The Incredible Benefits of Exercise

 

"Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person's physical, emotional, and mental  states." -Carol Welch

 

"Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body; it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity." - John Fitzgerald Kennedy

 

The Incredible Benefits of Exercise

 

Why Should You Exercise?  For the Health of It!

Want to feel better, have more energy, and perhaps even live longer?  Look no further than old-fashioned exercise!  The merits of regular physical activity – from preventing chronic health conditions to promoting weight loss and better sleep – are hard to ignore.  And the benefits are yours for the taking, regardless of age, sex, or physical ability. 

Check out specific ways exercise can improve your life:

Exercise improves your mood.  Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed than you were before you worked out.  You’ll also look better and feel better when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem. 
Exercise combats chronic disease.  Regular physical activity can help you prevent – or manage – high blood pressure.  Your cholesterol will benefit, too.  Regular activity boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good,” cholesterol while decreasing triglycerides.  This one-two punch keeps your blood flowing smoothly by lowering the buildup of plaque in your arteries.  Regular physical activity can help prevent type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and certain types of cancers.
Exercise helps you manage your weight.  Want to drop excess pounds?  Trade couch time for walking.  When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories.  The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn.  It’s easy to get started…take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk during your lunch break, do jumping jacks during commercials.  Physical activity accumulated throughout the day helps you burn calories!
Exercise boosts your energy level. Winded by grocery shopping or household chores?  Regular physical activity can help you breath easier.  Physical activity delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues.  In fact, regular physical activity helps your entire cardiovascular system work more efficiently.  When your heart and lungs work better, you have more energy to do the things you enjoy!
Exercise promotes better sleep.  Struggling to fall asleep?  Or stay asleep?  Boost your physical activity during the day.  A good night’s sleep can improve your concentration, productivity and mood.  The key to better sleep is physical activity. 
Exercise produces stronger bones. Regular, moderate exercise -- particularly weight-bearing    exercises like walking, running, jogging, and dancing -- keeps your bones strong. Studies show that resistance (strengthening) exercises also boost bone mass.
Exercise builds stronger muscles. Most people know that exercise keeps muscles strong. But did you know that strong muscles burn more calories? Muscle mass is metabolically active tissue. In other words, the more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn even when you're not working out. Studies estimate that for each pound of muscle you add to your body, you will burn an additional 35-50 calories per day. So an extra 5 pounds of muscle will burn about 175-250 calories a day, or an extra pound of fat every 14-20 days. Muscle also improves balance and coordination.
Exercise promotes improved skin health. Exercise boosts circulation and the delivery of nutrients to your skin, helping to detoxify the body by removing toxins (poisons). As exercise boosts oxygen to the skin, it also helps increase the natural production of collagen, the connective tissue that plumps your skin. Your skin color is also improved after exercise because of the increase in blood flow.
Exercise enhances work/life balance. Exercise helps to improve our mental and emotional processes. When we naturally increase our circulation, energy levels, daily functioning, and overall health, we improve our ability to think. We provide ourselves with a healthy tension reliever, aid our sleep and naturally help to improve our mood.
Exercise enhances our immune system. Regular exercise appears to help jump-start the immune system, thus helping to reduce the number of colds, flu, and other viruses.
Exercise improves your digestion, elimination, and usage of body fat stores as a fuel source. Exercise also increases your tissues' responsiveness to the actions of insulin. This helps to control blood sugar, particularly if you are type 2 diabetic.
Exercise is fun! Wondering what to do on a Saturday afternoon?  Looking for an activity that the whole family can do?  Get physical!  Take ballroom dancing classes, check out a local climbing wall or hiking trail, push your kids on swings or climb with them on the jungle gym.  Plan a neighborhood kickball or touch football game.  Find things you enjoy and go for it!  Just keep your body moving!

  

  New to Exercise???

      Getting Started

If it's been a while since you've laced up your sneakers, start back slowly. Break your 30 minutes into 10 minutes segments throughout the day. Gradually build up to at least 30 to 60 minutes most days of the week, increasing your intensity over time.

Target Heart Rate

To exercise at your ideal intensity level without overdoing it, know your Target Heart Rate (THR). Target Heart Rate is your goal for exercise training. It is 60 to 85 percent of the maximum beat your heart can sustain. To determine your THR, subtract your age from 220, and then find 60 to 85 percent of the answer. Take your pulse periodically while you're exercising to make sure you are exercising in your target range.

Keep Going

Planning ahead will keep you committed! Look at your calendar for the upcoming week and    block out times that you will dedicate to working out.

Get others involved, too. Share your exercise routine with friends, family, or co-workers who you know will provide you with support and encouragement, especially for those days when you need that extra push. 

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