Mention the word “exercise” and most people would imagine a gym full of people working out. This is not an inaccurate description, but exercise does not have to be limited to spending hours in the gym. The exercise can be done in more subtle ways. Simply increasing your daily physical activities, such as choosing to take the stairs instead of the elevator, jogging every morning, brisk walking for 30 minutes, or even doing some housework, can count as exercise. The benefits of exercise go beyond giving you that perfect body figure you’ve always dreamed of. While it’s certainly what most people hope to achieve from exercise, some really think about the other benefits it can provide. What are these benefits? Here are some:
- Promotes and maintains weight loss. Exercise combined with the habit of eating the right foods is a very good combination to eliminate those unwanted fats and lose weight. If done consistently, it also maintains this weight loss, allowing you to be more confident as you start to see how you’re progressing. The effects may not be seen for the first few days, but keep trying!
- It increases your resistance against diseases and health conditions. Exercise has been shown to reduce the risks of serious health problems like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer. It also lowers blood pressure, lessens the effects of asthma, prevents osteoporosis, and helps control the onset of arthritis.
- It cheers you up and keeps you young. Not only can exercise be a fun experience, it’s also been shown to do wonders for your brain and emotions. Exercise stimulates the production of “happy” hormones called endorphins, the same hormones that are produced when you laugh and smile. Exercise also acts as a de-stressor, providing relief and helping to optimize the body for action. Psychologically speaking, exercising also increases your self-esteem and confidence.
- Helps you deal with sleeping problems. Good exercise can help keep insomnia to a minimum while at the same time promoting deeper sleep, helping you feel refreshed the next morning. However, it is not a good idea to exercise before bed as it can aggravate your insomnia by giving you energy.
- It keeps the bloodstream clean and functional. Just as the heart is one of the most severely affected organs when one is sedentary, the opposite is also true. Exercise not only promotes heart health, it also prevents bad cholesterol from taking over and clogging your blood vessels.
- It keeps the body in optimal conditions. Beyond giving the body a good figure, exercise also promotes the body’s endurance and flexibility, including increased muscle strength and metabolism.
The benefits of exercise are not limited to any group. Anyone can exercise regardless of age, weight, gender, or some other group, and everyone could also reap its potential benefits. You don’t need to switch to exercise right away. Take it easy, give your body a chance to adjust, eventually increase your activity until you feel comfortable, and soon these benefits will no longer be a dream.