As children, we crave movement, but our grown-up selves often choose to forgo exercise. We’re stressed and tired, and exercise adds to that. Or does it? While a physical stress inducer, exercise helps our ability to deal with stress in general and makes us healthier too.
What else can exercise accomplish? Here are some of the benefits to help motivate you to get moving!
Brain health
Regular exercise, because it delivers more oxygen to our brain, helps improve brain health, delay brain aging, and reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and Parkinson’s.
Weight management
While diet helps address weight issues, exercise helps with weight management and also reduces the risk of developing metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.
Sleep and sex
We sleep better with exercise, have a better sex life, and improve self-esteem, too.
Stress relief
As for exercise being stressful … It does increase cortisol levels, but unlike psychological stress, exercise-induced cortisol is soon inactivated, a desirable outcome that makes our bodies more resilient to stress.
Balance
As we age, certain exercises, such as standing on one leg, can help increase stability, which is essential for reducing the risk of falls and injury.
Glucose management
Active muscles are a great “sink” for glucose, helping the body’s response to the post-meal sugar influx. In the long run, daily exercise (ideally aerobic and resistance) can improve insulin sensitivity and reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
Healthy microbiome
Our gut bugs also benefit from exercise. Active people tend to have more beneficial bacteria, some of which produce butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid with anti-inflammatory and gut lining repair properties, while others contribute to improved metabolic health. Regular exercise has positive impacts on dysbiosis as well as symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
Mood manager
Speaking of desirable highs, did you know that serotonin levels, known as “the happiness molecule,” increase when we exercise? Among others, this helps us manage emotions better (translation: step away from a conflict and go for a walk; you’ll find better words upon returning).
Cardiovascular helper
Nitric oxide, which also increases with exercise, can have an analgesic effect and helps improve cardiovascular health by reducing blood pressure, often a consequence of acute and chronic stress. Exercise can help the body develop a robust response to stress, dial down the risk of depression, and lower inflammation levels and oxidative stress in the brain.
Counter cancer
Higher levels of aerobic exercise can reduce the risk of breast, colon, bladder, endometrial, and digestive tract cancers, and picking up some weights may also work in our favor by slashing the risk of kidney and bladder cancer while also impacting total cancer mortality.
By Daniela Ginta