20 Amazing Fitness Benefits for Your Health
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Are you physically fit? You have probably heard about the endless fitness benefits for your health. But are you taking any steps to become fit?
The truth is that most of us hardly take time to work on our mental and physical fitness. It could be because we have a tight daily routine; we have to meet the fixed 9-5 office routine and ensure we are available for home chores. We are hardly left with spare time to work on physical fitness unless we fix fitness in our daily routine.
Being fit can keep you away from many lifetime diseases, and most importantly, uplift your moods. There is a lot that comes with fitness, and in this article, we are going to explore some of the fantastic health fitness benefits. Stay with us before you make your first step into the gym.
1. It Helps You Lose Weight
This is a well-known fitness benefit. A combination of a healthy diet and regular exercise is all you need to cut belly fat and lose some weight rapidly.
Ideally, the number of calories or food you eat should be equivalent to the amount of energy you use. When you undergo a weight loss program, your trainer will normally advise you to do some physical exercise to help you burn all the excess calories in your body.
Also, a nutritionist will advise that you reduce carbs intake. This will help your body to burn the excess fats without producing more of it. Being physically fit means you can carry your weight around.
When you have excess calories and don’t have some work to do, you should go for a workout or take more regular trips to the gym. Maintaining physical fitness through daily exercises, therefore, helps you to keep your weight in check.
2. Keep Chronic Lifestyle Diseases Away
If you have more fat in your body, it is not easy to maintain your immunity. Normally, we contract various lifestyle diseases such as arthritis, obesity, HBP, and stroke, when we are not fit. You can prevent the risk of heart and cardiovascular disease significantly if you keep your body fit mentally and physically.
No matter your weight, if you take it to the gym and through some two or three punches every day, you will be keeping your blood sugar levels down and boost your High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL). You can prevent anxiety, depression, Type 2 Diabetes, and many types of cancer when you are fit.
Being physically fit lowers your risk of death by improving your cognitive function. If you want to extend your lifespan, ensure you are healthy. To enjoy other fitness benefits, you should not hesitate to start fitness training.
3. Fitness is a Mood Booster
If you are going through hell, a heartbreak, or depression, all you need is boosting your moods and living normally. Unfortunately, most people turn to drugs and substance abuse when they are facing elevated stress and depression when the cure is right here – physical and mental health.
Engaging in physical exercise helps your body release endorphins that you will need to maintain a perfect mood. After a stressful day at work, all you need to keep your head fresh is a lighter jogging or some little weight lift.
A gym session in the morning can help your body stimulate brain chemicals that you need to maintain the right moods for productivity.
There is something unique about being physically fit. When you are fit, you enhance your appearance and body posture. This has a direct impact on your level of self-esteem and confidence.
A regular physical exercise can help your cut belly fat, and this will boost your confidence, knowing that you are in control of your body. Being happy is another unique fitness benefit you should look forward to.
4. Improved Muscle Strength
How much weight can you lift? Ideally, you can lift your weight if you are fit enough. If you find it hard winding with your daily household chores, then you probably have weaker muscles.
Physical exercise, like weight lifting, can help add more strength to your muscles. When your body adapts to strenuous activities, you are not likely to experience fatigue whenever you work. You boost your endurance and muscle strength when you make regular trips to the gym.
Your cardiovascular system will work more efficiently when you exercise a lot. Why? Whenever you exercise, your body takes in more oxygen. Oxygen is necessary for transporting essential nutrients to your tissues.
Exercise improves your lungs and heart health, and this makes you healthier to work on strenuous house chores.
5. Better Sleep and Relaxation
Copping with insomnia and sleep deprivation is such a challenge to most people. The truth is that when you retire to bed, and your body is not fit mentally or physically, you will hardly fall asleep. If you have problems getting enough night sleep, don’t worry, there is a cure: It’s all in being fit.
This is the trick. Exercise early in the morning and go for some light jogging at least three hours before your bedtime. When you engage in regular physical activity, you can deepen your sleep. Additionally, physical fitness helps you fight stress and depression, which are some of the reasons you may not sleep.
You can improve your sleep quality by up to 65% by having at least two hours of moderate or vigorous exercise a day.
A lot of energy depletion occurs during strenuous physical activity. Some studies have shown that this enhances recuperative processes during sleep. Your body temperature increases whenever you exercise and drops when you go to bed. This keeps you calm and guarantees a sound sleep.
6. Reduces Chronic Pain
Engaging in physical exercise can help reduce pain, and most people don’t know that this is another fitness benefit.
For many years, scientists have made us believe that if you are undergoing chronic pain, then the best remedy is to rest and remain inactive as long as it lasts. However, recent studies have shown the contrary.
In this study published by the National Library of Medicine, you can establish that most people with chronic pain start to feel better whenever they involve in moderate exercise. For instance, if you have backaches, soft tissue disorder, and fibromyalgia, you can start to feel better when you exercise.
