The Effects of Physical Activity and Excerise On Well-being

A growing amount of research suggests that regular physical activity can have both psychological and physiological benefits to the aging process. Well being, a global psychological state, has been found to be positively influenced by physical activity, even after short durations. The present study investigated the components of happiness, satisfaction with life, and social support, all of which are believed to be parts of overall well-being. Six older, community dwelling adults (M age • 64.5) who recently added physical activity to their lifestyles were surveyed and observed over a five-week period. Pre and post test scores were compared and attendance and score differences were correlated. While significant results were not found for this particular study, it is believed that further research will show that regular physical activity will enhance one's state of well-being. This article is available in The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research: http://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur/vol6/iss1/7 The Effects of Physical Activity and Exercise On Well-being By Jatha Miner Abstract A growing amount of research suggests that regular physical activity can have both psychological and physiological benefits to the aging process. Wellbeing, a global psychological state, has been found to be positively influenced by physical activity, even after short durations. The present study investigated the components of happiness, satisfaction with life, and social support, all of which are believed to be parts of overall well-being. Six older, communitydwelling adults (M age • 64.5) who recently added physical activity to their lifestyles were surveyed and observed over a five-week period. Pre and post test scores were compared and attendance and scoreA growing amount of research suggests that regular physical activity can have both psychological and physiological benefits to the aging process. Wellbeing, a global psychological state, has been found to be positively influenced by physical activity, even after short durations. The present study investigated the components of happiness, satisfaction with life, and social support, all of which are believed to be parts of overall well-being. Six older, communitydwelling adults (M age • 64.5) who recently added physical activity to their lifestyles were surveyed and observed over a five-week period. Pre and post test scores were compared and attendance and score differences were correlated. While significant results were not found for this particular study, it is believed that further research will show that regular physical activity will enhance one's state of well-being. The Effects of Physical Activity and Exercise On Well-being One of the most important components to aging successfully is to engage in regular physical activity. There has been an increasing amount of research on the benefits of increased physical activity and exercise (Fletcher, Balady, Blair, Blumenthal, Caspersen & Chaitman, 1996). From a physiological perspective the benefits are countless. Recently there has been a growing focus on the psychological benefits of such activities, particularly in the domain of subjective well-being (Stathi, Fox, & McKenna, 2002). As the population of older adults is going to increase significantly over the next several years, it is expected that there will thus be a higher prevalence of psychological strain among this aging population. Even though there has not been a large amount of research on exercise therapy for maintaining wellbeing, the studies that have been done have yielded promising results showing the benefits. In 1790 when the first United States Census was taken, about 50,000 of the 2.5 million Americans were 65 or older, about 2 percent of the population. By 1890 the older population increased to nearly 2.4 million and was less than 4 percent of the population. Since that time, at last count in 2000, there were 34.7 million older persons in the U.S., 12.6 percent of the total population (Atchley, 2000). According to the Administration on Aging (2001), the future projection of the older population is predicted to grow significantly. By 2025, it is expected that there will be 200 million people over the age of 60 in the world. It is expected that in 2030 there will be 70 million older people composing over 20 percent of the population in the U.S. This sharp increase will result as the "baby boom" generation reaches the age of 65. As there are an increasing number of older individuals in the population, it can be expected that there will also be an increase in both physical and psychological aging symptoms. The aging process affects psychomotor performance and mental functioning. There are also marked changes in personality, emotions, and self-esteem. Various mental disorders also have an increased risk of developing and thus causing distress and impairing the ability to function. Depression is one disorder that is quite typical and likely to have its onset in the later years of life. Losses in physical functioning, changing social roles, losing close friends and loved ones, living alone, or side effects from other medications are all possible causes for this mental disorder later in life (Atchley, 2000). In addition to depression in old age, also comes less prevalent disorders such as loneliness, physical ailments, and social strains among other components which, when taken as a whole, contribute to an individual's own sense of well-being (Stathi, 2002). Physiologically, many common ailments are prevalent in older age. High blood pressure and cholesterol levels, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, and certain types of cancer are among the most frequently reported somatic problems. In addition, flexibility and muscle performance are affected, all of which influence activities of daily living (ADLs) which may become increasingly harder to perform with age (Fletcher et al., 1996). Subjective well-being has been viewed over the last several years as a fundamental indicator of successful aging. It can be defined in various ways and may differ slightly according to each researcher. For the most part, the common factors that define an individual's sense of psychological well-being include the way in which a person judges the global quality of his or her state of existence (Stathi, 2002). When identifying psychological health, there are two ends of measurement, psychological distress (typically characterized by such conditions as depression and anxiety) and psychological well-being. It is thus presumed that anything that is deviating from the distressing end is contributing to well-being (McAuley, Blissmer, Marquez, Jerome, Kramer, & Katula, 2000). An increasing amount of research has yielded promising results that exercise can be used as a therapy for both physical and most particularly psychological well-being (McAuley, Blissmer, Katula, & Duncan, 2000). There is evidence that a regular routine of exercise is comparable to individual and group psychotherapy and cognitive therapy treatments for