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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
Grant of almost R3 million from the NRF for researchers
2007-02-13
The Research Directorate at the University of the Free State (UFS) received a grant of almost R3 million this year from the National Research Foundation (NRF) for the development of young researchers from the designated groups through the Thuthuka capacity building programme. The amount of grant holders increased during the past four years from five successful applications in 2003 to a phenomenal 44 this year. The Thuthuka programme is a partnership programme in which the UFS contributes two thirds of each grant holder's funding. This year, the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the UFS is also taking part in the programme for the first time.
Here are, from the left: Ms Lizelle Janse van Rensburg (grant holder), Mr Antonie Pool (grant holder), Mr Arno van Niekerk (grant holder), Ms Annelize Venter (programme co-ordinator at the UFS Directorate of Research Development), Prof Phillipe Burger (chairperson of the Department of Economics at the UFS), Mr Johan Coetzee (grant holder) and Prof Lucius Botes (chairperson of the faculty's research committee).