Benefits to Exercise
There are many benefits to exercise for people of all ages. From tots to seniors, getting active through fun activities to structured workouts can help you stay fit and healthy.
Being active gives you more energy for the whole day. It helps keep muscles and bones healthy and strong and can minimize risk of many medical conditions.
Exercise is also a great way to help people lose weight, burn calories and boost metabolism. It helps relieve stress and stress can lead to increased appetite.
Working out also boosts your brain power and has many other health benefits as well. Keep reading to learn about more benefits of exercising.
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Promotes Weight Loss
If your weight loss program includes exercising, then one of the key benefits to exercise during your weight loss is increasing your BMR and burning calories. When you exercise you are burning fat and calories and boosting your metabolism.
Staying active sends a signal that tells your body you have excess energy and so therefore starts burning up excess fuel.
Aerobics are the best form of exercise to get the highest calorie and fat burn. These types of exercises get your heart and blood pumping and releases oxygen to your muscles. Fat needs oxygen to burn so you are more effective at burning fat.
Strength training is also great for increasing your metabolism. By increasing lean muscle mass you are increasing your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).
Your BMR is the rate at which you burn calories while at total rest and accounts for 60% to 70% of the total calories you burn during the day.
If you are trying to lose weight, then you need to create a calorie deficit. This means you must consume less calories than you burn. You can create this calorie deficit by reducing the amount of calories you eat.
But if you find yourself wanting more food, then one of the benefits to exercise is the ability to eat more food while dieting. When you add exercise to your weight loss program, you are burning more calories allowing you to eat more food and still lose weight.
Stress Relief
Feeling a bit stressed? Exercise! This is a great stress reliever. Studies show that stress may even cause weight gain. When a person is stressed, the body releases cortisol, known as the stress hormone.
You can read the more scientific explanation on this at medicinenet.com, but for a shorter version, here goes.
When cortisol is released into your body it stimulates fat and carbohydrate metabolism for fast energy. Additionally it stimulates insulin release and maintenance of blood sugar levels. End result is that your appetite is increased.
So, when a person feels stressed, their appetite is increased, leading to consuming more calories and potential weight gain. Don't panick!
You don't have to do a 4 mile run to relieve some stress. Your exercise selection can be something fun! Check out this article on fun activities and calories burned.
Of all the health benefits of exercise, relieving stress may be the one thing that helps you feel at your best. Stress is one of the leading causes for many medical issues a person may have.
It can be the cause of those sleepless nights, the nagging headache and the aches and pains you feel. You may also experience depression, digestive problems, and skin conditions such as eczema.
Long term stress can lead to more serious issues like heart disease and high blood pressure. One of the ways to help manage stress is to be active. Reducing stress is even more critical for diabetics. Read more here on stress and diabetes.
Strong Bones
One of the benefits to exercise you may not think of is strengthening your bones. That's right, even your bones benefit from your activities.
The body has cells called osteoblasts that bring calcium to the bones. You also have cells called osteoclasts that take calcium away from the bones.
When you exercise you increase the rate that the osteoblasts strengthen bones. However, research shows that only the bones that are used for that particular exercise benefit from the increased osteoblasts.
So to get benefits to all your bones, be sure to do a variety of exercising to work all the different parts of your body. You can do strength training for the upper and lower body and your core muscles which include your back.
Stretching exercises can even work the areas you may not think of otherwise like your hands, feet and face.
Ward Off Diseases
The biggest health benefits to exercise is to ward off certain diseases. Here are just some health risks you can minimize by working out.
Cardiovascular Disease
One of the biggest reasons to be active is to minimize risk of cardiovascular diseases. The heart is the most important muscle you have.
By exercising, you are making your heart and cardiovascular system function more efficiently. When the heart is stronger, it pumps more blood per beat, therefore it is more efficient and your heart rate is lower while at rest.
This means that a key health benefit to exercise is reducing the risk of a heart attack or stroke, so get your heart pumping by staying active.
High Blood Pressure
If you have high blood pressure then you can help to lower your blood pressure through exercise. Exercise helps to reduce body fat which is
associated with high blood pressure.
Lowers Cholesterol
When you workout you are burning away fat, but you are not burning away cholesterol in the same manner. Exercise does influence your levels
by decreasing the bad cholesterol (LDL), triglycerides and total cholesterol.
It also increases the good cholesterol (HDL) levels. So by working out you may not be burning away the cholesterol like you burn fat, but it does help lower the bad and increase the good cholesterol levels.
Type 2 Diabetes
Another great health benefit of exercise is minimizing or controlling type 2 diabetes. People who are overweight and have excess body fat are more
prone to getting this disease.
By exercising daily and eating healthy you may be able to control your diabetes without the assistance of medicine.
Get Energized
Exercising will give you more energy throughout your day. So, start your day with a quick workout. You will feel more energized and alert.
While exercising, endorphins are released into your bloodstream, giving you that energy boost that can last the whole day. Although you may feel exhausted after your workout, this is a good kind of exhaustion and not the same as feeling fatigued.
If you are short of time try an interval training or circuit training exercise. You can get more bang for your buck, or time in this case, with these exercises that combine both aerobic and anaerobic exercises into one routine.
Get Smart
Do you know what 4,875 times 9,327 equals? Neither do I without using my calculator. But what I do know is that exercising can help improve your brainpower.
When a person exercises it increases the serotonin in the brain, keeping you mentally sharp. People who are active and exercise also tend to be more productive at work.
So impress your boss with your witty remarks and high productivity level. Never thought that one of the benefits to exercise was a potential promotion now did you?
Don't forget to eat breakfast to start your day and your brain. Studies show that kids who start their day with a healthy breakfast perform better at school. Just think what exercise and breakfast can do for you at work!
Age With Grace
Exercising can also help with the ageing process. While being active cannot stop the ageing process it has shown that longevity is one of the benefits to exercise. Those who workout reduce their risk of dying prematurely.
Staying fit and active also lets you age with grace. Performing regular workouts can make the ageing process easier on you. Exercise increases muscle and joint strength.So the typical aches and pains adults get as they age will be less if you exercise. Although some of these aches and pains are inevitable with ageing, by adding exercises to your daily routine, you can help reduce the muscle and joint soreness.
Reduce Depression and Anxiety
Studies have shown that exercising can improve a person's mood. Exercise is a great self esteem booster that can help you feel good about yourself all day long.
By exercising you are not only getting the benefit of feeling energized, you will feel more relaxed and less stressed, depressed or anxious. If you suffer from depression or anxiety, try exercising to help minimize the effects of depression and/or anxiety.
The benefits to exercise are not only good for the body, but is also good for your mind and soul so get active today.
Additional Articles
Eating Before Exercise
Learn what and when to eat before exercise to get the most from your workout. Eating before exercise gives your body the fuel it needs to get the
most from your workout.
Exercise Tips
Check out these tips to get you started exercising today. If you are just getting started, then you want to know what types of workouts to
do, what clothing to wear and the best place to workout.
Workout Routines
Use these example workouts to get started exercising today. You can start with the beginner's examples or try a more advanced level.