The Top Health Benefits of Regular Exercise
In my childhood, my dad always encouraged me to do exercise every morning. He used to tell me the many benefits of regular exercise. He always said that it is important for the person to keep doing some physical activity to keep the body and mind in the best working condition. You can now easily talk to a doctor online for any ailment. But doing exercise on a regular basis can get rid of various health problems. And today, we are going to discuss the top health benefits of regular exercise.
Now, any movement you make that makes your muscles work and helps your body in burning calories is exercise. There are a variety of physical activities, such as swimming, running, walking, dancing, jogging, and more. Regular exercise has both mental and physical health benefits. It can help in making your sharper at work and feeling less tired at home. I’m not saying that I’m going too far with it, but it may also help you live a longer life. One more advantage of being physically active is that you will be in an improved physique. With that being said, let’s look at the top health benefits of regular exercise.
Benefit 1. You Feel Happier
You will notice that your mood improves after doing some physical activity. Studies have shown that exercise can help in decreasing feelings of anxiety, depression, and stress. Exercise can make certain changes in the parts of your brain that are responsible for regulating anxiety and stress. It can also increase brain sensitivity for serotonin and norepinephrine, the two hormones responsible for relieving the feelings of depression.
Exercise is also known to increase the production of endorphins that produces positive feelings. Endorphins also reduce the perception of pain. Now, there are a lot of people who suffer from anxiety. And one way to deal with symptoms of anxiety is to do some exercise. Yes, studies have shown that exercise can in fact reduce symptoms associated with anxiety. With regular exercise, one can become more aware of their mental state. It can also help people practice distraction from their fears.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to go for an intense workout. Even a moderate level of physical activity can help in improving your mood. It has powerful effects on mood.
Benefit 2. Exercise Can Help You Lose Weight
Well, this one is pretty obvious. If you are looking to lose some weight, regular exercise is very essential. Obesity has become a problem for a lot of people now. And studies show that one of the major reasons behind weight gain and obesity and weight gain is inactivity. Or in simple words, the lack of physical activity.
There are three ways in which your body spends energy. These are – digesting food, maintaining functions of the body like heartbeat and breathing, and exercising. Only dieting can lead to a lower metabolic rate. This delays the loss of weight. But with regular exercise, it is different. Regular exercise increases your metabolic rate that burns more calories. And hence helping you lose weight more effectively. If you are looking to lose your fat and maintain muscle mass, combine aerobic exercise with resistance training. Trust me, you will get amazing results.
Benefit 3. Regular Exercise is Good For Your Muscles And Bones
Who doesn’t want to have good muscles and strong bones? And exercise plays a major role in the not only building but also maintaining good muscles and strong bones. All those bodybuilders you see on TV, or that one guy with huge biceps, you can get that too. Physical exercise such as weight lifting stimulates muscle building. But with this, you also have to take care of adequate protein intake.
There are hormones that are responsible for promoting the ability of the muscles for absorbing amino acids. Exercise helps in releasing these hormones, helping your muscles to grow while reducing their breakdown. With age, people start losing muscle mass and function. This leads to disabilities and injuries. But with regular physical activity, a person can maintain the strength of their muscle as they age. They can reduce the loss of muscle with regular exercise.
Exercise also helps in building the density of bones in young people. It can also prevent osteoporosis later in life. Other than this, some high-impact exercise or odd-impact sports can promote a higher bone density than non-impact sports. These high-impact exercises and odd-impact sports include gymnastics and running, and soccer and basketball.
Benefit 4. It Helps in Reducing The Risk of Chronic Disease
One of the primary causes of chronic illness is a lack of regular exercise or physical activity. But research has shown that exercise can improve insulin sensitivity, body composition, and cardiovascular fitness. Along with this, it also decreases blood fat levels and blood pressure. On the other hand, lack of physical activity can cause a significant increase in belly fat. This leads to the increment of the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Research has also proven that exercise can prevent these conditions – heart disease, high cholesterol, arthritis, loss of muscle mass, osteoporosis, and stroke. It also helps you in dealing with certain aspects of the aging process. If you are doing an adequate amount of exercise regularly, you can even boost the functionality of your immune system. This way you will not have to worry about catching a cold or flu often.
Benefit 5. Regular Exercise Helps Your Brain Health And Memory
Another benefit of regular exercise is that it can help in improving the function of your brain. It also protects memory and improves your thinking skills. When you do some physical activity or exercise, your heart rate increases. This leads to the promotion of the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain. Along with this, it also stimulates the productions of hormones responsible for enhancing the growth of brain cells.
For older adults, regular exercise is very important. Why? Because aging and oxidative stress and inflammation can cause changes in brain function and structure. But exercise can help in maintaining the proper functioning of the brain.
Studies also show that exercise can also cause the hippocampus. In this, the size of the part of the brain, vital for learning and memory, grows. In addition to all this, exercise can also help in preventing Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia. Exercise reduces the changes in the brain that can cause these conditions.
Benefit 6. It Can Also Reduce Pain
A lot of people suffer from chronic pain, and it can be debilitating. But you can deal with it with regular exercise. Many people believe that rest and inactivity helps in treating chronic pain. But recent studies show that exercise can help in relieving chronic pain.
There are several studies showing that exercise can help in controlling pain related to many health conditions. These include fibromyalgia, chronic low back pain, chronic soft tissue shoulder disorder, and many more. Also, exercise can increase your tolerance towards pain, and can also decrease pain perception.