Staying in shape is an important part of everyday life, and it’s understandable that the majority of the population around the world seeks to improve their physical fitness in numerous methods. Whether this may be from dieting, exercising, or any other form of staying in shape, we can all agree that it can be difficult to maintain the behaviour or improve yourself.
Exercising is one of the most effective ways to stay in shape. However, the benefits of exercising can often be clouded by discouragement. One thing that we can establish is that patience is a fundamental factor to consider when trying to stay in shape. Luckily, we have outlined the most practical benefits of staying in shape in hopes of motivating those who want to become fitter!
Amazing Benefits of Staying in Shape:
#1 – Increase Your Muscle Mass And Improve Your Bone Structure:
One very common benefit of exercising and staying active is the positive effect on your bones and muscles. Building up your muscles and bones is similar to building anything else in your body, and the effects will depend on your determination to consistently exercise.
The top skill you need to maintain is effort. The more you do your chosen exercise, the better you will be at it. The better you are at your exercise, the more effective you will be in increasing the designated muscle of that specific body part.
Both your bones and muscles need calcium to be strong enough to do their jobs. When the two are working together, you can lift heavier objects, run faster and jump farther.
#2 – Decrease The Likelihood of Chronic Disease:
Exercising consistently, eating correctly, and maintaining both aspects of your routine on a frequent basis can significantly reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases in the future.
For example, let’s discuss dieting. According to many nutritionists, there should be a balanced diet of high protein and low-calorie foods in your diet to keep healthy. Too much of one thing (such as fats, sugar, even protein) and destroying the balanced aspect of this diet can lead to numerous diseases, and in rare cases, potential cancers.
Making the right choices and eating healthy can not only prevent this from happening but benefit you in other ways as well.
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#3 – Get Better Sleep:
Don’t worry about being too busy for exercise or if you are in no shape for a workout. It is never too late to start. Many people prefer to make their exercise routine in the morning because it sets the tone for a productive day.
This is because chemicals called endorphins are released when you exercise, creating a level of activity in the brain that allows you to keep awake. Doing exercise (more specifically, aerobic exercises) before you sleep – around 2 hours before you lay in bed – can provide time for endorphin levels to wash out.
#4 – Become More Energised:
This is an often-overlooked benefit when it comes to outlining the benefits of staying in shape through physical activity. We already know that proper dieting can provide us with the proper amount of energy we need throughout the day, but exercising can also make us become much more energised.
A study published in the American Journal of Cardiology showed that when animals exercised, it reached the brain area responsible for reward while they were having fun. In addition to this, several studies have shown that spending energy allows our body to get adapt to this change, therefore acquiring more energy for our exercises.
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#5 – Lose Weight And Slim Down:
For those who want to lose weight and slim down, they might already know that this in itself can be a challenging task. However, no great result was ever achieved from easy tasks in the past.
Losing weight can simply start from completing a diet plan and trying to stick to it. Consuming too many fatty foods will often lead to weight gain, and striking the problem at its core is an effective way to lose weight effectively. In the same vein, sugar and fat are commonly stored in the body when they don’t get burned off through movement, so ensuring that you exercise regularly is also a significantly effective way to burn fat.
A combination of these two aspects is the ultimate recipe for weight loss.
#6 – Better Memory:
One of, if not, the most common complaints among seniors is how their minds seem to fail them on certain occasions, mainly being from how they fail to remember certain things during later stages of life. New research suggests that regular exercise routines can deliver improved memory in addition to better strength and health.
The University of California and Stanford University have provided results indicating that regular exercises correlated to better memory through memory-based tasks. This is not a surprising outcome for most people who already exercise, but what this also showed us was that regular exercise among people over 65 also delivered better memory performances!
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#7 – Increased Happiness, Better Mood:
We all know the feeling of achieving something. The thrill of acquiring results based on our efforts, and the hard work we’ve put down paying off. This is no different when we are physically active.
Whenever we do a high-energy activity, the body releases chemicals called endorphins, which help us improve our mood for the rest of the day. The math is simple, the more we exercise, the more we feel better about ourselves. Dieting can often be complex, and sticking through a diet plan can help us feel like we’ve accomplished a difficult task. Overall, applying both exercise and dieting can vastly improve our moods in the long run, while allowing us to increase happiness simultaneously.
#8 – Reduced Risk of Depression:
Depression is an extremely serious and harmful condition, affecting millions of people in the UK alone. Luckily, it’s been proven that exercising even just a little bit a week can help prevent depression, or at least reduce the impact of this illness.
Scientific studies have also specified the value of exercise for mental health, due to the chemicals released during exercise. While exercising cannot prevent depression altogether, the minimisation of risk can be enough considering the significance of this illness.
#9 – Improved Blood Pressure, Improved Heart Rate:
Staying fit helps with muscle growth and mental health, as well as other great benefits that show us the value of physical activity and healthy eating. However, did you know that exercising keeps the heart young? And what we mean by this is, it keeps your heart stronger for longer.
This is due to blood circulation. All blood flows from your heart and lungs, delivering them to every cell in your body using the blood vessel. Exercising allows us to keep our blood flow increasing, which is a huge benefit for our hearts.
Keeping your blood vessels healthy is vital for your heart to remain strong and healthy, which is why dieting for a healthier heart is crucial. As we get older, these vessels become less flexible and therefore pumping blood around the body becomes harder.
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#10 – Better Skin Health:
Due to the increased blood flow from physical exercise, our skin cells begin to regenerate at a much faster process, keeping our skin cells nourished and vital.
Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to working cells throughout the body, which includes the skin.
Exercise also increases oxygen flow to the skin’s surface, thereby increasing surface blood flow and cell renewal. This all translates into improved skin tone, increased elasticity of the skin, and a reduction in wrinkles.
Conclusion:
There are so many benefits of staying fit and keeping in shape that we could simply go on and on with our list. However, the message you should take away from this is that exercise has a host of advantages that it can provide you. Whether you simply want to stay healthier or would like to be in better shape, exercising and dieting should be a crucial part of your plan!
Thinking about keeping fit? Why not check out Human Health & Fitness’ fitness blog?