Benefits of Exercise

Everyone knows that exercise is good for them. The question is how good? Exercise can work wonders to improve many aspects of one’s life. Regardless of one’s age, sex or physical ability the benefits show. Getting exercise regularly can have a copious amount of positive effects on the mind and body. Regular fitness can help with weight management, promote deeper sleep, positive mood, self-esteem, higher energy levels, better sex-life, and, last but not least, it is a fun part of one’s day.

The biggest reason most work out is for weight management. People simply work out to see their body transform into how they want to look. Exercise burns calories, it’s that simple. The more intense the activity, the more calories burned, the easier it is to control one’s weight. In simple terms, some one who wants to lose weight needs to burn more calories than they consume. To maintain weight, one should keep an even caloric intake/burn ratio. Finally, one who wants to gain should consume more calories than he/she burns.

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Along with weight management, keeping a healthy weight will reduce the risk of some disease. Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure are two diseases that have a close link with a person’s weight. These diseases used to be found mostly in adults but are becoming more common in teens. Exercise can help lower blood sugar levels on it’s own without weight loss. This occurs because a persons muscle will react better to insulin therefore absorbing more glucose form the blood.

“Exercising is the most underused treatment and it’s so, so powerful,” said Sharon Movsas, RD, a diabetes nutrition specialist at the Clinical Diabetes Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. In addition, blood pressure can be lowered as well as cholesterol which is a direct link to heart disease. Physical activity raises high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, otherwise known as the good cholesterol, and decreases triglycerides. This keeps the blood flow smooth and lessens build up.

This is very important as high blood pressure can result in heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, and more. Regular exercise can also help prevent osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a weakening of bone that women are more prone to. Exercise can help to keep bones strong by following Wolff’s law stating that the body will adapt to the stressed and intensities it is habitually subjected to (Huston). Exercise has also been show to help prevent some types of cancer.

Exercise can help one get good sleep at night. It can help one fall asleep more quickly as well as promote a deeper sleep. Exercising 5-6 hours before sleep helps with good sleep because it allows a drop in body temperature. Making exercise difficult enough to break a sweat is important for this to really work. Also, as with most benefits to exercise, they come in time with a regular exercise schedule. If used correctly, exercise can be one of the most effective medicines for mild sleeping disorders (Cox).

Along with better sleep comes happiness and a better mood. Although sleep can improve one’s mood, its not just sleep, exercise itself can improve a person’s mood. You might here some one say they are going to the gym to blow off some stress. That may be exactly what they are doing. Exercise stimulates and releases chemicals called endorphins in the brain to make you feel happier and relaxed.

Also, the more one exercises, looks better, feels better, the more confidence and improved self-esteem will show. Along with self-esteem, exercising can simply make some one have a sense of accomplishment. Setting goals is a big part of exercises and when goals are reached it can really make some one have pride. Because of all these things it is stated that regular exercise can help prevent depression.

As well as increasing mood and confidence levels, exercise can actually help with learning. Exercise actual increases brain chemicals, different this time, called growth factors. This chemicals help with creating new brain cells and making connections between brain cells helping to learn. Challenging exercises where you have to think about coordination such as tennis challenges your brain even more. More difficult activities will also increase the capacity which we can learn by improving attention and concentration. You have to stress brain cells to get them to grow, just like muscle.

When stated earlier to exercise multiple hours before sleep it is because exercise will increase one’s energy levels. Physical activity will provide tissues with oxygen and nutrients. It is good for your entire cardiovascular system.

Getting regular aerobic exercise makes the heart stronger because while exercising cardiac muscle is pumping and breathing is quickened therefore like any muscle it gets stronger and can work more efficiently to pump blood to deliver oxygen to the rest of the body. Through heavy breathing lungs become stronger as well. When the heart and the lungs work more effectively the body has more energy to do other things without working so hard.

Another great aspect to regular physical activity is the benefits it can have to one’s sex life. Not only does exercise make you feel good and look good. Although that alone would have a positive effect, that’s not all. Exercise can create an enhanced arousal for women. Men, those who exercise regularly, are less likely to be a victim of erectile dysfunction as they get older (Erectile). It also goes back to the increase in energy. No longer do you have to be too tired to have sex. Nor do you have to feel out of shape to enjoy the physical intimacy.

A great benefit to exercise is the fun it can be. Working out with a buddy can create life long friendships over the bond you share over fitness. Team sports can create a bond with you teammates. Also, with organized sports, one can experience winning, teamwork, and responsibilities all while exercising and reaping all of the other tremendous benefits.

Exercising regularly has so many benefits for those who choose to take advantage. Exercise can help with everything from thinking highly of oneself to getting better sleep to decreased chance of disease, and even help ones sex life. Mostly exercise can help with weight loss goals. Exercise is a great thing that can have a positive impact on ones mind and body.

Works Cited
Huston, Jeff. Class Lecture. Human Anatomy and Physiology I. Kent State University, Kent, OH. 14 February, 2011.
Cox, Amy. Exercise: Key to Good Sex, Good Sleep. CNN Health, June 2006. Web.
February 2011.
Erectile Dysfunction: Lifestyle Changes to Improve ED. Web MD. Web. February 2011.