7 amazing benefits of exercise

Have you been thinking about starting an exercise routine but are finding it hard to muster up the motivation? Or maybe you don’t know where to start (check out my article on 10 fitness tips for beginners)?

You might know that exercise is good for you because “everyone” says so, but maybe you’ve never really paid attention to all the reasons why it’s so good for you? What are the benefits of exercise?

1) Weight Loss and Maintaining a Healthy Weight

It may come as no surprise that regular exercise helps us to lose weight. It’s science, really. Exercise burns calories, burning calories can burn fat. There’s a bit more to it than that, but no matter how you look at it-the benefits of exercise are many!

2) Exercise Contributes to the Prevention of Brain Disease

While regular exercise isn’t a cure-all, it can play a significant role in the prevention of many brain diseases.

Studies show that the increase of oxygen in the body due to regular exercise helps to protect brain cells and nerves from injury and erosion. Injury and erosion of brain cells and nerves are a large factor in neurodegenerative and neuromuscular disorders such as Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis. With regular exercise, the risk of dementia is also decreased. I go a bit more into detail in my article Hiit and Brain Health: Is There a Connection? if you’re interested in learning more about it.

3) Strengthens Bones

Ekaterina Kuznetsova @kutyawka via unsplash

Another benefit of exercise is that it can actually help to strengthen our bones.

Exercise causes an increase in the bone mineral density because it increases the rate which minerals are deposited in to the bones (think calcium…).

Bones become weaker with age which makes older adults at higher risk for things like bone fractures. This is where the benefits of moderate to strenuous exercise come into play. With regular exercise comes a decreased risk of bone fractures for us as we age.

4) Exercise Strengthens Joints

Another benefit of exercise is that it can help strengthen and stabilize our joints. By strengthening our muscles around our joints, we’re offering them more support and helping to take some of the preassure off of them.

Exercise also promotes flexibility and increased range of motion in our joints, increased blood flow and circulation, and increased lubrication of the joints.

Keep in mind that also incorporating activities like low impact movements and stretching is vital to keeping the joints healthy.

5) Exercise improves balance and the response time of the muscles

With regular exercise comes stronger muscles, increased flexibility, enhanced coordination, and a stronger core. All of which contribute to better balance.

Regular exercise also increases the blood supply to the active muscles. This causes the capillaries to be more responsive to the requirements of the muscles. The muscles, in turn, respond more quickly.

What this means is that our body’s are quicker to respond to things like tripping over our own feet. This helps to improve our balance as we age, which helps to prevent falls and broken bones (but even if we did fall, our bones are so strong from exercise we’d be just fine, right? ;-)

6) Exercise helps to ease symptoms of depression and anxiety

Regular exercise has multiple benefits to ease anxiety and depression. And while it’s not a replacement for professional care, it can be a valuable complement to mental health treatment.

Exercise promotes the release of endorphins, which are neurotransmitters that help to lift our moods and reduce feelings of pain.

Exercise has also been shown to stimulate growth of neurons and neural connectivity. These changes in the structure and the function of the brain can also contribute to an improvement in mood regulation and more resilience against anxiety and depression.

It is important to note that while exercise can be extremely helpful at easing depression, it doesn’t always work the same way for everyone. Furthermore, those who suffer from severe depression may find it difficult to start an exercise program or routine. This is when seeking professional help and support from a mental health expert is crucial.

7) Regular exercise can help to strengthen the heart

Physical activity also enhances the mechanical effectiveness of the heart by enhancing the volume of blood that can be pumped. Due to this, training and exercise helps the heart learn to more quickly adapt to exertion. It also increases the actual mechanical strength of the muscle fiber and its surrounding membrane, allowing the heart to withstand the stresses and strains of intense effort without injury

Bonus Benefit: Regular exercise boosts the immune system

by Geert Pieters @geertpieters via Unsplash

While exercise won’t strengthen the normal functioning of our immune system, it will help to keep the immune system strong during periods of sickness or chronic disease.

Exercise can also help to build robust immune responses by escalating both antibody and immune cell responses.

Basically, the immune system becomes more efficient and capable of taking on harmful and foreign organisms and viruses.

In conclusion

The benefits of exercise are vast, and these are just some of the reasons it’s important to incorporate regular exercise and movement into your lifestyle.

The type of exercise, the intensity of exercise, and the duration of exercise will vary from person to person-and that’s ok! It’s important to find and exercise program that works for you in your life so that it remains sustainable and realistic!

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor, and I’m definitely not your doctor. It’s very important to listen to your body and to know if and when you have any physical or medical conditions before starting an exercise program. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any exercise program, especially if you have existing health conditions.