Taking care of yourself properly with the right amount of food, staying physically active and having a sufficient amount of sleep each day—these are the things we need to achieve in order for us to properly function the next day. Young or old—no matter what age you are, staying physically fit is one of the things you must attain.
If you stay physically active, you can reap the immediate and long-term health benefits. With that, you need to make your physical activities as your top priority as much as your body can.
As we age, our body starts to clamour for a high level of strength, power and speed, and an increase in our social well-being and mental health. Staying fit doesn’t necessarily mean you should perform physical fitness alone.
Remember this, staying fit is not just about being physically fit. It’s also about your spiritual, emotional, social and intellectual, creative and financial well-being.
Benefits of Regular Physical Activity
Did you know that a regular physical activity/exercise can help you reduce the risk of illness such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease? Not only that, regular exercise can help you to recover from other illnesses and conditions such as stroke.
Losing weight and toning your body might be the reasons why you workout. In fact, this is good for your self-esteem and your overall health. In case you have no idea how beneficial a regular physical activity is—it can be a great investment for your body, mind and soul.
Mental Health Benefits of Exercise
Stress relief is possibly one of the common mental benefits of exercise. A regular physical activity reduces the stress and the symptoms of mental conditions such as depression and anxiety you’ve been experiencing.
But how is that even possible? It is through the chemicals you are going to release during and after your workout. With this, it will help you to calm down, especially when you have anxiety disorders. Exercising daily also recovers you from mental health issues through your body’s ability to deal with existing mental tension.
As you do your regular workout routine, your blood pumps more to your brain, which helps you to think more clearly. Not only that, exercising has the ability to increase the size of your hippocampus—the responsible part of your brain for memory.
How amazing it is to know that exercising is also good for the mind! Owing to the fact that it does not just improve your memory, but it also protects your brain against injuries and diseases!
The symptoms among the clinically depressed can be diminished through exercise, according to recent studies. This is one of the reasons why doctors tend to recommend someone who suffers from depression or anxiety to get more involved in physical activity as exercise releases endorphins.
A Regular Exercise Can Reduce Your Risk Of:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Heart Disease
- Diabetes
- High-blood Pressure
- Osteoporosis
- Stroke
- Obesity
- Breast and Colon Cancer
How Much Exercise Do You Need?
It is recommended by the Australian Government Department of Health that adults need to perform at least half an hour of moderate to intensive exercises on most of the day of the week. In addition to the mental health benefits of exercise, exercising whilst practising mindfulness meditation can reduce stress and improves an individual’s mental health.