10 Benefits of Regular Exercise

10 Benefits of Regular Exercise

There are many types of physical activity, such as swimming, running, jogging, walking, and dancing, to name a few.

Being active with regular exercise has been shown to have many health benefits, both physically and mentally. It may even help you live longer.

The best forms of regular exercise benefit your body and brain.

1. It can make you feel happier

Exercise improves your mood and decreases feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress.

Changes occur in the parts of the brain that regulate stress and anxiety. It may also increase the brain’s sensitivity to serotonin and norepinephrine hormones, which alleviates feelings of depression.

Additionally, exercise can increase the production of endorphins, which are known to help produce positive feelings and reduce the perception of pain.

Furthermore, exercise has been shown to reduce symptoms in people suffering from anxiety. It can also help you become more aware of your state, and mental practice distracts you from your fears.

Interestingly, it doesn’t matter how intense the workout is. It seems that your mood can benefit from exercise, regardless of the intensity of the physical activity.

In fact, a study conducted on 24 women who had been diagnosed with depression showed that exercise of any intensity significantly reduced feelings of depression.

The effects of exercise on mood are so powerful that the choice to exercise (or not) even makes a difference in short periods.

In one study, 26 healthy men and women who normally exercised regularly were asked to either continue exercising or stop for two weeks. Those who stopped exercising experienced an increase in negative mood.

 

2. It can help with weight loss

Some studies have shown that inactivity is a significant factor in weight gain and obesity.

To understand the effect of exercise on weight reduction, it is important to understand the relationship between exercise and energy expenditure.

Your body expends energy in three ways: to digest food, to exercise, and to maintain bodily functions such as heartbeat and breathing.

While diet, a reduction in caloric intake will lower your metabolic rate, which delays weight loss. In contrast, regular exercise has been shown to increase your metabolic rate, translating into burning more calories and helping you lose weight.

Moreover, studies have shown that combining aerobic exercise with resistance training can maximize the maintenance of fat loss and muscle mass, which is essential for keeping off lost weight.

 

3. It is good for muscles and bones

Exercise plays a vital role in building and maintaining strong muscles and bones.

Physical activity such as weightlifting can stimulate muscle building when combined with adequate protein intake.

This is because exercise helps release hormones that promote the muscles’ ability to absorb amino acids. This aids in growth and reduces breakdown.

As people age, they tend to lose muscle mass and function, which can lead to injuries and disabilities. Engaging in regular physical activity is essential to reduce muscle mass loss and maintain strength with age.

Additionally, exercise helps build bone density when you are younger, as well as helping to prevent osteoporosis later in life.

Interestingly, high-impact exercise, such as gymnastics or running, or high-impact sports like soccer and basketball, has been shown to promote greater bone density than low-impact sports like swimming and cycling.

 

4. It can boost your energy levels

Exercise can be a real energy booster for healthy individuals as well as those suffering from various medical conditions.

A six-week study involving 36 healthy individuals who reported persistent fatigue concluded that regular exercise reduces feelings of fatigue.

On the other hand, exercise can significantly increase energy levels for people suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and other serious illnesses.

In fact, exercise appears to be more effective in combating chronic fatigue syndrome than other treatments, including passive therapies like relaxation and stretching, or no treatment at all.

Additionally, exercise has been shown to increase energy levels in individuals suffering from progressive diseases such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, and multiple sclerosis.

 

5. It can reduce the risk of chronic diseases

Lack of regular physical activity is a primary cause of chronic disease.

Regular exercise has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, cardiovascular fitness, and body composition, while decreasing blood pressure and blood fat levels.

Conversely, lack of regular exercise—even in the short term—can lead to a significant increase in belly fat, which raises the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and premature death.

Therefore, daily physical activity is recommended to reduce belly fat and decrease the risk of developing these diseases.

 

6. It can help skin health

Your skin can be affected by the amount of oxidative stress in your body.

Oxidative stress occurs when the body’s antioxidant defenses cannot fully repair the damage caused by free radicals to cells. This can damage your internal structures and deteriorate your skin.

