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May 4, 2011

Health Benefits of Exercise

The health benefits of exercise are clear and well researched. Exercise is recognized as a top health practice for healing our ills and supporting body and mind wellness.
It is known that exercise benefits extend beyond physical health. It helps you improve social relationships and accomplish goals. It can even help the environment by reducing fuel consumption.
Best of all, you can reap all the health benefits of walking and other forms of exercise for free. If you walk or bicycle when possible, it can even save you money. It's easy to make exercise a part of your daily life.
No matter what type of exercise you do, accidentally or on purpose, you benefit. The human body is meant to be used and moved. For all these reasons, exercise is certainly a healthy living habit that is well worth cultivating and maintaining.

Mental Health Benefits of Exercise

Exercise benefits mental health in several ways, sometimes immediately.Exercise stimulates positive emotions. It stimulates brain chemicals that make you feel happier,more relaxed and improves our response to stressful episodes. Brisk exercise helps reduce the level of stress hormones in the body quickly.
When you feel emotionally stressed, "burn it off" with some vigorous exercise. MindBody stress reduction exercises also help.
People who walk and exercise regularly are more productive and have better concentration. They tend to have better self-esteem and feel better about how they look. If you participate in group sports, family walks or exercise classes, it can also be a lot of fun and help strengthen relationships.
Research supports the claim that regular exercise reduces anxiety levels and depression as well as other treatments. And unlike prescription drugs, there are only positive side effects.
Expect it to take a few weeks of consistent exercise before the benefits become evident. For anxiety, aerobic exercise is best. Depression generally responds best to vigorous exercise several times a week.

Physical Health Benefits of Exercise

health benefits of walkingBy promoting circulation, exercise benefits the body as well as the brain.Aerobic exercise, helps prevent or manage high blood pressure. It boosts HDL cholesterol and lowers triglycerides, helping to reduce plaque deposits.
Regular exercise helps protect people from osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer. Depending on how you exercise, it can help you look better, tone muscles, burn fat, and have more energy.
Regular exercise helps the heart and lungs work more efficiently.
Exercise benefits the body in many ways. It slows aging, adds healthy years of life and boosts immunity. This helps prevent colds and flu. Note that exercise that is too strenuous and stressful has the opposite effect.
Because regular exercisers have more energy and feel better about how they look, they tend to have better sex lives. Exercise enhances libido in women and helps protect men from erectile dysfunction (think circulation).

Weight bearing exercises and resistance training strengthens bones and tones or builds muscle. The lower body regularly bears weight while walking. To reap the exercise benefits for upper body osteoporosis protection you will have to do weight bearing exercises such as lifting weights, using resistance bands or doing push ups. Carrying children and grocery bags also works.
Core strengthening exercises such as pilates and yoga strengthen deep abdominal muscles that improve body strength, coordination, balance and posture. Core muscles support your internal organs, stabilize the lower back, aid spinal function and minimize the risk of lower back pain.
Probably one of the most popular reasons that people take up exercise is to lose or manage weight. Exercise burns calories. Toned muscles burn a lot more calories than fat.
Sustained cardiovascular and weight-bearing exercises will cause the body to burn fat. Don't be fooled though. You have to walk three miles to burn off the calories in one doughnut.
The health benefits of exercise are just too important to pass up. Make exercise a regular habit for good mental and physical health.

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