No one will argue with the fact that health is the most important human need. After all, being healthy means being full of energy and developing harmoniously as a person in many directions. There is a close relationship between physical activity and human health. It is difficult even to list all the positive phenomena that occur in the body during reasonably organized physical exercises. Muscular movement is the main biological function of the body. The movement stimulates the processes of growth, development, and formation of the body, contributes to the formation and improvement of the higher mental and emotional sphere, activates the activity of vital organs and systems, supports and develops them, and helps to increase the overall tone. Indeed, movement is life.
Some experts have established the fact that physical activity is beneficial for absolutely everyone, regardless of age. After all, in this way a person is guaranteed to gain self-confidence. Excellent appearance and good health of all body systems – these are the stunning results that exercise regularly will bring you. In this article, we will discuss how you can benefit from regular exercise.
Table of Contents
Improve Mood
Physical activity releases dopamine, a hormone, and neurotransmitter that stimulates the reward and pleasure centers in the brain. The more you exercise, the more dopamine gets into your brain and makes you happy. Regular exercise helps you feel better about your body and appearance, which means it increases self-esteem and self-confidence. By the way, we advise you to read an interesting article by The Guardian on the topic of the higher effectiveness of exercise compared to consultations with a psychologist and medication for depression.
Help to Sleep Better
Morning practices will not only energize you for the whole day and increase your metabolism, but also improve your sleep at night. And the benefits of quality sleep are as great as the exercise itself: it reduces anxiety and depression, strengthens the immune system, and reduces the risk of diabetes, breast cancer, and stroke.
Take Care of Your Skin
Who doesn’t want to be fit and have smooth, firm skin? Regular exercise helps you look younger. From physical activity, blood flows more to the tissues of the face, which gives it a healthy look. And sweat removes dead skin cells, helping to renew itself.
Helps to Look Fitter and Younger
Regular physical activity reverses or slows down the aging process. Research at McMaster University in Ontario found that exercise reversed signs of aging in mice. A later study of active and sedentary participants found that the skin of those who exercised looked like those in their 20s and 30s.
Strengthen Memory and Brain Function
The brain shrinks with age, but a Harvard study is reassuring that regular exercise can help slow and sometimes prevent tissue damage in the memory area of the brain. Another study showed that those who chose dancing as their physical activity reduced their risk of dementia by 76%.
Exercise Helps Control Weight
Physical activity burns calories, and if you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. If you combine cardio with strength training, muscle mass displaces fat. Combined with proper nutrition, exercise is the only healthy way to control weight. In addition, the calorie calculator will become your faithful assistant in this matter. After all, by fixing the calorie content of each meal, you can select the appropriate physical activity and create a calorie deficit.
Reduces Stress Levels
Sports activities distract from everyday worries and increase the level of happy hormones – endorphins, which is confirmed by studies. Even if time is always short, you can do simple exercises to help manage stress. If we have already touched on the topic of stress, then there is one interesting article on the topic of how to reduce stress levels if you are working as a freelancer.
How does exercise help relieve stress?
- Physical activity increases the production of endorphins, neurotransmitters that enhance feelings of pleasure and well-being. They are also called hormones of happiness. The release of endorphins during exercise can make you feel “runner’s high” (“runner’s high”), but any aerobic activity, such as playing tennis or walking in the park, can cause this feeling.
- Exercise can relieve stress by mimicking the fight-or-flight response, one of the body’s main responses to acute stress, thereby helping all of the body’s systems work together to cope with this response. And this has a positive effect on the immune, cardiovascular, and digestive systems of the body.
As a result of the fight-or-flight response, the body releases hormones, activating the sympathetic nervous system. It, in turn, stimulates the adrenal glands, causing the release of adrenaline and norepinephrine. This chain leads to an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and increased breathing. The fight-or-flight response can develop when a person is faced with imminent physical or psychological danger. The most banal example is a meeting with a big and angry-looking dog while jogging or an exam or an important presentation at work.
- Activity, whether it’s football, swimming in the pool, or something else, can be called meditation in motion. While playing sports, many people find that they forget about daytime stimuli and concentrate only on body movements. If you regularly combat everyday stress with physical activity, in most cases you will find that this focus on one task and the resulting energy and optimism help to keep your mind clear, calm, and focused in everything you do.
- Regular exercise improves mood, increases self-confidence, and helps to relax. They also have a positive effect on sleep, which is often disturbed due to stress or depression. All of these benefits help reduce your overall stress levels and give you a sense of control over your body and your life.
Final Thoughts on The Importance of Physical Activity
Today, physical activity has become very important for people, regardless of their age and gender. It has many useful properties for our health and well-being. Above all, regular exercise helps control weight and avoid obesity. In addition, they strengthen our muscles and bones, improve our endurance and coordination of movements.
It is worth noting that regular exercise and sports are beneficial not only for our physical body but for the mind. In more detail, physical activity will help reduce the risk of depressive thoughts and improve mood in general. Regular exercise also helps increase the amount of oxygen reaching the brain, which can improve our memory and ability to solve complex problems. Moreover, physical activity has a beneficial effect on our skin, helping to keep it healthy and hydrated. This can be especially important for people with skin problems such as acne or dryness.
Thus, physical activity has many benefits for our health and well-being. By the way, on this topic, you can even start your own blog on Instagram and gather like-minded people around you. Regular physical activity can greatly improve our quality of life and help us achieve greater happiness and health. Therefore, it is important to exercise regularly and include it in your daily routine. Remember that movement is life!
