Although I sometimes summarize a scientific experiment, this is not a scientific blog nor does it pretend to be. I still do not know what path I am going to take in the world of psychology (if I take any). Still I doubt very much that this path is scientific research.
However, from time to time I have knowledge of different experiments that because of their simplicity and clarity I like to share with you. Next Monday I will examine the subject of Psychobiology (the only one I have left in first grade) and I think these weeks I'm in "ON mode" on everything related to the human body and biology.
Diving around the web I have found an easy to understand experiment that relates the energy levels and productivity with sport.
In many articles on this blog I have previously commented on the benefits derived from doing sports. I'm not just talking about the obvious benefits like improving health and fitness. When I have talked about sport I have also made reference to increases in energy levels that allow us to be more productive throughout the day. You already know that productivity and time management are important elements for me.
The explanation for this increase in energy levels was based on my own personal experience. I felt that the days that I went out for a run in the morning, later I felt more awake and productive at work. However, he did not know if this was a personal perception or if there really was a scientific explanation behind these sensations. It seems that I have found the scientific explanation I was looking for.
I will try to explain it in a simple and basic way. I hope that if any biologist or doctor reads this they will not throw it at my neck. If you are here, I send a greeting to my friends Pedro and Aurora, professor of biology and doctor respectively.
Well here I go ...
Our body is made up of millions of cells and within each of these cells there are structures called mitochondria. Mitochondria produce something called ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) that the human body uses as Energy.
We could say that mitochondria are something like the power plant of cells. Roughly stated, without mitochondria there would be no ATP and without ATP we would have no energy.
It has been shown that physical exercise increases the production of mitochondria which in turn can produce more ATP which translates into more energy for the body. And when I speak of the body I also include the brain, since neurons are also cells.
To get these benefits, it is not necessary to kill ourselves while playing sports. Moderate sport is enough. In an experiment carried out at the University of Georgia, the participants were divided into 3 groups.
For 6 weeks the first group held sessions of intense sport, the second group performed moderate sport and the third group would be the control group and I would not do any sports.
During the 6 weeks of the experiment, the participants were asked how they felt their energy levels were evolving. The results were clear. The two groups that did sports (intense and moderate) stated that they felt that their energy levels were increasing. In contrast, the control group (who had not played sports) did not report any increase in their energy levels..
It is important to note the fact that the two groups that had done sport (intense and moderate) claimed to have similar energy levels. That is to say, it was not necessary to beat oneself sportingly speaking so that the energy levels were increased. In fact, those who had done moderate sports claimed to have less feeling of fatigue and tiredness than the intense sport group.
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