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12 October 2020
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Story Arina Engelbrecht
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Arina Engelbrecht from Organisational Development and Employee Well-being believes physical activity has a number of benefits for one’s health, including stress relief.
Being physically active plays a big role in preventing the development of mental-health problems and in improving the quality of life of people experiencing mental-health problems.
Treatment for depression
Physical activity can be an alternative treatment for depression. It can be used as a stand-alone treatment or in combination with medication and/or psychological therapy. It promotes all kinds of changes in the brain, including neural growth, reduced inflammation, and new activity patterns are formed that promote feelings of calm and well-being. It releases endorphins – powerful chemicals in the brain that energise your spirit and make you feel good.
Physical activity can be very effective in relieving stress. Research in adults has found that physically active individuals tend to have lower stress levels compared to individuals who are less active. It also leads to improved sleep. When a person sleeps better and feels more rested, overall quality of life improves. They cope better with daily life stressors.
Reduce Alzheimer's risk
Regular physical activity can reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by up to 50%. It can also slow down further deterioration in those who have already started to develop cognitive problems. It stimulates the brain’s ability to maintain old connections as well as to make new ones.
A study asked people to rate their mood immediately after periods of physical activity (e.g. going for a walk/run, cycling, doing housework) and periods of inactivity (e.g. reading a book or watching television). Researchers found that participants felt more content, more awake, and calmer after being physically active compared to after periods of inactivity.
In conclusion, people who are physically active feel a sense of well-being, feel more energetic throughout the day, sleep better at night, have sharper memories, and feel more relaxed and positive about themselves and their lives.
“Being physically active not only changes your body, it changes your mind,
attitude, and your mood.” – Arina Engelbrecht
UFS appoints a dean for the Humanities
2008-12-08
The Council of the University of the Free State (UFS) has recently approved the appointment of Prof. Lucius Botes as the new dean of the Faculty of the Humanities during its last meeting of the year. He will succeed Prof. Gerhardt de Klerk, who will be retiring at the end of the year.
Prof. Botes is currently the Director of the Centre for Development Support (CDS) at the UFS and is also Programme Director of the Postgraduate Programme in Development Studies, which he initiated some nine years ago, and has produced more than 170 alumni from 20 different countries.
Prof. Botes has been an employee of the UFS since 1983 and was appointed as Director of the CDS in 1999. He has a Ph.D. in Sociology and a strong research background.
He was among others a member of the Premier’s Economic Advisory Council of the Free State from 2001-2005 and associate academic fellow of the World Economic Forum from 2001-2006. Prof. Botes is currently Director of the International Institute for Development and Ethics (IIDE) and the International Association for Community Development, to name a few.
“The Faculty of the Humanities is a very large and diverse faculty. It presents a huge leadership and management challenge. I will strive to lead the faculty to a next phase of excellence in terms of quality teaching and learning, research and community-service-learning outputs. It is important that the faculty should grow and develop in such a way that it will be regarded, especially by both outside role players and our partners, as a pivotal asset of knowledge, human and social capital,” said Prof. Botes.
Prof. Botes will commence his duties as dean on 1 March 2009. Prof. Engela Pretorius, Vice-Dean of the faculty, will act as dean in the mean time.
Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za
8 December 2008