Moreover, exercising and being physically fit helps you to decrease your pain perception and raise pain tolerance. When you work out a lot, you can reduce pain and have a better life. The more you exercise, the less pain you feel. Meaning you heal faster if you are more active than when you are idle.
7. It is good for Skin Health
High oxidative stress in your body can affect your skin health. At times, free radicals can cause a lot of stress in your skin cells resulting in oxidative stress.
When you have a weaker antioxidant defense, you cannot maintain healthy skin. Your skin is your first physical defense. Meaning, your body is more exposed to diseases if you don’t have healthy skin.
Having regular exercise increases your body’s capacity to release more natural antioxidants. Your body needs these antioxidants to protect skin cells. Note that having intense physical activity every day can damage your skin’s internal structure.
Regular exercise stimulates blood circulation in the body and induces cell adaptations. You reduce skin aging significantly when you exercise. That is why those who visit the gym frequently look younger than their age mates.
8. Helps to Improve your Memory
There is a lot you can do to jog your memory and become more productive and smart. One of those ways is to engage in regular exercise. Improving your memory is another proven fitness benefit.
Exercise boosts your brain function by enhancing oxygen transmission to all your body tissues. You boost your heart rate and improve oxygen circulation in the body, helping you maintain a healthy brain.
When you involve in regular exercise, you boost the growth of your brain cells more naturally. This is because exercise stimulates the production of hormones that helps in the growth of brain cells.
Taking regular light exercise like walking around can help aging adults to improve their memory. Aging and oxidation stress contributes a lot to poor memory, and being fit helps prevent all that.
Your brain hippocampus grows bigger when you engage in regular exercise. Hippocampus is the part of your brain that is responsible for boosting your brain activity and memory. When this part of your brain, hippocampus, increases in size, you can retain and recall a lot of information, making you more intelligent.
Engaging in regular workout and fitness reduces the risk of developing brain-related conditions like Alzheimer’s and Schizophrenia. Therefore, when you exercise regularly, you can boost your mental health and enjoy other fitness benefits.
9. Improves your Sex Drive
Improving your sexual performance is one way of having a lasting relationship with your partner. If you have an issue with libido and ED, regular exercise can rescue you. Most people, especially older women in their early menopause, have trouble maintaining a healthy sex life.
When you engage in physical activity, you can improve your urge for sex, boost your sexual pleasure, and improve your performance in bed.
When you engage in regular exercise, you enhance your bone flexibility, improve blood circulation in the body, and, most importantly, strengthen your cardiovascular system.
Couples who exercise regularly experience orgasm and more sexual pleasure than those who do not exercise. Women in their 40s can improve their sexual desire by engaging in strenuous activities. On the other hand, men who engage in regular exercise to become physically fit record a higher sexual function score than those who do not.
In another recent study, scientists have established that walking around the house for at least one hour can help your male partner to fight Erectile Dysfunction (ED). Physically fit men are more likely to engage in sex and experience more pleasure than men who do not exercise.
Furthermore, women with polycystic ovary syndrome or low sex drive can boost their urge for sex by going through four months of regular resistance training.
10. Increases Your Body Energy Level
Whether you are healthy or sick, you can improve your body energy by maintaining regular exercise. When you have a medical condition such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), regular exercise can help you recover slowly.
Regular exercise can cure CFS faster than medical treatment. Those with health complications such as dementia, asthma, and back pain can benefit a lot from regular workouts.
If you have a lifetime disease such as HIV/AIDS and some types of cancer, you can increase your energy levels by engaging in regular exercise. People with multiple sclerosis can also improve their energy levels by having some regular exercise.
Individuals with persistent fatigue can become more active and relived by going through six weeks of regular exercise.
11. Helps you Quit Smoking
Helping drug addicts to avoid a relapse is another fitness benefit you ought to know. If you are struggling with quitting smoking tobacco or e-vaping, then you have not tried regular exercise.
When you exercise every day, you reduce your appetite for smoking and using other harmful drugs. Whenever you work out, you are one step away from quitting drugs.
Most people resort to smoking and using other drugs to enhance their moods and feel better. When you engage in regular physical activity, you are naturally uplifting your spirits. You feel relaxed and happier after a vigorous exercise, and for sure, you won't have the urge and guts to smoke again.
Smoking damages the structure of your blood vessels and hampers blood circulation. Those who smoke are more vulnerable to lots of diseases such as lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke. You can reduce your risk of catching these diseases by engaging in regular exercise to quit smoking.
12. Reduces the Risk of Fatal Falls in Adults
Adults above the age of 65 are more likely to experience fatal falls. When you involve in regular physical exercise, you reduce your risk of falling by up to 30%. You can do some aerobic and practice muscle-strengthening activities that will reduce your risk of falling when you walk around.
Regular exercise improves your bone and muscle strength, which makes you more stable and physically fit. Those who go for a one-hour jog every day are less likely to experience fatal falls.
