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The Benefits of Exercise Besides Weight Loss!
Losing weight is the number one reason people exercise. Yet losing extra pounds is far from the only benefit of exercise.
Training can support the health of all parts of your body.
Here is an overview of the other health benefits of exercise for the entire body, from the brain to the lungs and joints. Find out about the many reasons other than weight loss why it is good to exercise.
The brain
Exercise is as essential to your body's command center as it can be to your waistline. A great way to keep your brain in good shape is to set aside a few minutes a day to get moving.
The brain relies on making new connections between neurons to store information for the rest of your life. The building of these bridges between brain cells is called neuroplasticity, and it increases with exercise.
Scientists see a link between neuroplasticity and exercise due to increased blood flow during physical activity. When blood and oxygen circulate abundantly in the brain, regions of the brain like the hippocampus can wire new neural pathways. This process helps memory adapt and improve it throughout life.
Since aging does not take care of the brain, exercise makes it easier to manage the transition to the new stages of aging. Regular exercise has been shown to promote good memory skills and may slow down age-related memory loss.
Researchers conducted a study that found that even light exercise and walking at least 7,500 steps a day were associated with increased brain size. A larger brain volume can indicate increased neuroplasticity in the brain. This is how exercise can help maintain your mental sharpness and learning skills as you age.
Cardiovascular training is the best form of exercise for increasing brain power. The chained movements raise the heart rate and pump blood to all parts of the body, including the brain. Even without being intensive, this type of exercise works well. A regular evening walk, bike ride, or pool swim are all brain-beneficial activities. Any activity that helps pump blood is great for the brain.
Mood and hormones
In addition to helping her followers lose weight, exercise rewards them by making them in a better mood. Since the connection between mood and exercise is obvious, this is probably a great motivation to train more.
Let's talk about aerobic exercise first.
The increased rate of cardiovascular movement can reduce the amount of stress hormones circulating in the blood. These hormones (like adrenaline and cortisol) often contribute to feelings of stress, anxiety and worry. In excessive amounts, any stress hormone can even disrupt sleep patterns. Due to the fatigue felt upon waking up, you are then reluctant to perform your daily tasks.
Endorphins are hormones produced by the brain in response to exercise. They work to relieve pain and alleviate stress naturally. The rush of endorphins experienced after exercise is often referred to as "runner's euphoria".
Whether or not you are a fan of running, you will love the sensation created by endorphins entering your bloodstream. These mood-enhancing biochemicals cause a feeling of euphoria. In addition to helping fight anxiety and depression, endorphins help with relaxation and calm.
At the end of a hard day, use exercise as a lift. A light jog, a game of tennis, or a walk in the park with your family is all you need to feel the effects of endorphins. At the same time, you will reduce the amount of stress hormones and you will feel more comfortable.
The heart
The heart is one of the first organs to experience the benefits of regular exercise. As your fitness improves, your cardiovascular system becomes more efficient. To support your heart health, give your heart the benefit of endurance training and regular exercise.
As your fitness improves, you will notice a slight slowdown in your resting heart rate. Because exercise strengthens your heart and makes it more efficient at pumping blood, slower beats signal that your heart muscle does not have to work as hard to circulate blood. The heart beats faster and pumps blood while spending less energy.
There are many other ways that exercise benefits your heart. There is a link between regular physical activity and the reduction of fat plaque build-up in the heart. As this process thickens and hardens the walls of the vessels, it is more difficult for the heart to transport blood to where it is needed. Another benefit of physical training is to have arteries free from hardened fat. Cardio exercise is what your heart needs.
Lungs
Intensive training is often short of breath, but with regular training the feeling of being short of breath may decrease. Aerobic movement can increase the volume of air inspired by the lungs with each breath. This volume is the measure of your lung capacity. When this increases, the amount of oxygen available to the muscles used by training is also higher.
To improve your lung capacity, try breathing exercises.
You can incorporate them into your daily exercise session or practice them while you are resting. Two methods of increasing lung capacity are deep abdominal breathing and pursed exhalation.
Bones and joints
There is a common myth in joint health that regular exercise can cause joint damage. In fact, regular moderate exercise can increase bone mass and strength, in addition to protecting joints from swelling, pain and wear and tear.
Strong bones are the starting point for joint strength. Muscles used during physical activity push and pull on the bones to which they are attached. The tension of these muscles in action then causes a multiplication and thickening of bone cells, which at the same time gives rise to an improvement in bone density.
This link between bone strength and exercise is important. It clearly shows that the more regular the exercise, the stronger the bones become. By moving regularly, you will strengthen your bones and they will stay in better condition as you age.
Besides losing weight, another reason that should convince you to exercise is to relieve the strain on your joints. Improper treatment of your joints can cause swelling and stiffness. The feeling of discomfort you may experience may make exercise seem like a chore.
Don't give in to the temptation to skip a workout. The movement and regular use of your joints makes them feel comfortable. Daily exercise is a great way to reduce pain and build strength in your joints.
Strength exercises like arm extensions, lunges, curls, and frog jumps are great for strengthening bones. To get the full benefits of exercise for your bones and joints, try working all of your muscle groups.
The immune system
Systems throughout the body, like the immune system, work best when you exercise regularly because it is involved in processes that help keep you healthy.
Exercise promotes the turnover and exchange of leukocytes (white blood cells). These components of the innate immune response fight against pathogens that invade the body. Exercise regenerates the white blood cells that protect you against disease.
Your immune system also needs regular physical activity to keep you from getting sick as you get older.
Like the rest of the body, the immune system ages. Exercise stimulates immune activity which helps maintain your health and protect you against infections. Getting in the habit of exercising every day can help maintain your immunity to the risks of getting worse with age.
