Why do you exercise?
Many of us (me included) have exercised purely to lose weight. Exercise is an effective way to burn calories but what else can it do for you?
Exercise releases chemicals that are proven to improve happiness. These chemicals combat the stress hormone cortisol and can help us to reduce feelings of depression or stress. The same group of chemicals are also proven to reduce the perception of pain.
Putting aside the calorie burning effect, exercise is good for your muscles and bones. As we age and especially for women of a certain age, muscle mass reduces which can cause health issues, injuries and disabilities in later life. High impact exercise has been shown to increase bone density potentially preventing osteoporosis.
Sometimes we feel like we just can’t be bothered to exercise, but studies have shown it does increase your energy levels, even in conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome.
Exercise can regulate your metabolism and insulin levels, which is key to your body’s ability to process sugar. It can help you to avoid heart and kidney disease by improving blood pressure and reducing visceral fat.
It can keep you younger looking from the increase in antioxidants, protecting your cells from the inside.
Brain health and memory can be improved by promoting blood flow and oxygen and stimulating the production of hormones that support brain cell growth. There have even been studies showing that exercise can cause the brains memory centre (the hippocampus) to grow.
Sleep can be a problem for many but exercising regularly promotes healthy sleep by stimulating recuperative processes while sleeping and better temperature regulation.
So there’s lot of reason to engage in activities, what your favourite?