13. It Unplugs You from Electronics
Electronics surround your every-day life. Your phone, TV, laptop, and tablet emit enough blue light to affect your moods and cause sleep deprivation. Exposing yourself to electronics every time makes you less social.
When you opt for regular exercise, you find another way to unplug yourself from electronics and get to interact with real people.
Engaging in physical exercise makes you interactive and social. You will meet an old friend at the gym, make fun with your trainer, and participate in activities that uplift your mood.
When you go for a regular exercise, you get the time to unplug your mind from the day's stress and concentrate on your physical wellbeing.
If you feel bored, just find any physical activity to spice you up like playing football, hiking, or dancing. It can help you have a life away from electronics and improve your moods.
14. Keeps High Blood Pressure Away
High Blood Pressure (HBP) is a common health condition in obese and overweight people. Those with HBP are more likely to develop chronic heart disease.
When you have a lot of fat stored in your body, you are more likely to develop HBP. Going for regular exercise helps you to burn excess fat and keep your weight in check.
By exercising every day, you can cut excess fat in your body and reduce the risk of HBP. While working out, you lower your heart rate and blood pressure. Exercising also helps you relax your body, which creates the ideal condition to lower your blood pressure.
15. It Extends Your Lifespan
If you want to live longer, you should not go a day without exercising. Regular exercise can boost your mental and physical health and extend your lifespan by up to 30%.
Being fit lowers the death risk factor by making you less vulnerable to lifestyle diseases like Type 2 Diabetes, Asthma, Obesity, and Arthritis. Fitness is also good for your overall health, just like a healthy diet is essential for your immunity.
In this study, it has been established that regular exercise can reduce the aging of cells. Naturally, your cell telomeres get shorter as you age, and more cell division occurs in your body. In some studies, scientists have proved that engaging in regular exercise improves the production of a protein complex, shelterin, which protects and shortens telomeres. By exercising every day, you keep your DNA young and extend your lifespan.
16. It Can Improve Your Appetite for Food
When you exercise a lot, you burn a lot of calories and cut some fat. You also sweat and lose more water. Those who work out a lot have a higher metabolic rate when at rest.
If you've lost your appetite for food, you can begin to eat more when you are just coming from a workout. Of course, your stomach will be almost empty after a vigorous exercise, and you won't have a reason not to eat. Improving your appetite is another amazing fitness benefit.
Besides improving your appetite, regular exercise also helps you check your weight because you will be able to burn more calories. You can enjoy anything you want when you are on regular exercise than you can when you are not going for a daily workout.
17. Helps you to Build Lasting Relationships
If there is anything you can think about that makes you bond more with those you love, then it's working on your fitness goals.
When you go to the gym or wake up together for a morning run, you bond more with your partner. It is more fun and enjoyable to work on your fitness goals with someone by your side.
You can plan for an evening walk with your spouse instead of going for that late-night coffee. This way, you will see how fitness impacts your relationship. If you have a fitness program that you follow with your partner, you will be more likely to achieve your fitness goals than when working out alone.
Involving your partner, friend, or family in your daily fitness routine helps you build lasting relationships.
18. Treats and Prevents Depression
Over 264 million people are battling depression. Depression is a prevalent mental disorder that takes time to cure. Physical exercise and fitness are some of the most effective ways to fight depression. Regular exercise has shown to be more effective in treating and preventing some types of depression.
Low activity is the number one risk factor in depression. Of course, an idle mind is a devil's workshop. When you remain inactive for long, you start to think of all your problems and get stressed up. Engaging yourself in a regular workout can help you keep busy and more elevated. This way, you relax your mind and fight depression.
19. Reduces Inflammation
Inflammation is a leading cause of several diseases in the brain and body. If you want to keep inflammations away, all you have to do is ensure you work out every day. Regular workout is the only sure way of reducing the risk of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C - reactive protein (CRP).
Exercise and fitness have a positive anti-inflammatory effect on your body. That is why you are more healthy and free from most lifestyle diseases when you work out every day.
20. Lowers the Risk of Developing Diabetes
Going for regular aerobics and morning workout reduces your risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes by up to 50%.
Activities such as hiking, cycling, brisk walking, and swimming can lower your risk of developing diabetes if you stick to a healthy diet.
Being fit improves your body's glycogen production, making you less vulnerable to diabetes and other related diseases.
Final Thoughts
There are many health fitness benefits. When you are fit, you become more productive and healthy. Because most of the diseases we contract come as a result of not keeping our bodies fit. By exercising regularly, we can reduce the number of times we seek medication.
In this article, we have highlighted some proven fitness benefits. You now know why you should choose stairs and not an elevator the next time you enter a skyscraper.
Thanks Alma Alibegovic. Let's keep on educating the communication.
VP for Demo Creations in APAC and EMEA Region @ USP Indicator Solutions | Enhancing Brand and Marketing Experience
4 年Awesome article, very informative! Thanks for sharing Julius Murega