Exercise, no matter how exhausting and sometimes time-consuming, is wonderful for your body and mind.
I’ve been in a cycle with my body for my whole life of binging, then losing weight, then gaining more than I originally lost and so on. Every time I start exercising or watching what I eat, it is for the mere outcome of losing weight, to get my beach bod or to look hot. I’ve never seen diet and exercise as a lifestyle change because I stick with it for a month or two and then go back to being sedentary and eating whatever I want.
But that isn’t healthy. Diet and exercise should be part of your life no matter what stage of life you’re in. Exercising has so many health benefits that go beyond losing weight. Here are just a few.
Your skin clears.
All of those pimples you’re getting? Exercise can help. Exercise increases blood flow throughout your body. “By increasing blood flow, a bout of exercise helps flush cellular debris out of the system," dermatologist Ellen Marmur, MD, tells WebMD. "You can think of it as cleansing your skin from the inside."
Your focus is improved.
Increased blood flow to the brain makes you more alert and focused during the day. It can be helpful for time management and motivation to get your work done during the day. Forbes even argues that exercise makes you smarter!
“After exercising in the middle of the work day, workers are more likely to be kinder to their co-workers, increase their work performance and improve their time management. All these amount to a more productive day.”
Your mood is elevated.
Exercise makes you happier. As Elle Woods in Legally Blonde says, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't.”
She’s right, in two ways. According to WebMD, “When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain. Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of morphine.”
People that suffer mild to moderate depression can benefit from exercise because of the release of these “feel good” chemicals. It can help alleviate symptoms of both anxiety and depression.
You get better sleep.
Because exercise gets you moving, instead of sitting around, you tire yourself out. Actually doing something during the day makes sleeping at nights easier, and this is backed up by many scientific studies. (Here’s one if you want to read more about it!)
Your immune system gets stronger.
When you exercise, you’re likely to not get sick as often and be sick for shorter durations. According to an article on Living Healthy’s website, “moderately intense aerobic exercise increases the levels of natural killer cells (which seeks out and kills pathogens) and antibodies (which counteract pathogens that cause illness) respectively.”
Your metabolism increases.
And lastly, while losing weight is one of the reasons we exercise, it can speed up your metabolism which makes losing weight easier by burning calories faster and easier.
“When you exercise, you burn more calories because your working muscles require more fuel. After you finish your workout, your body begins a process of recovery. The more intensely that you work out, the longer your body takes to recover. During the repair process, your body continues to burn additional calories. Your metabolism stays elevated for as many as 24 hours after you finish exercising,” according to an article on Livestrong.com.
