People's quality of life is intrinsically linked to each person's daily reality: family and professional life decisively contribute to their day-to-day, reflecting in their commitment to goals and obligations.
The same logic applies to physical exercise. Increasingly seen as a daily escape and a way to improve mental health, physical exercise also plays a fundamental role in the daily lives of athletes, positively affecting their lives.
We have already addressed in other articles here on the blog this connection between quality of life and physical exercise.
But, after all, what is quality of life and how is it impacted by physical exercise and a training plan tailored to the person you propose to train?
This is a question we are going to answer.
What is “quality of life”?
According to Khan Academy, a nonprofit organization, the definition of quality of life is something volatile and subjective, depending mainly on each individual's way and how they perceive the world, based on their experiences.
This concept encompasses three aspects of each individual:
👉 Being
Each person is the result of a series of habits, skills, values, and intelligence - in other words, the sum of everything learned.
👉 Belonging
It involves relationships, whether real or virtual, with the rest of the world (family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, groups, followers on social media pages, etc.).
👉 Becoming
These are the expectations and possibilities of becoming something, of becoming someone you would like to be, of belonging to a specific group, etc.
How does exercise impact quality of life?
The link between practicing physical exercise and quality of life is not so tenuous and is mainly connected to how the individual sees themselves, but also to what they feel.
When you are designing a training plan with your athlete, you will need to listen to their desires, fears, expectations, and goals. This will allow you to analyze the person in front of you, understanding their state of mind and drawing conclusions about their “being/belonging/becoming” (yes, we are indeed talking about a holistic approach, since you’re intervening not only in the body but also helping the mind).
As you should know, physical exercise has a strong impact on mental health, reducing stress and increasing well-being, as workouts promote the release of endorphins and serotonin that improve and regulate mood and well-being, besides promoting muscle relaxation and better sleep quality. For athletes and practitioners, exercising is a daily escape, finding motivation to continue.
Moreover, physical exercise helps reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes or hypertension and even impacts the skin by aiding dermal oxygenation.
Final considerations
“Quality of life” is an abstract concept but involves many real conditions. Therefore, you should pay attention to all the conditions and experiences of an athlete when you are training them (or proposing to do so!), helping them become a better person.
This might be a challenging mission, but believe me: a training plan is a joint commitment where you and your athlete work together to reach a successful outcome.
On the BOOMFIT side, you can find all the tools so that you and your athlete can achieve this goal, with hundreds of equipment and accessories that make all the difference in the final result. And our team is always ready to help!
Happy training!
