We hear it all the time. Exercise! It’s good for you! And it is. But what does exercise do to our bodies that makes it so essential?
Physical activity helps both our mental and physical health. However, these benefits are only collected if we exercise regularly.
What are the benefits?
1. Prevents against diseases and illnesses
Exercise protects you against heart disease, high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, arthritis, and a multitude of other diseases that affect your bones and overall health. The stress it creates in your body, triggers the activation of good cholesterol, uptake of blood glucose, works on creating an efficient heart, and improves circulation.
Exercise prevents illnesses.
2. Helps regulate body weight
Exercise allows you to gain, loose, or maintain body weight. Any activity counts! Taking the stairs instead of the elevator and house chores, among others. You don’t need to allocate a huge chunk of time for this either. The intensity at which you work dictates the calories burned. Meaning that you can work at a high intensity for 20 minutes and still burn as many calories at working at a lighter intensity for a longer period of time.
3. Improves mood
Interesting, right! Exercise is a great way to feel happier. How? Well, it stimulates brain chemicals that trigger your happy and relaxed feelings.
Exercise equals happiness.
4. Boosts your energy
Regular exercise makes your body more efficient. A more efficient body, means extra energy to reserved and feeling less tired, especially by our daily activities.
5. Improves sleep
Working out allows you to fall asleep faster and get a deeper sleep. And who doesn’t love to sleep?!
It improves your sleep.
6. Adds muscle strength
This is a given. We exercise to strengthen our muscles and make them apt for our daily tasks. This prevents them from wearing out. Use them or loose them!
It adds strength.
7. Improves your brain functions
It has been proven that exercise promotes cognitive function. Maybe this is why I hear that it is beneficial for students to exercise, especially during stressful, exam filled weeks.
Positively impacts brain function.
8. Impacts mental health
Along with the physical benefits of daily activity, it also promotes healthy mental states. Exercise prevents feelings of depression and chronic stress. This is due to the hormonal regulation triggered by the physical activity.
Exercise is an all encompassing solution. Additionally, seeing the effects it has on your body can boost confidence and in turn produce happiness. Next time you’re feeling lazy regarding working out, remember all that a simple hour of activity can benefit you in return.
