Any movement that makes your muscles work and requires your body to burn calories is defined as exercise. Exercise is not only good for your physical health but also good for your mental health. A minimum of 30 minutes of exercise a day can have immediate and long-term health benefits, but most importantly doing regular exercise can improve your quality of life.
Staying physically active has been shown to help with reducing your risk of a heart attack. For many people, heart disease can be hereditary which makes exercising regularly even more important for your health. It is also a good way to manage your weight better, lowering your risk of things like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high blood cholesterol level, and some cancers. You will also find that you will have stronger bones, muscles, and joints and lower the risk of developing osteoporosis. Exercise will improve your overall mood, give you increased energy, and just make you more relaxed having a better sleep at night.
FEEL HAPPIER
Regular exercise can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem. Physical activity can lead to improved fitness and may help with weight management and therefore, may make you feel happier. There have also been studies into the effects of exercise and there are links between regular physical activity and decreased symptoms of anxiety, stress and depression. Exercise can increase the production of endorphins which can mean that your exercise routine can really give you that positive lift that you’re looking for.
IMPROVE MUSCLES AND BONES
When it comes to maintaining strong muscles and bones, exercise is an important factor. If you are also looking to build muscle mass, you can do this with appropriate physical activity such as weightlifting, alongside an adequate protein intake diet. Regular exercise is also important for healthy ageing. As we get older we tend to lose muscle mass and function which can lead to injuries and an increase in falls. By ensuring that we include regular physical activity each day, we can help reduce the incidence of falls and improve our strength with reduced muscle loss as we age.
INCREASE IN ENERGY LEVELS
Are you somebody who wakes up in the morning and still feel tired? Although it may feel like a challenge to exercise when you’re feeling tired, studies have shown that exercise can actually be a genuine energy booster for many people. It’s even more important for those who are suffering from various medical conditions, as exercise can reduce the feelings of fatigue and significantly improve energy levels of people suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome. There have been studies comparing exercise to other therapies such as relaxation and stretching. Exercise appears to be more effective at improving your energy levels which is a healthier and more natural way to feel better each day.
REDUCE THE RISK OF CHRONIC DISEASES
It is thought that one of the primary causes of chronic diseases is the lack of regular physical activity. Because regular exercise can improve insulin sensitivity, general fitness, body composition, decreasing your blood pressure and blood fat levels, it is thought that not exercising regularly can potentially lead to chronic disease. Without regular exercise, even for a short while, this can lead to an increase in stomach fat which can therefore lead to the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
IMPROVE YOUR SKIN
Not only will you be helping your insides if you do regular exercise but you’ll be also improving your skin. Oxidative stress within your body can have an impact on your skin. When your antioxidant defences can’t repair damage caused to your skin cells, this is when you may find that your skin is deteriorating and feels and looks damaged over time. You can use a number of different products for your skin to help improve the look and feel of it, but physical activity can have an even better impact on your skin. Exercise will help your body’s natural production of antioxidants which then can help protect your skin cells, help stimulate blood flow, and help delay the appearance of aging skin.
FEEL MORE RELAXED AND SLEEP BETTER
As well as giving you better energy throughout the day, regular physical activity can help you to relax easier and sleep better at night. The increase in your body temperature during exercise can actually help improve your sleep quality by helping to drop your body temperature easier when you are asleep. There have been a number of studies over the years on the impact of exercise on your sleep schedule and it is thought that 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity each week can give you an improvement of around 65% in the quality of your sleep at night. Many people in older age groups are affected by sleep disorders so it’s even more important to continue to engage in regular exercise as you age.
No matter what your health goals are or the reason behind getting more physical activity into your day, there are a number of excellent reasons to keep moving each day!