Regular physical activity is one of the best things you can do for your health because it offers amazing Health Benefits. Exercise is an important part of physical and mental fitness and may be the perfect medicine to prevent and even treat some diseases. It helps you feel better and even adds more energy to your life. Exercise benefits everyone irrespective of age, gender or physical activity and can lead to a healthier and happier life.
Here are 6 surprising ways exercise benefits your health.
1. Exercise reduces stress
It reduces both physical and mental stress.
It increases the concentration of the hormone norepinephrine and moderates the response of the brain to stress. Also, it helps ease the body of an existing mental tension.
2. It improves mood
Exercise boosts the body’s ability to release endorphins, one of the chemicals commonly known to cause happiness. It is also a perfect medicine for depression. In fact, exercise creates a feeling of happiness and excitement, alleviates anxiety and generally improves mood. Thirty minutes brisk walk can do the magic.
3. It improves brain power
Regular physical activity improves brain performance, vocabulary retention and also boosts memory. In fact, it creates new brain cells and increases the level of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, a brain-derived protein which helps with learning, thinking and decision making.
4. It boosts immunity
Exercise helps to flush bacteria off the airways and lungs. It helps to improve the immune system by increasing the white blood cells in the body which helps to defend the body against infection thereby reducing your chance of getting an infection. In fact, twenty minutes exercise can help boost your immune system
5. It improves sleep quality
A daily jog or brisk walk can help you sleep.
During exercise, the body temperature increases and drops while you sleep thereby improving sleep quality. It helps you fall asleep and also stay asleep at night. Based on a study conducted at Northwestern University, exercise especially aerobic exercise helps alleviate insomnia. People who are physically fit tend to sleep better than those who are not.
So, keep moving.
6. Exercise aids weight loss
A weight loss plan is incomplete without exercise. It burns extra calories, thereby causing the body to find other fuel sources which could result in a reduction in fat stores and muscle protein. Aerobic exercises such as walking, swimming, and cycling are more effective at burning fat and calories. The key to prevent excess weight gain or maintain weight loss is a consistent intense activity.
