JUNE 28, 2022 BY PRELO CON

BENEFITS OF EXERCISE: FACTS THAT NOBODY TOLD YOU ABOUT

benefits-of-exercise

Image Credits: Canva

The couch potato in you keeps you away from your nearest gym but closer to your farthest pizza shop. However, regular workouts can change the way you live. Both the body and the mind benefit significantly from the exercise.

Regular exercisers do so because it makes them feel fantastic. They are more energetic during the day, sleep better at night, remember things better, and are more relaxed and enthusiastic about themselves and their lives.

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, adults should engage in 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week or 75 minutes of high-intensity aerobic activity. Plus, one should include two or more days of muscle-strengthening activities, including all major muscle groups.

Types of Gym Workouts

Endurance workouts

exercise-Endurance

Image Credits: gettyimages

Endurance training, often known for developing stamina. Another advantage of endurance training is that it raises the body’s metabolic rate. Endurance activities are meant to increase your heart rate and blood circulation. It also helps in the better operation of your lungs. Endurance workouts are similar to cardiovascular workouts that work your body out aerobically. For example, 30 minutes of cardio exercise done 3-4 days a week will bring a positive change to the body.

Strength training

Strength-training

Image Credits: Canva

These exercises make your muscles stronger. A full-body workout for at least 2-3 days a week will bring great results to the body. Squats, push-ups, pull-ups, bicep curls, and lunges are examples of bodyweight exercises—these workouts require resistance from weight, a band, or a weight machine.

According to EMedicineHealth’s Exercise Physiologist Richard Weil, Strength training may also assist in lowering blood pressure, building bone strength, strengthening joints, and increasing a person’s metabolic rate.

You don’t need to lift weights to strengthen your muscles and bones. Various forms of exercise target different muscle groups. You can consider the following scenario:

  • Try rowing or cross-country skiing for your arms.
  • The classic gym class staples and push-ups are also beneficial for muscular arm development.
  • Try running, riding, rowing, or skating to strengthen your legs.
  • Yoga, pilates, planks, and crunches are excellent abdominal and core strength exercises.
  • Balance

    Balance

    Image Credits: canva

    Balance exercises improve your capacity to manage and stabilize your body’s position. Maintaining and enhancing your balance and stability is critical, especially as you become older. According to the American Council on Exercise, improving your balance can help you prevent falls and stay active and independent. Many gyms offer balance-focused workout sessions, such as tai chi or yoga.

    Aerobic exercises

    Aerobic-exercises

    Image Credits: canva

    Aerobic exercise provides cardiovascular conditioning. Aerobic exercises include swimming, cycling, walking, rowing, running, etc. The American Heart Association recommends at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise five to seven days a week. This exercise can help minimize the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and even cancer.

    Flexibility and Mobility Training

    Flexibility-and-Mobility-Training

    Image Credits: canva

    Flexibility is essential for our bodies to feel dynamic, agile, and strong. By integrating stretching exercises in your training program, you may improve flexibility, reduce tension, and make your workouts more effective and safe.

    Health benefits of exercise

    Improves cardiovascular health

    Improves-cardiovascular-health

    Image Credits: harvard

    According to the American Heart Association, an inactive lifestyle is one of the five major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. In addition, many scientific studies demonstrate that lowering these risk factors reduces the risk of having a heart attack or another cardiac event, such as a stroke, and lowers the likelihood of requiring a coronary revascularization treatment.

    Helps with diabetes management

    Exercise can improve the efficiency of your insulin and lower your blood sugar levels. This can lower your chances of developing metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Exercise can also help you manage one of these diseases if you already have one.

    The American Diabetes Association says, “Physical activity and exercise should be recommended and prescribed to all individuals with diabetes to manage glycemic control and overall health.”

    Helps control your weight

    Helps-control-your-weight

    Image Credits: everydayhealth

    Carrying too much weight is not only inconvenient, but it can also be harmful to your health. Exercise is essential for maintaining a quick metabolism and burning more calories throughout the day. Therefore, exercise, in addition to food, is critical for weight management and obesity prevention.

    Your exercise must include some form of aerobic exercise. It gets your heart rate up and your blood pumping. Running and jogging are excellent weight-loss exercises that are simple to include in your weekly regimen. Weight training is also an excellent method to shed some weight and gain some muscle, which burns calories.

