“I’m too tired.” – Sure, you’re tired. But so are the people who stay in bed all day.
“I don’t have time.” – This excuse is always a cop-out. You can either make time for your workout, or you can make time for other things, but you can’t make time for both. If you want to be healthy, fit and have time for other things in life, you’ll have to make time for working out.
Working out has a number of positive effects to our bodies. Some are direct while others are indirect. Let’s talk about them bellow.
- Improved mental health.
There are countless reasons to hit the gym or lace up your sneakers and head outdoors for a jog, but did you know that working out can also have a positive impact on your mental health?
From reducing stress and anxiety, to improving sleep and boosting self-esteem, exercise has been shown to be a powerful tool in maintaining mental health. So if you’re feeling down, or just looking to proactively improve your mental wellbeing, consider adding some exercise into your routine.
- Increased energy.
We all know that working out requires energy. Right? We often hear people say they’re too tired to work out, or they don’t have enough energy. But what most people don’t know is that working out actually increases energy.
When we exercise, our cells produce more energy. Our muscles use this energy to contract and expand. The heart being made of these muscles can now pump blood effectively. This increased energy production leads to increased alertness and improved brain function.
- Improved physical health.
Working out has so many benefits for our physical health! It can help improve our cardiovascular health, increase our strength and endurance, and help to prevent injuries.
One of the main ways that working out improves our physical health is by increasing our cardiovascular fitness. When we exercise, our heart rate increases and we start to breathe more deeply. This helps to improve the function of our heart and lungs, and can help reduce our risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
Regular exercise can also help to increase our strength and endurance. As we become stronger, we can better handle physical activities and tasks. This can help us to stay independent as we age.
- Decreased risk of chronic diseases.
There are many benefits of working out regularly. This includes a decreased risk of chronic disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), chronic diseases are responsible for seven of the ten leading causes of death in the United States. These diseases include heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes.
The good news is that chronic disease is preventable. In fact, research has shown that regular physical activity can reduce your risk of developing a chronic disease by as much as 50%.