We have all read at some stage in our lives that exercise is important in some way or another. But have you ever thought about exactly what exercise does for our bodies, from boosting your mood, to improving your sex life, everybody should be exercising.
The health benefits of regular exercise are undeniable. Regardless of age, sex, physical ability, everybody benefits from exercise.
Still on the fence?
Let me give you an insight into the potential exercise has on our lives.
Exercise boots your mental health and overall mood
Stuck in a rut in work? Having problems at home? Finding your day to day life stressful? Whether it’s a gym session, or a brisk walk around the park, a form of exercise has been shown to lift your mood.
How is this possible?
Exercising in any form causes our bodies to release chemicals called Endorphins. These endorphins then interact with the receptors in our brain that help reduce your perception of pain. Sounds crazy right? But this is true. Not only this, but the same endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body, similar to a patient been given morphine after a medical procedure!
While we all know how important our mental health is these days, some of us often over look how exercise can improve our state of mental health.
The effects of social media, and pressures we face on a daily basis can quite literally be altered by going out for a walk.
Exercise has been shown to help combat mental health illnesses such as depression ( A recent study done by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that running for 15 minutes a day or walking for an hour reduces the risk of major depression by 26%. In addition to relieving depression symptoms, research also shows that maintaining an exercise schedule can prevent you from relapsing), and anxiety.
Exercise is a natural and effective anti-anxiety treatment. It relieves tension and stress, boosts physical and mental energy, and enhances well-being through the release of endorphins. By the end of this blog post, we should be very familiar with the word of endorphins!!
Exercise combats health conditions
Whilst looking after our mental health is crucial, lets not forget out physical importance too.
If you are worried about heart problems, or lowering a high level of cholesterol, then exercise may be the chosen treatment for you.
For years, regular exercise has been shown to prevent us being linked to any of the following medical conditions:
Stroke
Metabolic syndrome
High blood pressure
Type 2 diabetes
Exercise can be an important social aspect of your life
Yes exercise is important for our mental health 100%, and equally important for our physical health. But lets not forget just how helpful it can be for our social lives.
Writing this blog post, I think back to when I started training, and realise that of all my friends right now, I’d say 50% of them, I’ve met through exercising. Whether that’s football training, or in a gym setting. You both have this common goal of improving yourself but also having fun. Two birds – One stone!
Exercise gives us a chance to un-wind. A chance to switch off and move for an hour or two. A chance to talk about a football match, or a soap drama your following, all while moving. Remember movement itself is the goal here, it does not need to be prefusely sweating in a dumbbell section of a testosterone filled gym. Exercise for you, may be a dance class!
Exercise also re-ignites (or further ignites!) your sex life
Feeling too tired or too uncomfortable in your body to enjoy physical intimacy ?
I think we can all agree that regular exercise, will improve your physical appearance, not to mention the enormous effect it will have on your confidence. This confidence, may be what your missing in your sex life.
So start enjoying exercise, and then start enjoying intimacy with the lights on!
Exercise boosts energy
Lets face it, todays world moves at a quick pace. We don’t really have time to sit around and wait for things to happen. But having a high level of energy is key to making “things happen”.
How does exercise directly link up to our energy levels ?
Exercise delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and helps your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. And when your heart and lung health improve, you have more energy to tackle them jobs, that tend to take the back-seat when the going gets tough.
…So the bottom line on exercise
Exercise, in whatever form you choose to undertake needs to be fun. It needs to be something you enjoy. And also, it needs to be something you see yourself sticking to. Consistency is key, remember that folks!