    Alleviate anxiety

    Regular workout is also helpful for people with anxiety disorders. It induces the release of endorphins, relieves tension and stress, increases physical and mental vitality, and improves overall well-being. Physical activity releases endorphins in the brain, which aid to relax muscles and alleviate stress in the body. Because the mind and body are so closely linked, when your body feels better, so will your mind.

    Improve your sexual health

    In one study, sedentary middle-aged males allocated to a nine-month strenuous exercise program reported more frequent sexual activity, higher sexual function, and greater enjoyment. According to the research, physically active women have reported higher levels of sexual desire, arousal, and satisfaction than women who are sedentary.

    Physical activity, particularly strength training, can raise testosterone levels, stimulating sex drive in both men and women.

    Improved memory power

    Improved-memory

    Image Credits: iihed

    According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 50 million individuals worldwide have dementia. Nearly 60% of the world’s population lives in low- and middle-income countries. Every year, almost ten million new cases are reported. The global dementia population is expected to grow to 82 million by 2030 and 152 million by 2050.

    Regular aerobic exercise makes your heart and sweat glands pound. According to a study conducted at the University of British Columbia, it can raise the size of the hippocampus, the brain area involved in language memory and learning. However, resistance training, balance, and muscular toning did not produce the same results.

    Exercise can increase your lifespan.

    Exercise-can-increase-your-lifespan.

    Image Credits: medicalnewstoday

    Finding time to work out in your hectic day might be difficult. However, according to a study published in the British Journal of Medicine, you may need 11 minutes of daily exercise to live longer. In addition, exercise is a proven technique to extend life expectancy by lowering the risk of developing age-related disorders like cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, sedentary activity is connected to sickness and early death. Sedentary activity is defined as any low-energy activity that involves sitting, reclining, or lying.

    According to a new study, people who sat for eight to ten hours per day but got 11 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise per day were less likely to die early than those who only got two minutes of exercise per day.

    Help manage addiction

    Exercise is an authentic way to alleviate stress, anxiety, and depression on several occasions. In addition, experts are increasingly indicating that exercise helps relieve withdrawal symptoms because these are substantial withdrawal symptoms.

    Also, regular workouts can effectively minimize nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Compared to non-exercising people quitting smoking, smokers with regular exercise habits tend to reduce the urge for cigarettes.

    How to stay motivated

    How-to-stay-motivated

    Image Credits: canva

    Once you start working out, you will understand that the initial days won’t be easy. However, your lazy and tired mind will not let you be a better person. So, here are some tips for you to stay motivated.

    Stop Procrastinating – We all know procrastination is not good for us, yet we do it. We just shake it off. But famous writer James Clear has mentioned The Two-Minute Rule strategy in his book “Atomic Habits.” It states that: “When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.” Here is a little excerpt from the same book:

    A new habit shouldn’t feel like a challenge. For example, the following actions can be challenging, but the first two minutes should be easy. Making a habit as easy as possible to start will lead you down a more productive path.

    Anyone can meditate for one minute, read one page, or put one item of clothing away. The two-minute rule is effective because it becomes much easier to continue doing the right thing once you start doing it.

    As you master the art of showing up, the first two minutes simply become a ritual at the beginning of a larger routine. This is not merely a hack to make habits easier but actually the ideal way to master a difficult skill. The more you ritualize the beginning of a process, the more likely it becomes that you can slip into the state of deep focus that’s required to do great things.

    Keep track of your progress – Keeping track of your progress helps you analyze and evaluate your growth, thus helping you to make some adjustments or tweaks to your routine for better and improved results.

    Schedule Your Workout – Set aside some time each day to exercise. If you have a flexible schedule, this time may alter from today. Don’t let your mind overpower you for a cheat day; that is a trap! Instead, stick to your schedule as far as possible; that is the path to a better and healthy you.

    Sleep in Your Workout Clothes – Want the first thing in your morning to be a healthy workout session? It would help if you tried sleeping in your workout clothes. Thus you will stay motivated and ready for a refreshing session the following day.

    Hit that playlist – Keep your favorite playlist ready for a fruitful workout session. Set that high-energy song either on your earphones or on speakers. It will boost your inner confidence and morale; thus, you will have a great workout session.