There is no question that physical exercise is an important component of a healthy lifestyle. While there are many lifestyle changes you can do to improve your health, exercising regularly will give you so many health benefits that are hard to ignore. Exercise can help to:
- Boost energy levels by helping your cardiovascular system work more efficiently.
- Help you feel good! Exercise and mood are strongly related.
- Burn calories to help you to maintain a healthy weight.
- Provide a better quality of life. You feel physically and emotionally better.
- Reduce stress.
Exercise also helps to prevent many diseases that are related to poor lifestyle. Exercise can help to reduce the likelihood of diseases linked to lifestyle, such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.
Cognitive decline in seniors
Regular exercise improves cognitive abilities and reduces brain shrinkage in seniors. There are several strategies that help to preserve cognitive abilities as we age, including a healthy diet, maintaining social activities and engaging in games that challenge the brain such as crossword puzzles. But studies have shown that the most powerful way to preserve brain function as we age is to exercise regularly. Exercise improves blood flow to the brain and seems to keep the brain cells in better health.
Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is linked to a sedentary lifestyle and excessive food intake. People with type 2 diabetes still produce insulin, but the body does not use it properly. The result is too much glucose in the blood stream. Exercise helps to regulate the level of glucose in the blood and helps people to lose weight.
High blood pressure
Regular exercise helps to lower blood pressure by making your heart stronger. We all know that exercise can not only help to build muscles in your arms and legs, but did you know that it can also help to build muscle in your heart? When your heart is stronger, your heart is more effective in pumping blood, and this decreases the pressure in the arteries, resulting in decreased blood pressure. The best exercise to lower blood pressure is aerobic exercise that increases your heart and respiratory rate.
Heart disease
Exercise helps to prevent heart disease by decreasing risk factors for heart disease such as excessive weight, high blood pressure, and stress.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a common problem for women after menopause. Osteoporosis can lead to pain and loss of mobility due to spinal problems. By exercising, you improve your muscle strength, and this helps to protect your bones and make it less likely that you will suffer fractures when you fall.
Get started today!
If you currently don’t engage in regular exercise, you should think about all of the benefits that exercise will bring. If you prefer to not go to a gym, don’t worry – you don’t need to go to a gym to exercise. Find an activity that you enjoy and do it regularly. You will reap the rewards and you will physically feel better when you engage in regular exercise!