Exercise is a key aspect to maintaining long term health both mentally and physically. Many people begin their exercise and fitness journey with this common fitness goal: to lose weight. And while regular exercise is a key aspect to losing weight and maintaining a goal weight, there is so much more to exercise. In fact, regular exercise comes with countless benefits whether you are overweight, underweight, or right on target with weight. Here are a few of the major reasons that exercise is about more than losing weight and the other benefits that come with exercise.
Fight Off Diseases
According to Harvard Health, the aspect of fitness that many people don’t realize comes with exercise is a boost to your immune system. There are a handful of ways that exercise helps your body fight off disease. Firstly, exercise increases blood flow, which can increase the amount of white blood cells available in your body to attack invaders that can make you sick. Exercise also helps to reduce inflammation throughout the body which Is a contributing factor in all sorts of illnesses and diseases. If you want to give your immune system a boost, then exercise is a great pursuit for you.
Reduce Stress
Another one of the many benefits of regular exercise is the stress reducing aspects of exercise. Stress is one of the worst things for your body. According to Granite Peaks Gastroenterology, stress can affect your body in all kinds of physical ways, including digestion. When you exercise, your body releases a few key chemicals and neurotransmitters which help to regulate stress and mood. One of these is dopamine, the feel-good hormone which can boost feelings of euphoria and decrease stress. Another is endorphins, which are also a great stress reliever. If you find that you struggle with stress, regular exercise is a great reliever.
Live Longer
According to Web MD, the final benefit to exercise beyond just losing weight is the ability to extend your life. While you may know that exercise can increase your quality of life as you age by improving mobility and energy levels as you age, you may not realize that it leads to a longer life. When you exercise and remain healthy, your body is less susceptible to the kinds of chronic illness and disease that lead to earlier than necessary death. If you want to live as long as possible then exercise is important to keep up.
Exercise comes with many benefits, one of them being weight loss. But too many people ignore the other positive aspects of exercise and only think about weight. Think about all these amazing benefits of exercise and get active today.
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