7 Health Benefits of Regular Exercise
Do you have an active lifestyle? Do you engage in regular physical activity? Exercise is very important in our lives and to experience the benefits of the exercise we need to make it part of our daily lives. Exercise is any activity that gets your muscles working and burning excess calories.
There are many forms of exercise including walking, running, jogging, dancing, swimming, and lifting weights, just to mention a few.
Many people have their lives carried away by their jobs and forget about themselves. Thus they end up having inactive lifestyles. This can be detrimental to your health. A lot of people are struggling with obesity, diabetes, and other lifestyle problems because of not incorporating exercise into their daily lives.
There are many health benefits of being active, both physically and mentally. Regular exercise may even help you feel better about yourself. In this blog, you’re going to learn about the health benefits of regular exercise. Keep reading to discover more.
Regular exercise helps control weight
Due to our busy lives, we tend not to be mindful of what we eat and most of the time, we prefer fast foods to healthier ones. People love these fries because they are easy to prepare and can easily be ordered online. These foods have lots of sugars and bad fats which only do more harm to your body than good.
You gain weight so fast and before you realize it you already have weight problems. These fast foods should be avoided and regular exercise can help regulate your weight.
Physical activities help you burn excess calories. If you are struggling with excess weight, going to the gym could be a great treat for you. You will get to engage in a variety of exercises of varying intensities that will help you burn more calories during a session.
Whether you are dealing with weight issues or not, engaging in regular exercise even for about 20 minutes can help you control your weight. Make sure that you’re active every day by taking the stairs, jogging, running or even hitting the gym.
Regular exercise increases your energy levels
Regular exercise can boost your energy levels by improving your muscle strength endurance. When you engage in physical activity more oxygen and nutrients are supplied to your tissues. At the same time, your cardiovascular system is actively involved meaning that you get more energy to go about your daily activities.
Fit people are usually more productive and they don’t get tired quickly. They’re not victims of fatigue and thus their quality of life is just good. So, exercise more to have increased energy levels.
Regular exercise promotes your brain function
Regular exercise is great for your brain. Brain function can degrade when you lead an inactive life. People with inactive lifestyles might experience memory loss, depression, and slow learning. Also, they might experience an earlier onset of Alzheimer’s disease, which affects many Americans.
Exercise alters the structural and functional aspect of the brain. It also promotes blood flow to the brain which feeds the growth of new blood vessels and new blood cells as well. Adequate blood flow to the brain and the growth of new cells supports and improves brain function.
Regular exercise also impacts the hippocampus, a part of the brain that plays a vital role in memory and learning. It promotes the growth of this part thus helping improve the mental function in older adults.
Regular exercise fights off illnesses
Regular exercise combats several illnesses and health conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, high cholesterol and stroke among many others.
Exercise improves high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, which is the good cholesterol and helps decrease the unhealthy triglycerides. Thus your blood circulation improves decreasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Various forms of exercise such as cardio training increase your heart rate. The heart, which is also a muscle gets stronger when you exercise, reducing the risk of heart disease.
Regular exercise improves the strength of your joints and muscles. This, in turn, reduces the likelihood of pain and aches and other joint and muscle problems that are common among older adults who live inactive lifestyles.
People who exercise are less likely to catch flu or cold because regular exercise improves their immune system.
So, if you want to keep certain illnesses and health conditions at bay, you should consider living an active lifestyle.
Regular exercise promotes better sleep quality
Many people struggle to get good quality sleep. Lack of enough sleep affects your quality of life and lowers your productivity during the day. You always wake up tired, feeling not ready for the day.
Engaging in regular physical activity can improve your sleep and help you relax. You will be able to fall asleep faster and remain asleep. You will always wake up feeling relaxed and ready for the day. However, you should never exercise close to bedtime as it could make you feel too active and energized to go to bed.
Regular exercise improves your mood
Exercise can improve your mood. When you engage in physical activity, your brain releases various chemicals that lift your mood, making you feel happier, less anxious and more relaxed.
Exercise triggers changes in various parts of the brain that regulate stress and anxiety. Exercise is, therefore, natural treatment for anxiety and stress.
Also, it can help relieve some symptoms of depression by increasing the sensitivity of the brain for serotonin and norepinephrine hormones.
You can experience a boost in your mood regardless of the intensity of your physical activity. Exercising even for a short period will have a powerful impact on your mood. So to fight your negative moods, probably after a long day at work, just hit the gym, you will get home feeling rejuvenated and relaxed.
Regular exercise improves your sex life
Regular exercise can boost your sex life. Engaging in physical activity improves the function of the cardiovascular system, increases blood circulation, leads to toned muscles and boosts your energy levels. All of this helps promote your sex life.
When you feel good about your physical appearance and have increased confidence in yourself, your sex life may experience a boost.
Regular exercise also increases your frequency of sexual activity. So, if you want to improve your sex life, get more physically active.
Bonus: Exercise is fun
Exercise can be a lot of fun and gives you an opportunity to socialize with others. Socializing is great for your mental wellbeing. There’s no better way to unwind and enjoy the great outdoors then exercising. Running with a fitness partner in the great outdoors allows you to get soaked in nature.
Taking a fitness class or a dance class is even more fun. Your life will never be boring again. You will be happy and have a sense of belonging when you see other members of the fitness class sweating it out. It is even more satisfying when you learn a new dance move and do it perfectly.
Conclusion
The health benefits of regular exercise are many. Engaging in regular exercise is a great way to experience a boost in your energy levels, lift your mood, fight off illness and have fun. Regular exercise strengthens your muscles and joints, controls weight and improves your sex life.
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