Love it or hate it, the advantages of exercise remain undeniable.
These include:
- A healthy heart and lungs – stamina
- A healthy skeleton with strong bones
- An increase in strength, developing lean muscle mass, which burns fat and makes daily tasks easier
- Increases our brain power
- Healthy skin
- Better digestion
- Reduced stress
- Increased emotional well-being, such as runner’s high
- Increased emotional and physical resilience
- Stronger immunity with less susceptibility to infection
- Reduced incidence of chronic disease
- Improved posture
- Increased agility and flexibility
- Reduced incidence of falling
- Reduced incidence of fractures, sprains, or strains from a fall and reduced recovery time from injury
- Increased energy
- Improved sleep
Advantages Of Exercise To The Body’s Systems
The Advantages Of Exercise For The Cardiovascular System
When we elevate our heart rate to the point where we break out in a sweat for a sustained period of 20 to 30 minutes at a time, the heart and lungs adapt to this stress by growing larger and stronger. This means the heart has to work less hard to pump our blood around our bodies. It also means that our lungs can more efficiently and effectively deliver oxygen to all the cells of our body.
The Advantages Of Exercise For Our Musculoskeletal System
When we perform weight resistance exercises we exert stress on our bones and muscles. This stress causes our bones to grow stronger and more dense and our muscles to also grow stronger and larger.
Muscle tissue is metabolically active and burns fat to fuel itself. Increased muscle mass means we can perform tasks more easily and quickly, with our increased strength allowing us to easily carry the large bags of groceries, instead of our struggling to lift them out of the car.
The Advantages Of Exercise For Our Skin
Many things contribute to our having healthy skin, including how we nourish our bodies, the amount of sleep we get, how much water we drink; with exercise also contributing to the health of our skin.
When we exercise we increase our circulation to the periphery of our bodies in an effort to cool ourselves. The skin benefits by absorbing more oxygen and releasing toxins more rapidly. All this contributes to glowing healthy looking skin.
The Advantages Of Exercise For Our Immune System
Exercise stimulates our lymphatic system which forms the “backbone” of our immune system. The lymphatic system, unlike the cardiovascular system does not have a pump of its own to pump its immune carrying fluid around the body. Muscular contractions especially of the large muscles of the legs, helps circulate the lymph fluid.
This ensures our immune system, which protects us from foreign invaders, does its job effectively, preventing us become a prey to every bug around. However, too much of a good thing can have the opposite effect, so listen to your body – if you’re tired, then rest and recover, there is always tomorrow to train – it is a balancing act.
Do You Know How Important Exercise Is To Your Emotional Well-Being?
Speaking of balance – have you ever heard of runner’s high among long distance runners? Another of the advantages of exercise is that it has the ability to help the nervous system release chemicals called opiates and endorphins that reduce pain and produce a sense of euphoria. In this way exercise helps reduce stress, lifts our mood, promotes emotional well-being and improves mental and emotional balance.
Exercise also improves our physical balance too. By challenging our muscles, joints and tendons we develop greater co-ordination. Again, this is one of the many advantages of exercise which becomes apparent especially as we grow older. Exercise helps reduce falls among the elderly, falls that can cause considerable disability and impact a person’s ability to live independently.
The Advantages Of Exercise For Our Sleep
Physical exertion which expends our energy, tenses and challenges our muscles, calls forth a corresponding relaxation of muscle and increases our need for recovery and this promotes deep restful sleep.
Increased Energy Is Another One Of The Advantages Of Exercise
The challenge to our muscles that exercise provides causes changes in the muscles themselves. They grow in size and strength and the number of mitochondria energy producing organells within the muscle cells also increases.These little furnaces are powerhouses of energy production within the body. When they increase in number we produce more energy.
The Reduction Of Chronic Diseases – Another One Of The Advantages Of Exercise
Exercise also has a preventative effect and positive influence on outcomes from all known chronic diseases – heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, etc.
So, in the end, what’s there not to love about exercise? The advantages of exercise means it is a must for anyone who values the potential for healthy longevity.
See you in your home, in the gym, on the beach, in the bush, on the road – hiking, running, walking, cycling swimming – whichever exercise you choose, in whatever environment works for you!