Although intense and exhaustive physical activity can contribute to oxidative damage, regular moderate exercise can increase your body’s production of natural antioxidants, which help protect cells.

Similarly, exercise can stimulate blood flow and induce cellular adaptations in the skin that may help delay the appearance of skin aging.

 

7. It can help your brain health and memory

Exercise can improve brain function and protect memory and thinking skills.

To begin with, it increases heart rate, which promotes blood and oxygen flow to your brain.

It may also stimulate the production of hormones that can enhance the growth of brain cells.

Moreover, the ability of exercise to prevent chronic disease can translate into benefits for the brain, as its function can be affected by these diseases.

Regular physical activity is especially important in older adults, given that aging—combined with oxidative stress and inflammation—promotes changes in brain structure and function.

Exercise has been shown to cause the hippocampus, a part of the brain that is vital for memory and learning, to grow in size. This serves to enhance mental function in older adults.

Finally, exercise has been shown to reduce changes in the brain that can cause diseases like Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia.

 

8. It can help with relaxation and quality sleep

Regular exercise can help you relax and sleep better.

Regarding sleep quality, the energy depletion that occurs during exercise stimulates recovery processes during sleep.

Additionally, the increase in body temperature that occurs during exercise is believed to improve sleep quality by helping you fall asleep.

Many studies on the effects of exercise on sleep have reached similar conclusions.

One study found that 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per week can provide up to a 65% improvement in sleep quality.

Another showed that 16 weeks of physical activity improved sleep quality and helped 17 individuals with insomnia sleep longer and deeper than the control group. It also helped them feel more energized during the day.

Moreover, engaging in regular exercise seems to be beneficial for older adults, who tend to be affected by sleep disorders.

You can be flexible with the type of exercise you choose. It seems that either aerobic exercise alone or aerobic exercise combined with resistance training can equally help sleep quality.

 

9. It can reduce pain

Chronic pain can be debilitating, but exercise can help reduce it.

In fact, for many years, the recommendation for treating chronic pain was rest and inactivity. However, recent studies show that exercise helps alleviate chronic pain.

A review of several studies indicates that exercise helps participants with chronic pain by reducing pain and improving their quality of life.

Various studies demonstrate that exercise can help manage pain associated with various health conditions, including chronic back pain, fibromyalgia, and chronic soft tissue shoulder disorder, to name a few.

Additionally, physical activity can also increase pain tolerance and decrease the perception of pain.

 

10. It can promote a better sex life

Exercise increases sexual desire.

Engaging in regular exercise can strengthen the cardiovascular system, improve blood circulation, tone muscles, and enhance flexibility, all of which can improve your sex life.

Physical activity can enhance sexual performance and pleasure, as well as increase the frequency of sexual activity.

In a study of a group of 40-year-old women, it was observed that they experienced orgasms more frequently when they incorporated more intense exercises into their lifestyle, such as short runs, training routines, and weight training.

Another study conducted on a group of 178 healthy men reported that individuals who exercised more hours per week had higher sexual function scores.

One study found that a simple six-minute routine of walking around the house helped 41 men reduce their erectile dysfunction symptoms by 71%.

Another study conducted on 78 sedentary men revealed how 60 minutes of walking per day (three and a half days a week on average) improved their sexual behavior, including frequency, proper functioning, and satisfaction.

Moreover, a 16-week study demonstrated that women suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome, a condition that can reduce sexual desire, increased their sexual appetite with regular resistance training.

Exercise can help improve sexual desire, function, and performance in both men and women. It can also help decrease the risk of erectile dysfunction in men.

Summary

Exercise offers incredible benefits that can improve nearly every aspect of your health from the inside out.

Regular physical activity can increase the production of hormones that make you feel happier and help you sleep better.

It can also improve the appearance of your skin, help you lose weight and keep it off, decrease the risk of chronic diseases, and enhance your sex life.

Whether you engage in a specific sport or follow the guideline of 150 minutes of activity per week, you will inevitably improve your health in many ways.

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