5 Reasons to Get Moving

 Intro:

Are you looking to make some changes in your life? Maybe you’ve always wanted to start exercising more but never have been able to find the motivation to get started, or maybe you just want to try something new. Whatever your reason may be, fitness and workout can provide numerous benefits to your health, both physical and mental, so it’s worth taking the time to learn about them. Here are five great reasons why getting moving can benefit you greatly!

1) Exercise has medical benefits

Recent studies show that moderate exercise, even without weight loss, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol in patients with heart disease. What’s more, it can also improve psychological symptoms like anxiety and depression. Exercise is a vital part of any weight-loss plan: It helps burn calories, lower your body fat percentage and build muscle. Physical activity also helps your body release endorphins—natural chemicals that make you feel good—so it’s easier to maintain an exercise routine when you’re feeling positive about it. For many people, a simple walk around their neighborhood or down one flight of stairs at work provides sufficient physical activity for at least one day.

2) Exercise can reduce stress

Even a simple walk can relieve stress and improve your mood. A study from Duke University even found that regular exercise may be as effective as antidepressants for some people with mild depression. Exercise improves cardiovascular health: Exercise strengthens your heart, builds lean muscle mass, and lowers your body fat percentage—all of which improve cardiovascular health. Even a few hours a week of moderate physical activity can lower risk factors for heart disease, like high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. Exercise can also help you sleep better at night by improving sleep quality; over time, those who exercise tend to report sleeping better than those who don’t. Exercise reduces cancer risk: Recent research indicates that staying active helps prevent cancer in various ways, including boosting the production of certain proteins and hormones in our bodies.

3) Exercise improves mood

I’m not saying that an exercise routine can cure depression, but I am saying that regular physical activity can improve your mood. Several studies have linked exercise with lower levels of anxiety and depression. Exercise is also known to alleviate symptoms of other mental health conditions like ADHD and bipolar disorder, too. It’s true: Getting some me-time can lift your spirits—and it may even make you a little more tolerable at home.

4) Exercise promotes better sleep

A better night’s sleep improves your alertness and productivity throughout your day. Exercising during your waking hours helps you get into a regular sleep rhythm, making it easier for you to fall asleep at night and stay asleep throughout the night. Exercise even helps people with insomnia improve their sleep quality, according to research from Harvard Medical School. For example, consider an intervention led by Dr. Michael Grandner at Duke University: Among adults with persistent insomnia or poor sleep quality, those who participated in an hour-long exercise class twice a week over 6 weeks fell asleep faster and spent more time in REM than those who did not participate in any such classes.

5) Exercising improves memory

Do you have a hard time remembering faces, names, dates, and places? Just 15 minutes of cardiovascular exercises—such as jogging or jumping rope—may improve your brain’s ability to recognize visual details. A study conducted at Loughborough University in England found that study participants who exercised before taking a memory test had higher scores than those who didn’t exercise. It may be that exercise affects learning by increasing blood flow to specific parts of the brain, says lead researcher Dr. Jason R. Allen.

5 Reasons to Get Moving