Suddenly stopping sports and physical activities can be harmful not only to our bodies but also our brain. This conclusion, is the result of research conducted by the Journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. They studied a group of marathon runners who stopped exersising for ten days. The MRI they were subjected to revealed a lower blood flow to the hippocampus, the part of the brain associated with memory and emotions.
Does that mean that if you suddenly stop playing sports it is therefore damaging? Dr. Piero Volpi, Head of the Orthopedics and Knee Traumatology in Humanitas, spoke to Radio Capital.
“For those who do a lot of sport activities, especially if they have been doing them for many years with a certain routine, the sudden stop can be harmful to the brain. It can also be harmful on the humoral, muscles and joints,” says Dr. Volpi.
How much physical activity should be done?
Sport should always be addressed in a serious manner and not be improvised. It should be planned, choosing your activity, seeking advice from a doctor and taking into account age and possibilities. Sporting activity should be perceived as pleasant. You can go for a run, you can ride a bike, you can swim or you can simply walk. Those who want to do sport can walk half an hour a day which is very healthy, as long as the walk is at a faster pace. This will stimulate the respiratory and cardiovascular functions, “explains Dr. Volpi.
When to stop sports and what after?
“It depends on the age. There is no need for strenuous sport, only to lead an active life and not completely sedentary. For example moving on foot and preferring the stairs to the elevator, allows you to do a minimum physical activity that gives the body a sort of maintenance”.