Any activity that promotes good circulation is good exercise for the immune system. Aerobic exercise and movement of all parts of the body triggers the renewal of white blood cells which maintain your immunity. Dancing, jogging, tennis, and volleyball are great for moving the whole body and strengthening the immune system.
Incorporate different types of exercise that target different health benefits. To support your heart and brain health and a more even mood, consider cardio and aerobic exercise. Stretching and deep breathing are great practices for joint and lung health. Find out which movements exercise your whole body best, and practice seeing beyond the bathroom scale.
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Testimonial of a Softball Player who stole home plate
If we compare the nervous system to a computer, the brain is its hard drive. It receives, through the spinal cord, all the messages picked up by the nerves, then it interprets them and triggers a response.
It’s impossible to avoid stress, which is pervasive in life. In small doses, stress can be beneficial by motivating us to achieve goals and complete necessary tasks. On the other hand, intense stress can make us feel like we are losing all our means and even being ill, given the significant detrimental effects of stress on immune function. Come to think of it, it rarely happens that you feel great and stressed out at the same time, right? In fact, stress on the body and mind can weaken your immune system. Your body then works at full speed to provide the energy it needs to fight stressors, which weakens the strength of your immunity. As rudimentary as this explanation is, it is a good starting point to take a closer look at the effects of stress on immune function. Understanding the body's response to stressors will help better understand the link between stress and immunity. Then all you need to do is learn how to improve your stress response to feel great even during tough times. The language of stress By knowing the terminology specific to stress, we can better understand the body’s natural responses. Here are some basic terms: Stressor, or stressor: Any stimulus that causes stress. There are two types of stressors: physical and psychological. A physical stressor acts on the body, while a psychological stressor acts on the mind. Hypothalamus: An important command center in the brain. Slightly larger than a dime and located in the middle of the brain, it controls pituitary gland activity and regulates hunger, thirst, sleep, body temperature and a host of emotions. Pituitary gland: The master gland responsible for releasing most hormones in the body. Adrenal glands: Triangular glands located above the kidneys that release cortisol. Cortisol: The main hormone released into the blood in response to stress. How the body copes with stress Your body has a built-in response protocol that kicks in whenever stress arises. This process begins as soon as a stressor puts pressure on the mind or body. The hypothalamus is the part of the brain that recognizes stress. As soon as it detects a stressor, it sends a message through neurons to a nearby area of the brain called the pituitary gland. This registers the signals received from the hypothalamus and then signals the adrenal glands (above the kidneys) to increase the amount of stress hormones circulating in the blood. These are the basics of the body's natural response to stress. To better understand them and establish the link between stress and immune function, let's take a closer look at the main stress hormone: cortisol. This important hormone works by boosting your energy levels during times of stress. The effects of cortisol are temporary and as soon as the stress wears off, the energy boost it provides ceases. By reducing non-essential body activities, cortisol also helps manage stress. At the same time, it unfortunately pauses part of the immune function. Cortisol thus tries to conserve energy in the presence of stress, but the stressful period opens the door to germs. The effects of stress on immune function In the presence of a short-lived stressor - for example, being late for a date or participating in a triathlon - the action of cortisol is temporary and its effects on immunity are negligible. On the other hand, if the stress lasts for several days or weeks, a higher level of cortisol can have more harmful effects. High cortisol levels suppress your immune system by reducing the production of white blood cells. Because the latter no longer chase germs, the response to infection is much slower. If your cortisol levels stay high for a long time, you become more vulnerable to certain illnesses that you would not have caught otherwise. This explains why you are prone to colds after a long period of intense stress. Students preparing for their end-of-year exams are a good example. Indeed, many of them find themselves cold in the days following the end of the course. Here's what's going on: A stressor (the exam) triggers their body's stress response. While they study, cortisol levels go up and stay up for a longer period of time, maybe even a few weeks. During this time of stress, their immune system is suppressed to allow the brain to channel the greatest amount of energy available to combat the stress caused by an end-of-year exam. Such poor functioning allows germs to easily infiltrate healthy tissue and lead to illnesses like the common cold. Symptoms are felt to be part of the immune response and appear after the test is passed. Of course, the end-of-year exams are far from the only long-term stressor. A move to a new city, the birth of a child, a change of job and other hardships are all common long-term stressors. Since persistent stress increases cortisol levels and suppresses immunity, germs can wreak havoc on a weakened immune system during times of intense stress. Reduce your stress for the benefit of your immunity To lower your cortisol levels and protect your immune system, you need to learn how to manage stress. There is no shortage of activities to try to help relieve stress, and which are also beneficial for your overall health. Meditation is one of the most effective stress management strategies. A few minutes a day of meditative concentration can significantly lower blood cortisol levels and give you a sense of calm and serenity. Meditation can also be beneficial for your immunity. In one study, researchers found that people who practiced meditation every day developed more antibodies to the flu than others who did not. Bottom line: isolate yourself for a few minutes each from the busy world around you, taking care to turn to meditation when you feel stressed. Exercise is also a proven way to reduce stress. You probably already know the many benefits the body experiences with moving every day, and now you can add stress relief to it. (Read this article for more ways to deal with stress.) If none of these strategies work, it might be a good idea to see a mental health professional. Just talking to a counselor or social worker in a therapeutic setting can help you deal with the stressors in your life and find effective ways to deal with them. No matter how you manage stress, now is the time to equip yourself to protect your body - and your immune health - from the damaging effects of stress. Source and references: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-happens-when-your-immune-system-gets-stressed-out/ https://www.apa.org/research/action/immune https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4465119/ https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/10-immune-system-busters-boosters#2 https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-cortisol#1 https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037