There are various benefits of exercise that you can get, from maintaining organ function to increasing stamina and endurance. Not only is it beneficial for your physical health, exercise is also good for your mental health.
Exercise1 is one of the most practical and simple ways to maintain a healthy body, but it is still often neglected. In fact, by exercising and being active on a regular basis, your body can be fitter and your health will be maintained.
Various Benefits of Exercise for Body Health
It’s never too late to exercise. Regardless of your age, regular physical activity and exercise are good for a healthier and stronger body. The following are the various benefits of exercise for the health of the body that you can get:
1. Exercise prevent heart disease and stroke
Regular exercise every day or at least 3 times per week can strengthen the heart muscle, improve blood flow, and increase levels of good cholesterol (HDL) and lower levels of bad cholesterol (LDL).
This makes exercise an important step to prevent cardiovascular diseases, such as heart disease and stroke.
2. Control blood sugar levels
Exercise can keep blood sugar levels stable, especially in people with type 2 diabetes. Not only that, regular exercise can also prevent insulin resistance which can trigger diabetes.
3. Keep blood pressure stable
In healthy people, exercising regularly can prevent hypertension or high blood pressure. While in people with hypertension, exercise can lower blood pressure and keep it stable.
Some types of exercise that are suitable for lowering blood pressure are swimming, cycling, jogging, yoga, and leisurely walks.
4. Exercise prevents and relieves back pain
Back pain is one of the most common complaints experienced by adults and people older than 70. This complaint can be caused by many things, ranging from pinched nerves, injuries, the wrong sleeping position, to the habit of rarely moving.
Exercise is one of the steps that can be taken to prevent and relieve back pain. With regular exercise, the muscles of the body, such as the back, abdominal, and leg muscles, will become stronger and able to support the joints and spine better.
Various types of exercise that are good for back pain are yoga, swimming, cycling, walking, or pilates. However, if your back pain does not improve or gets worse with exercise, you should consult a doctor.
5. Maintain ideal body weight
Doing regular physical activity can reduce body fat tissue and lose weight and keep it stable. This makes exercise important to do to prevent or treat obesity.
However, so that the benefits of exercise can be felt to the maximum, you also need to maintain an ideal body weight by eating balanced nutritious foods according to your body’s needs.
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6. Keep your body fit and strong when you get older
Not only good for young people, exercise is also very good for the health of the people older than 70.
Various types of exercise, such as leisurely walking, cycling, swimming, and gymnastics, have been shown to make the people older than 70 more fit. In addition, exercise can also strengthen muscles, bones, and joints, and prevent dementia.
7. Reducing the risk of osteoporosis
Various types of exercise, such as walking, soccer, basketball, or aerobics, can strengthen muscles, bones, and joints. Some research also shows that regular exercise plays a role in preventing bone loss or osteoporosis.
However, to keep bones and joints strong, you also need to get enough nutrients that are important for bone health, such as vitamin D and calcium.
Benefits of Exercise for Mental Health
Daily exercise can not only improve your physical health, it can also improve your mental health. Some of the benefits of exercise for mental health, namely:
1. Improve mood
Exercise can improve mood by stimulating the formation of chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin and endorphins.
When you’re feeling stressed or in a bad mood after a stressful day, try exercising to improve your mood. In order to maximize the benefits of exercise, choose the type of exercise that you like.
2. Cultivate self-confidence
Regular exercise can maintain an ideal body weight. This can make you more confident about your appearance and build self-esteem.
3. Overcoming stress
One of the benefits of good exercise for mental health is reducing stress and preventing depression. With regular exercise, levels of stress hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine can be reduced.
Meanwhile, levels of the hormones serotonin and dopamine that can improve mood will increase, so you feel more relaxed and happy. Exercise is also good for preventing and relieving symptoms of mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety disorders.
4. Makes sleep better
Do you have trouble sleeping at night or often wake up in the middle of the night? Well, regular exercise can be a solution to overcome it. This activity can also help you fall asleep faster and more soundly.
However, to get the benefits of exercise, you are advised to do sleep hygiene and not exercise before bedtime.
5. Restores sexual desire
For those of you who often feel tired or less passionate during sex, try exercising more often. Regular physical activity or exercise has also been shown to increase sexual arousal or libido and reduce the risk of erectile dysfunction.
In addition to the several benefits of exercise for mental health above, exercise can also be a positive and fun way to spend free time. This physical activity can also make you feel less lonely, especially if you do it with your family or loved ones.
Exercise is even good for relieving menstrual symptoms.
Amount of Exercise Time Required
In general, adults ages 19–64 are advised to exercise about 150 minutes per week or 30 minutes per day. If you don’t have time to exercise, you can also divide your exercise time into 2 sessions per day, for example 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the afternoon.
If during this time you are not used to exercising and are less active, try to do the exercise gradually. You can start with a simple and light exercise, such as a leisurely walk or going up and down stairs.
This type of activity can make the heart rate increase and make the body sweat a lot.
When the body has started to get used to it, you can increase the intensity and time of exercise according to your body’s ability. Regular exercise is good for people who are healthy and have certain medical conditions. Before you start exercising, don’t forget to warm up.
However, to be on the safe side, people with certain medical conditions, such as heart disease or excess lactic acid, are advised to consult a doctor first to ensure the type of exercise that suits their needs and physical abilities. Thus, the benefits of exercise can be obtained to the maximum.
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