Benefits of Exercise

 Exercise is one of the most hyped term. In today's modern world where stress is everyday job, compromising in sleep is is considered common, obesity and heart disease are increasing etc. Exercise can be only one medicine for all of these. It is more often talked than done.

Today in this blog of Lifestyle, I want to share some reasons about why exercise should be the part of your everyday routine.

#. What is Exercise?

Exercise is actually any sort of physical movement or activity of body that increases the heart rate, which results in burning of calories.

Some people relates exercising or workout with gyming exclusively. However it is not true exercise can be playing your favourite sports, dancing, doing yoga, sprinting or any other aerobic or resistance training.

One who is unable to do these can do brisk walking or just taking stairs.

#. Benefits of Exercise

1) Helps to lose Fats

This is a most common benefits of exercise  In todays world where desk jobs are common, Obesity is increasing day by day. Exercises is very effective against obesity.

Exercising burns calories and boost metabolism which helps to cut down fat percentage in our body. Fats are converted into energy which is utilised in exercise. It can also help to prevent obesity in future.

2) Helps to manage Stress and Depression

Today every second person is dealing with some kind of stress, which when not managed can lead to depression.

Exercise can be very effective tool to manage stress. Any sort of exercising immediately boost our mood and makes us feel happier and relaxed. While exercising neurotransmitter like Dopamine, Serotonin, Endorphins etc. are released which instantly uplift our mood and helps to prevent depression. 

Good thing is that intensity of exercise doesn't matter, even light exercise works well in stress management.

3) Improves skin and hair health which slows down ageing

With increase in blood flow towards skin and hair combined with increase in testosterone level, promotes repair and nourishment of them. With increase in blood flow our skin and hair health improves significantly which can make us look younger and slows down ageing.

4) Makes us more active and energetic 

Exercising boost metabolism which result in release of energy, thus making us more energetic. 

By exercising, our strength increases with decrease our response time to any stimulus, making us more active. It improve reaction time. 

Exercise is real energy booster resulting in being more productive in day to day tasks.

5) Promotes better Sleep

Nowadays, where insomnia and others sleep disorder are becoming common, exercise can act as natural sleeping pills.

During intense exercise where lots of energy expenditure has occurred, our body get tired and fatigued resulting in better sleep quality. And we wake up fresh and energetic the next day. While sleeping our body recovers from micro injury and regain energy lost during exercise. 

Sleeping well only can keep a many mental and physical problem at bay.

6) Makes you Stronger

Resistance type of exercise help of gain muscle mass and bone density. 

While resistance training our muscle fibre breaks, which then recover during sleep results in increase in muscle mass. This result in increase in strength. This is why the weight you were struggling to lift yesterday can be easily lifted today.

It also increases bone density and prevent osteoporosis. The number of sets and reps increase gradually.

7) Improves Focus and Memory

Exercising regularly improves blood flow in our brain which improves our brain health making it younger for longer.

Moreover exercising is proved to grow new brain cells in hippocampus of brain which is vital to focus and memory. This results in an increase in volume of hippocampus, so focus and long-term memory also improves. 

This may be good news for students.

8) Helps to boost Immune system

By exercising people do not get attacked by disease easily. Exercising makes our immune system stronger. Exercise helps to in increase the amount of WBC which fight against disease and rapid translocation of it to infected parts.

9) Improves Cardiovascular health

With increase in heart rate in every workout session our heart gets stronger similar to our muscle. This prevent cardiovascular disease like heart stroke. Exercise can helps to prevent buildup of plaque in artery which also reduce the chance of cardiovascular disease. Regular exercise also built new blood vessel improving blood circulation and overall health.

#. How to get started doing Exercise?

1) Set achievable goals

After you have decided to include exercise in your life you need to make a plan which include achievable goals. 

Suppose you want to achieve 30 pushups then first aim for shorter reps like 5 or 8 then as your fitness level improves increase your reps. Take baby steps and progress gradually. This will keep you motivated and you will stick to the plan.

2) Consult with the doctor if you have any issues

If you are suffering from any kind of health issue it is very important to consult your doctor before getting started. This can help to avoid worst condition and risk of injury. 

It can also help to create exercise plan accordingly. Taking doctors advice is most in case of health illness.

3) Stick to Exercising

There are many people who start working out and then completely leave it after sometime. It should not be done. Sticking to it is key for reaping it's benefits. You need to understand that fitness is not a destination, it is a way of life life. Once you achieve your goal you should not leave it.

At beginning you may feel difficult and want to leave it. Staying motivated can help to stick to it. Tracking progress, listening to motivating music and watching motivational videos can help to stay motivated.

#. Tips for beginners

1) Warm up :- One should never skip warm up. Warm up increases the heart rate and makes your body prepare for workout. It reduces risk of injury and stretch mark during exercise. It helps to improve flexibility and reduce sourness after workout.

2) Cool down :- Cool down is as important as warmup after exercise. It helps your body to return to normal state after workout. It has to normalize heartbeat and breathing pattern and reduce the chance of muscle soreness.

3) Avoid Dehydration :- During exercise our fluid level reduces due to sweating which need to be replenish to avoid dehydration. Never skip drinking water between exercise. It helps to maintain optimal performance during workout. It also helps to recover from workout. So, drink plenty of fluid throughout the day.

4) Focus on Nutrition :- You must focus on consuming balance diet for the success of workout. Fitness depends more on what you eat than your time in gym. Avoid junk and packaged food and focus on homemade food. Increase the amount of protein in your diet, which helps to recover muscle after workout. However, you should not skip on carbs and healthy fats too. All nutrient are important.

Exercise can literally change the way of your life. Bringing exercise in your life will not only give you happier and more productive life today but also protect you from diseases tomorrow, in this way it will change your life for better.

I hope you like our blog, Thankyou for sticking with Lifestyle.