We always hear how important it is for us to exercise, but what are the actual reasons behind this and what are the benefits?

The health benefits backing exercising are numerous- keep reading to see why exercising benefits you!

First up, exercising can make you happier! Exercise has been shown to improve your mood and decrease feelings of depression, anxiety, and sleep. Exercise can increase the production of endorphins which help produce positive feelings! Exercise produces changes in the parts of the brain that regulate our feelings of stress and anxiety. So, exercise can help produce endorphins which help to boost your mood and reduce feelings of anxiety! What a reason to exercise right?!

Second, it’s GREAT for your muscles! How is it great for your muscles?! Exercise plays a vital role in building and maintaining strong muscles and bones. There are tons of different types of exercise and each type benefits you in a different way! Weightlifting can stimulate muscle building! As we age, we tend to lose muscle mass and function. Practicing regular physical activity is essential to reducing muscle loss and maintaining strength as you age. Another bonus, exercising when you are young helps build bone density. Building bone density at a younger age helps to prevent osteoporosis later in life. 

Next, exercising can increase your energy levels! Engaging in regular physical can increase your energy levels. This is true even in people with persistent fatigue and those suffering from serious illnesses. 

Next, exercising can help with relaxation and sleep quality. Regular exercising can help you Regular exercise can help you relax and sleep better. Regarding sleep quality, the energy depletion that occurs during exercise stimulates recuperative processes during sleep.

Moreover, the increase in body temperature that occurs during exercise is thought to improve sleep quality by helping it drop during sleep. Many studies on the effects of exercise on sleep have reached similar conclusions. One study found that 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity per week can provide up to a 65% improvement in sleep quality. Another showed that 16 weeks of physical activity increased sleep quality and helped 17 people with insomnia sleep longer and more deeply than the control group. It also helped them feel more energized during the day. What’s more, engaging in regular exercise seems to be beneficial for the elderly, who tend to be affected by sleep disorders. You can be flexible with the kind of exercise you choose. It appears that either aerobic exercise alone or aerobic exercise combined with resistance training can equally help sleep quality.

Next, exercising and feeling motivated can improve your self-confidence. Completing a tough workout, especially when you’d much rather stay in bed, can give you a serious confidence boost. Sticking to your plan—especially when it requires a whole lot of flexibility, like converting your gym routine to an at-home workout or going out for a run when you’re used to using the elliptical—can make you feel like you can take on the world.

Seeing progress can be a huge morale booster too—and that’s not only measured with lifting heavier weight (something that can be hard to challenge yourself with now if you have limited equipment at your disposal). When you finally bang out your first perfect push-up, believe us, you’ll feel like you can take on anything.

Next, it might help the clarity of your thinking. Research indicates that exercise is good for cognitive function—especially helpful now, when many of us are feeling scattered. 

Next, exercise can give you structure when you may feel life your life is all over the place. If you’re one of the many people self-quarantining or social distancing due to the new coronavirus, you may be working from home—and pretty much staying there. That means the hours can start to feel endless, and it may be hard to differentiate work time from non-work time. Exercise can play a huge role there: Starting your day out with a brisk walk or run can help you charge up for your workday or ending your “office hours” with a workout can help you transition out of work mode. Keeping a regular workout on your schedule can help foster a feeling of normalcy amid the chaos. 

Finally, exercise can help show your body some love! No matter what your reasons for getting your workout on, there’s no doubt that exercise is a way to respect your body. Hey, it does a lot for you! And you’ve got only one—why not treat it like the amazing thing it is?

Nothing beats that post workout pride high: You came, you saw, you conquered. Getting a workout accomplished is a reason to pat yourself on the back, so be proud! Especially when you had to dig deep for the motivation to do it in the first place.

Regular exercise can reduce the risk of many serious diseases, improve mental health and mood, and extend lifespan. Exercise benefits everyone. Some benefits arise with very small increases in physical activity for people who are currently inactive. Even if a person is far from meeting the recommended weekly activity levels, those first small steps are important and worthwhile. Sometimes it may seem overwhelming, but the most important thing is to take the first step! All you must do is start- the hardest part is finding a starting point. 

There are so many positive benefits to exercising! We hope this article encourages you to find your start- the most important part of exercising is finding somewhere to start. There are so many health benefits to exercising and we hope these reasons encourage you to start somewhere! The best place to start is anywhere; whether it’s a True40 class, a twenty-minute walk or a five-minute run. Set your goals- small goals go a long way! Small goals each week add up to a big goal in the end. We are here to encourage you in whatever fitness journey you’re currently in- here’s to the beginning of your journey! 

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