How Exercise Improves Your Health

Exercising regularly helps to maintain physical and mental wellbeing and can have a profoundly positive effect on people’s lives. It is recommended that adults engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise at least five times a week, with more beneficial effects seen the longer one exercises. Despite this, many people do not incorporate sufficient physical activity into their daily routines. Through understanding how exercising improves health, more people might be encouraged to become active.

Firstly, regular exercise has numerous physical health benefits. It helps to build and maintain healthy muscles, bones and joints. This is especially beneficial for elderly people, since strong bones prevent osteoporosis and fractures. Often, increased muscular strength can help to prevent injuries and lead to improved balance. Regular physical activity improves cardiovascular health. It increases oxygen intake to the heart and lungs, allowing them to more efficiently distribute oxygen throughout the body. This helps to reduce one’s risk of stroke, hypertension and metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, exercise blocks the release of cortisol, a stress hormone which can have many adverse physical effects such as high blood pressure and weight gain.

Not only does exercise benefit physical health, it also has psychological implications. People who exercise on a regular basis often have much lower levels of anxiety and depression. Exercise acts as a great distraction from mental health problems and can boost the production of endorphins in the brain. Endorphins are feel-good chemicals that release positive emotions such as happiness and can help to reduce feelings of stress. In addition, physical activity can provide many pleasurable experiences and often has social implications, since people often exercise with family and friends. The sense of companionship and community can further contribute to veering away from mental health issues.

Finally, exercise can improve classroom performance, particularly academic performance. This is because exercising sharpens the mind, reduces stress and improves sleep, allowing the body to function more efficiently. Exercise can also lead to more sound decisions and better behavioural control, two skills that are invaluable when participating in the academic world.

In conclusion, exercising frequently can reduce stress, strengthen muscles and bones, improve heart health, and enhance academic performance. For this reason, people of all ages should incorporate physical activity into their daily routines, in order to reap the many benefits of exercise.