The importance of exercise goes beyond the usual benefits that we know about. Countless past and present studies are continuously establishing and strengthening the link between exercise and good health, not just for the physical body, but also for the mind. It is not enough for an individual to know the importance of exercise, since a general account usually fails to motivate a person to take up exercise.
A deeper, closer look at what exercise can really do for the body and mind, plus an explanation of how exercise really brings about these benefits, are necessary to make a person realize how truly important exercise is.
Exercise and the Body – Physical Benefits of Exercise
- Exercise and the Physical Body
- How Exercise Really Works
1. Exercise and the Physical Body
Recently, the Department of Health and Human Services has released updated guidelines for the recommended amount of physical activity for every individual. According to the new guidelines, adults between 18 and 64 are advised to get moderate intensity exercise for 2 hours or high intensity exercise for 1 hour and 15 minutes weekly. Moderate intensity may include brisk walking or even water aerobics. High intensity exercises include running, biking, or swimming.
Decades of scientific research has also proven the fact that the longer the hours an individual spends on exercise, the greater the benefits to the body will be. Scientific research has also shown that exercise can help prevent the onset of major health diseases such as heart diseases, diabetes, and cancer. It seems pretty obvious that exercising more lengthens life expectancy, which was also proven in a study conducted by a medical professor at Harvard University, William Haskell. The study showed a discrepancy of about 7 years between the life expectancies of people who met the recommended amount of exercise and those who spend days on the couch.
All these physical benefits of exercise have several years of research to back them up.
2. How Exercise Really Works
So we know all the benefits of exercise. And thanks to decades of studies, the mechanism through which exercise heaps all its physical benefits to human bodies has also been revealed. Exercise nourishes the body because when one exercises, the heart muscle contracts with greater force and frequency. As a result, more blood flows out and through all the arteries, which means that the nervous system will become more relaxed and all the organs will be healthy and properly nourished.
Aside from that, long term effects of sustained exercise also showed that the resting heart rate of those who make exercise a habit becomes lower. This means that the heart needs fewer beats to pump blood throughout the body. When translated to medical terms, this lowers the blood pressure and keeps heart rate steady, which coincidentally are the two factors that help keep cardiovascular diseases at bay.
The many effects of exercise do not end there. Exercise also helps reduce the amount of unwanted fats in the body – LDL or bad cholesterol as well as plasma triglycerides in the body. LDL often leads to unnecessary stored fat while plasma triglycerides are the fat content in blood that can cause blockages in the arteries. With these gone, through exercise, there will be a lower risk for medical problems such as obesity and arterial clogging.
These are just some of the discovered reasons behind the importance of exercise to the proper maintenance of the human body.
Exercise and the Mind – Psychological Benefits of Exercise
While several studies have resolutely proven the beneficial relationship between exercise and the physical body, studies about the importance of exercise for the maintenance of mental and psychological health are still underway. Some findings have led the experts to believe that such a connection exists.
So far, studies have shown that exercise helps the body release the right hormones at the right times and in the right amounts. This regulated supply of hormones help keep the mind balanced. Exercise was also found to help in the release of endorphins. Endorphins are hormones that help a person feel good, calm, optimistic, and energized. This powerful hormone even has the ability to block pain and remorse feelings. Endorphins work by attaching to receptors found outside the brain cells, the very same receptors that receive signals from addictive recreational drugs, which is why endorphins are often called the body’s own natural supply of marijuana.
But how does this work? According to studies, the brain releases endorphins when it recognizes that the body is in stress. And when a person exercises, the brain interprets that as stress, and it promptly releases more endorphins.
For these reasons, the importance of exercise extends beyond the needs of the physical body but also includes the needs of the mind.