Health and fitness facts
You hear it all the time: fitness is one of the most important things you can do for your health. "This is the closest we have to a wonder drug," says Gene Shirokobrod of DPT, MD, co-founder of Recharge in Ellicott City. "It has significant benefits and very few side effects."
These benefits go far beyond your physical body. fitness can improve your mood, help you sleep better and keep your body functioning, not to mention reduce your risk of chronic disease health.
How long will that take? For adults, experts recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week (you can split it however you like, such as 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week) and 2 days of strength-training activity.
You don't have to lift a certain weight or run a certain number of miles. And if you're not active right now, start slow.
President of the American College of Sports Medicine Foundation, Dr. "A little bit is all it takes to get started and build good habits. It makes a huge difference," says Mark Hutchinson.
Here are nine of the most important benefits of fitness to health:
1-makes you resilient
Exercise is essential for building and maintaining strong bones and muscles. Typically, you start to lose your bone mass around age 40, and more than half of Americans over age 50 have osteoporosis, a condition in which your bones become weak and brittle.
Exercise, especially weight-bearing exercise, counteracts the natural deterioration of bone density, says Shirokobrod. Activities such as brisk walking, running, and resistance training put a strain on bones and joints and force them to rebuild.
Muscle mass also begins to decrease after the age of 30. But Shirokobrod says this is not an inevitable outcome. A gradual strength training plan while getting enough quality protein can compensate for this loss.
2-Improve cardiovascular health
Your heart is a muscle, and it's no surprise that physical activity plays a role in cardiovascular health. For example, exercises such as high-intensity interval training improve heart rate variability, that is, the time difference between heartbeats. It is often used as an indicator of the performance of the cardiovascular system. More variation means your heart can easily speed up and slow down to adapt to different situations.
3-Reduces the risk of death
Yes, we are all mortal. But people who are physically active, whether it's aerobic exercise or strength training, are more likely to live longer. Exercise also protects people with cancer and reduces the risk of dying within a given period of time by up to 35%. In fact, sedentary lifestyles can lead to risk factors that can lead to life-threatening problems.
Exercise teaches your body to adapt to stress and everything starts working better, including your heart, lungs, blood vessels, and kidneys.
"You also clean things in your system better," says Hutchinson. “You have less bad cholesterol and fewer heart health problems. You have a lower risk of high blood pressure and other heart problems.
4-Boost your mood
While you've probably heard the term "runner's high," you can get an exercise-induced mood boost from any workout. Physical activity prepares your brain for it.
Exercise increases the amount of endocannabinoids in the body. These molecules are similar to the compound found in cannabis and can cause feelings of well-being and even euphoria, especially after 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity exercise. Aerobic exercise and resistance training have been shown to significantly reduce symptoms associated with depression and anxiety.
While you've probably heard the term "runner's high," you can get an exercise-induced mood boost from any workout. Physical activity prepares your brain for it.
fitness increases the amount of endocannabinoids in the body. These molecules are similar to the compound found in cannabis and can cause feelings of well-being and even euphoria, especially after 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity exercise. Aerobic exercise and resistance training have been shown to significantly reduce symptoms associated with depression and anxiety.
5-Keeps blood sugar under control
Hutchinson notes that if you have diabetes, exercise can help reduce the amount of medication you may need to manage the condition. Physical activity can increase sensitivity to insulin, the hormone that helps the body manage blood sugar. Both vigorous and moderate-intensity exercise improves glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes.
6-Improve brain health
Physical activity promotes better circulation in the brain. The increased blood flow brings more oxygen and nutrients to the brain while eliminating waste. This may be why studies have shown that exercise improves cognitive and executive functions.
Exercise also triggers the growth of new nerve cells or neurons, which can lead to changes in brain structure that promote learning. It turns out that exercise also changes your brain structure. The researchers found that people with better cardiovascular fitness showed less damage and less deterioration of the white matter in their brains.
7-reduce stress
Activities like yoga don't just make you agile. According to Hutchinson, the mind-body connection can improve mental health.
Studies have shown that yoga activates the parasympathetic nervous system, a network of nerves that tells the body to relax. The combination of yoga poses and breathing exercises improved heart rate variability and stress levels. Among medical students, a regular yoga program reduced stress and led to feelings of focus, happiness, and well-being.
8-Reduces the risk of falling
Falls can cause serious injuries and hospitalizations, especially in the elderly. "The number one reason people weaken and eventually die is because of falls," says Shirokobrod. That is the long-term consequences of being bedridden after a fall pose a significant risk for the elderly.
But research shows that if you're regularly active, your risk of injury from falling is up to 40% lower. Shirokobrod says that balance exercises and strength training can both protect your body from falls and help you bounce back faster if you fall.
9-It Enhances Your Quality of Life
