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12 October 2020
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Story Arina Engelbrecht
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Photo Supplied
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 hosts final ANC Centenary Seminar for 2011
2011-11-28
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Prof. Benjamin Turok speaking about the Evolution of Economic Policy Thinking.
Photo: Henco Myburgh
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The African National Congress (ANC) government is faced with the dilemma of an inherited distorted economy. Subsequently South Africa has the most unequal society in the world. That is according to Prof. Benjamin Turok, head of Political Education for the ANC in Parliament. Prof. Turok spoke at an ANC Centenary Dialogue at the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) on 23 November 2011.
Delivering the last lecture of the year in a series of dialogues about the ANC, Prof. Turok said it was hard to swallow that after 100 years there is still inequality. This for a party whose essence is the notion of sharing, as set out in the Freedom Charter. Prof. Turok told the audience in a packed Odeion Theatre that the ANC Centenary provided a moment of reflection. “If we neglect the poor and uneducated and do not interfere and direct investment, we will always have inequality.”
Talking about youth unemployment, Prof. Turok said that no society can live in peace if young people are not employed. He said that he welcomed the energy the ANC Youth League has put in economic policy, but would like to see a youth league economic policy that is scientific.
The ANC Centenary Dialogue series has been hosted by the Centre for Africa Studies and will continue on 15 February 2012.