Exercise is a wonderful tool to lose weight, tone and gain strength. As amazing as this is, exercise is actually so much more than that. The benefits of exercise range from increased coordination to mental clarity, stronger bones and reduced risk of diabetes.
Let’s take a look at each benefit and better understand how exercise can transform your body, mind, and life.
Increased Cardiovascular Strength
Exercise strengthens your muscles but it also strengthens your heart. The more regularly you engage in physical activity to more efficient your heart becomes at pumping blood. This increased stamina is what makes athletes resting pulse much slower. It also explains why regular exercisers have more regulated heart rates during physical activities. This is exactly what you want. You want your heart to be more efficient and beat slower. This puts much less stress on the heart and keeps oxygen-rich blood circulating more thoroughly.
Stronger Bones
Bones are living tissue and respond to lifestyle factors. Sedentary and poor nutrition lifestyles will result in weaker bones. Plus, as we age our bones become weaker and less dense. It’s a completely natural part of aging but it can also be dramatically slowed down through exercise. Weight training and resistance training are specific activities that keep bones dense and strong. This is because during these activities you are putting pressure on the bones. This stimulates cells in the bones to fortify themselves resulting in more density. Participate in activities such as jump rope, weightlifting or resistance training 2-3 times a week will ensure that bones remain dense, healthy and strong.
Slowed Aging
Exercising regularly improves the immune system, increases muscle and bone mass, and lowers cholesterol. These factors contribute to a more youthful body both inside and out. The immune system produces more T cells to ward off pathogens while bone density remains high. It also means that there will be less muscle depletion and a healthier heart as you age. All these factors play crucial roles in remaining more youthful, mobile and less likely to be injured.
In the United States, 250,000 deaths per year are associated with a lack of physical activity.
General Strength
Exercise builds strength and that means muscles. We aren’t saying that you’ll look like a bodybuilder but you will look healthy and toned. Remember that muscle does not always equate to large mass or looking bulky. Muscle strength gives us the ability to perform tasks more efficiently and with much fewer chances of injury. It also keeps bones protected and increases body mechanics. You’ll be able to move with intention and ease.
Improved Balance and Coordination
Balance and coordination are more important than you might realize. We utilize these skills for everything from sitting and standing to walking and climbing steps. Exercising gives you a greater awareness of your body and placement. Your joints will be better supported which reduces the risk of knee, hip or ankle problems. Something else pretty cool is that exercising has also been shown to improve reaction times and improve posture. There are many exercises that are specifically designed to improve balance and coordination. Yoga and Tai Chi are other great options as well.
Weight Management
It is 100% true that you can never out-exercise a poor diet. It’s so much easier to consume high amounts of calories than it is to burn those calories off. However, with a normal diet and regular exercise program, your body will be more efficient at burning calories and maintaining a regular weight. This is due in part to the fact that as you exercise you gain lean muscle mass. The more muscle mass you have the more activated your metabolism is. Your body will be able to burn through more calories to use as sustenance for the muscle mass.
Mental Clarity
Exercising is not only important for your body. It’s also important for your mind and mental clarity. When you exercise it stimulates natural mood regulators to clear your mind, release stagnant emotions and allow new ideas to flow in. The hormones released during exercise include endorphins and dopamine. These hormones help regulate mood and stimulate the brain. They improve memory, learning, mood, and thinking. If you are mentally stuck or cloudy go do a quick 20-minute exercise session and notice how clear your mind is afterward.
Only 1/3 of Americans reach the minimum recommendations of activity set by the CDC.
Stress Management
Endorphins produced during exercise help to make you feel relaxed and calm. Endorphins are natural mood elevators so they will clear your mind and help you release any tension both physically and mentally. People who exercise regularly also have more balanced cortisol and adrenaline levels. This helps keep you calm outside of the gym when faced with stress-inducing situations. You’ll be more level-headed and be able to analyze the situation more efficiently.
Happy Hormones (Endorphins)
Exercising releases natural hormones (endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin) that make you feel happy and in a higher state of being. You’ll feel more satisfied and rewarded after a workout. Because of this natural release of hormones people who exercise are less likely to become depressed. Even if you do start to feel a bit down, exercise will help boost your mood so that you move away from a depressed state much faster.
Lower Blood Pressure
Regular exercise strengthens the heart. This makes it more efficient at pumping blood. The stronger surge of blood clears out arteries and reduces the amount of stress put on the heart. This is what decreases your blood pressure. The stronger your heart the easier it functions. Also, many people who take blood pressure medications can highly benefit from regular exercise.
Better Quality Sleep
Who doesn’t love a great night’s sleep? There is nothing better than falling asleep quickly and getting a deep restorative rest. Regular exercise actually helps you achieve exactly that. By exerting energy during the day you tune into your body’s natural rhythm and trigger deeper rests. Your body will demand a fuller sleep because it needs to repair and build muscle during this time of rest. Also, levels of the hormone serotonin increase with regular exercise. Not only is serotonin responsible for better sleep quality and increased appetite but it also works with endorphins. Together they are responsible for the pleasure people feel while exercising. This creates a habit that people enjoy participating in because they are emotionally rewarded.
Reduces Diabetes Risk
Exercising actually helps your body metabolize glucose more efficiently. Regular exercise lowers blood glucose levels and increases the body’s sensitivity to insulin. Diabetes occurs when your blood sugar levels are too high for extended periods of time. In conjunction with this, the insulin produced by the pancreas to combat high blood sugar levels can sometimes stop. Or the body could become resistant to it. Exercise reduces the risk of both factors.
If you currently have diabetes and are taking medications it’s best to talk with your doctor prior to starting any exercise program. This is because of the change in your glucose and insulin alters the effectiveness of your medications.
Stronger Immune System
The thymus is an organ that is part of the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is your body’s immune system and determines how well you fight illnesses. The stronger your immune system the less likely you are to get illnesses such as colds or the flu. So after the age of 20, the thymus naturally begins to decrease in size and reduce the number of T cells produced. T cells are a type of white blood cell that targets and destroys pathogens. People who exercise regularly have less thymus shrinkage and higher t cell production. This means that the immune system functions like a much younger person.
