Physical activity is something everyone benefits from yet too many people don’t get enough of. Regularly exercising provides us with countless benefits to both the mind and body, from combating chronic diseases to improving mental well-being, giving plenty of reason to start increasing your physical activities throughout the week.
Better still, physical activities that improve our health don’t need to cost a thing. Running, jogging, walking, and various fitness exercises don’t require any equipment or a specific location, so it’s possible to get your recommended weekly physical activity without spending a thing.
Plus, with all the benefits to be gained from regular physical activity you have even more incentive to get started. Fitness equipment have put together a lift of 55 exercises which you can find below to help with your gym workouts both and home and in the gym. To help show just how worthwhile it is, let’s take a look at seven benefits of regular physical activity:
Weight Management
Regular physical activity is essential for healthy weight management, whether you’re maintaining your current weight, losing weight, or adding weight to your body.
Any physical activity that forces the body to work harder burns calories, and when creating a caloric deficient (e.g. burn more calories than consumed) you can lose extra weight you are carrying.
The body can lose weight through dieting too but adding regular physical activity will increase the efficiency and rate of weight loss. Aerobic exercise helps to burn the most calories to help with weight loss, so be sure to try walking or running a few times a week, while circuit training exercises also help.
Similarly, regular physical activity burns off excess calories consumed through food, meaning you can burn off those calories that would otherwise lead to weight gain, helping maintain your preferred weight.
Reduce the Risk of Disease
When you’re overweight or inactive you are at a higher risk of developing various health problems. So, by regularly exercising you can help fight the chances of developing certain conditions later in life, ensuring you live a healthier, longer life.
The facts back this up too. Studies show regularly physical activity helps prevent various diseases and conditions, including:
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Type 2 diabetes
- Colon cancer
- Breast cancer
- Osteoarthritis
- Bone fractures
Improved Mental Health
Regular exercise has various health benefits on our mental health too. It’s known that frequent exercise helps reduce depression, stress, and anxiety, all of which are common mental health conditions that make life incredibly challenging.
This is due to the way the brain reacts to exercise, producing various hormones and reactions that help to reduce the feelings associated with various negative mental health problems. For example, we produce more serotonin after exercise, which can help alleviate symptoms of depression,
It’s not just serious mental health issues that regular physical activity helps with – it can generally improve your current mood. A short bout of exercise is enough to produce the feel-good endorphins that lift our mood and make us generally feel happier – many people refer to this feeling as a runners high.
Muscle and Bone Health
Physical activity helps the body to maintain healthy muscles and bones, which help the body feel healthier as we age.
For instance, bone strength is associated with improved balance and stability, which is important for staying mobile when we’re older while preventing the risk of serious injuries. If you exercise regularly from a young age you can build strong bone density to help fight off diseases such as osteoporosis.
Similarly, muscle mass reduces naturally as we age but this loss can be reduced or prevented through regular strength training.
General fitness and mobility are improved with healthy muscles, and you don’t even need to increase your muscle mass for these benefits – simply maintaining your current muscle health is highly beneficial throughout life.
More Energy
Sick of feeling lethargic and tired? Then try increasing physical activity levels to help you feel more energic! As mentioned before, the body releases various hormones after exercise, one of which helps to increase the body’s overall energy levels.
These effects are even more notable in people with chronic illnesses. For instance, studies show that people suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) have much higher energy levels with regular physical activities – it’s viewed as one of the most effective treatments for CFS.
So, anyone that’s feeling a lack of energy throughout the day will benefit from regular exercise, which can significantly increase your energy levels to get you through the day.
Improved Sleep
Regular physical activity significantly improves sleep quality by making us more tired. After a hard workout the body is spent more than usual, so come the end of the night you will find the body requires a deep, restful sleep to fully recover. In fact, falling asleep becomes immediately easier with regular exercise.
It’s not just the physical exertion from exercise that helps improve sleep though. As mentioned, exercising helps to reduce stress and anxiety, which are often big factors for a restless sleep. So, when we reduce feelings of stress and anxiety during the day, sleeping at night becomes naturally much easier.
Plus, the body’s sleep patterns (circadian rhythm) becomes more naturally regulated with exercise, meaning you’re less likely to stay up late at night after physical activity during the day.
Higher Sex Drive
Regular exercise makes another type of physical activity a lot more enjoyable – in the bedroom! Thanks to increased energy levels from exercise, you’ll find yourself with more energy than ever in the bedroom, generally resulting in a longer and more passionate experience for all involved.
Not only that, but because exercise helps maintain a healthy body weight and tone/build muscle, self-confidence naturally increases. Anyone that is self-conscious about their body image may not enjoy sex as much, so by working out you can improve your body to make yourself feel sexier in the bedroom.
It applies to both men and women too. Studies show that women have a higher sex drive when regularly exercising, while men also have a higher libido while lowering the risks of conditions like erectile disfunction.
