only to make sure the muscle

doesn’t atrophy, but to make sure there’s good blood flow to the skin,” says Anthony

Hackney, an exercise physiologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Train long enough, and you’ll add more blood vessels and tiny capillaries to the skin, too.

5. Amazing things can happen in just a few minutes.

Emerging research suggests that it doesn’t take much movement to get the benefits.

“We’ve been interested in the question of, how low can you go?” says Martin Gabala, an

exercise physiologist at McMaster University in Ontario. He wanted to test how effective

a 10-minute workout could be, compared to the typical 50-minute bout. The micro-

workout he devised consists of three exhausting 20-second intervals of all-out, hard-as-

you-can exercise, followed by brief recoveries. In a three-month study, he pitted the short

workout against the standard one to see which was better. To his amazement, the

workouts resulted in identical improvements in heart function and blood-sugar control,

even though one workout was five times longer than the other. “If you’re willing and able

to push hard, you can get away with surprisingly little exercise,” Gabala says.