Benefits you might not know about exercise besides looking good
We all know the main reason we work out, to look and feel better, but there are a lot of reasons to work out, some of them as not as obvious as you might think. The more you know about why it’s important to keep fit, the more you realize that you have to do it, as the alternatives are scary as hell. Exercise isn’t just a fun thing you want to do, it is mandatory in your life. You might not feel that strongly about it, but we can put together a few bits of research to show you that it’s more important than you think.
Weight loss
Ok, this one is a no-brainer, but, what you might not realize is how important this is. The single biggest factor in health is weight loss. There was a scientist years ago that did a Twinkie diet, though unfortunately, people didn’t really get the reason he did it. He ate nothing but junk food, Twinkies, for a few months. He lost weight as he made sure that though he was eating junk, the calories were well below his maintenance. He did a blood workup before starting the diet, and when he finished he did another one, he had lost a lot of weight, and every blood marker was shown to have improved. The point he was making was that weight is the most important health marker, it doesn’t matter what you eat. Eating healthy is good, great even, but, more important than eating healthy is just losing the excess weight. So eat less, eat healthily and exercise and you are golden
Saves you money
You might think that that gym membership is costing you money but in the long run, it is a bargain. It has been found that people that exercise responsibly, have less doctor and hospital visits than their couch potato counterparts. They have fewer medicines to buy and less time off work. With the cost of a stay in the hospital these days, it makes exercising expenses seem like pennies
Sleep
Exercise will help you have deeper and more relaxing sleep. Think of it like shaking the body nutrients up and getting everything working right. Make sure you get at least 8 hours sleep a night. Less than that and you would be surprised and the damage it causes. Exercise helps you get those 8 hours with less lying awake.
Pain
Exercise can help reduce chronic pain or persistent pain. It has also been shown that it can help with offsetting the pain of arthritis. You might feel pain in your muscles after exercise, but that will generally only be for a month or so until your body gets used to it. After that doing consistent exercise can help your overall pain levels quite dramatically.
Happier
Exercise can make you happier on the satisfaction scale. Exercise can release dopamine which can elevate happiness, as well as a myriad of other chemicals that will help your overall well-being. Exercise has been shown to help reduce anxiety as well as reduce depression dramatically. Your body wants to reward you for exercising, so let it.
Less injury
Although you can get injures with exercise, if you are responsible and don’t get carried away, exercise will actually reduce your lifetime injuries. When you are fit, taking a fall is a lot less serious than when you are not. With exercise, your bones and ligaments are stronger, and you have less chance of damage. Your balance and spatial perceptions are generally higher as well, so there is less chance of a fall.
Energy
You never have enough time to work out as there is always so much to do, but in reality, if you take an hour and work out, you will have more time in the day as your energy levels will rise. It will seem like there are more hours in the day than there were before and you are a lot more productive
Disease
Exercise helps your overall healing and increases your immune system. Think of your body as a car, if it is not taken care of it will break down. The better you take care of it the less chance of bad things happening. Your body fights disease every moment of every day, so help it, get into shape and it will not have to fight quite as hard and will keep you alive longer.
Skin
Your skin will look better. It’s not just about the muscles. Your skin is the largest organ in your body, and it needs care too. When you exercise, the increased blood flow will help deal with oxidative stress, as well as flushing out your system when you sweat. Your skin will have fewer wrinkles and look younger.
Do a better job
If you take time and have a small workout every day at lunch or before work, you will find that your job performance will improve significantly, as well as your job satisfaction. Even if you hate your job, exercise will help you deal with that. The better you do your job, the better your chances are to get a raise or advancement, so you could say exercise can make you more money.
Preferential treatment
As much as we wish it wasn’t so, people that look good get preferential treatment in life. You will find people respond more favorable when you are fit. Your attitude is better and you are more attractive and people respond to that. Of course, dressing well, grooming and other things also add to this, but, if you are out of shape and overweight, grooming and clothes can only take you so far. If you want to make life easier for yourself, get in shape.
Getting fit and in shape is so much more than just getting muscles. Yes it’s great to look good in those jeans or in that bathing suit, but it’s more than just that. Exercise shows that you care, that you are a prime example of a human, and that you are making the effort to get better. It will keep you healthy, happy, and advance your life in so many ways. You need to exercise, you need to get fit, and the alternatives are not worth thinking about.