When it comes to improving your overall health and well-being, few things are as effective and essential as regular exercise. As a physical therapist, I can’t emphasize enough the transformative power that exercise holds. This can be understood by the fact that in post-surgical cases of limb fracture exercises are the only way to get back to normal life by regaining muscle strength and joint mobility.
In this article, we will explore the 9 benefits that exercise offers, from physical health to mental clarity, and how it positively affects your sexual health, musculoskeletal health, endurance, and respiratory health.
- 1) Exercise is important for muscle health
- 2) Why workout is important for better joint health
- 3) Reduce your risk of heart attack, Exercise improves cardiovascular health
- 4) Exercise also helps with weight management
- 5) Better mental health
- 6) Increased Energy Levels
- 7) Better Sleep Quality
- 8) Enhanced Immune System
- 9) Positive Effects on Sexual Function
- Conclusion
1) Exercise is important for muscle health
Being a physical therapist let me begin with the positive effects of exercises on our muscles and joints. Two of the most important effect of regular exercise on our muscle is it improves muscle strength and endurance. Both strength and muscle endurance are important for well-being. Muscle strength is how much force your muscle can tolerate, for example, how much weight you can lift with your hands. To increase your muscle strength you need to follow strength training, like heavy-weight gym training. It is more appropriate for young people.
Endurance on the other hand is how long one can continue with a particular physical activity. For example, how long can you jog, cycle, and swim without getting tired? One should follow strength training to improve muscle endurance, which includes light activities like aerobics, walking, jogging, cycling, swimming etc. It is recommended for both young and senior people. For seniors who are chairbound can follow these 12 Easy Chair Exercises for Seniors that can be easily performed sitting in a chair.
There are even specific sets of exercises for ladies with belly bulge due to diastasis recti developed after delivery.
2) Why workout is important for better joint health
For optimum health of our joints, exercises are very crucial. In our physiotherapy practice, one of the major share of patients we deal with is joint stiffness. The common reason for joint stiffness is inactivity, this could be a rest period post-surgery, or simply the inability to move joints due to pain or paralysis.
Moreover, maintaining musculoskeletal health through exercise can alleviate chronic pain conditions, like, exercises for osteoarthritis knee, resistance band exercises for shoulder. In addition to this regular exercise improves blood circulation in and around the joint that is very helpful for optimum joint health.
3) Reduce your risk of heart attack, Exercise improves cardiovascular health
Exercise also has a beneficial effect on our cardiovascular system. A recent study1 finds that heart disease disk can be deduced by brisk walking. Exercise improves the blood flow in our body and is very good for the health of the heart.
Let me simplify it for you, When we engage in activities like jogging, swimming, or cycling, you might have noticed that our heartbeat increases. This is to supply the increased demand for oxygen because of exercise. It beats faster to increase blood flow through a network of blood vessels to supply oxygen to every tissue and cell.
So, regular exercise improves blood flow, helps lower blood pressure, improves cholesterol levels, and strengthens the heart muscle, which collectively contributes to a healthier heart.
This improved circulation also benefits sexual health by promoting better blood flow to the genital area, aiding in sexual arousal and function.
4) Exercise also helps with weight management
For weight management, burning calories and shedding the extra weight burning the fat is very important. When you engage in physical activities, your body burns calories, helping you shed excess weight and build lean muscle mass. You can use this online walking calorie burned calculator to track how many calories you’re burning for walking a particular distance. To make your weight loss journey more effective you can add a time-restricted eating plan.
Want to reduce fat around your hip and thigh? Follow these 6 Easy Hip Fat Reduction Exercises for Shaped Thigh.
5) Better mental health
If you are already into regular workouts, you must have felt the lightness of release of your mental stress after exercises. The fact is also backed by research2 that exercises helps mild to moderate improvement of mental health. Research also supports the fact that healthy lifestyle and workout in young can significantly reduce the risk of dementia later in life.
Actually, when we work out, our body releases endorphins, often referred to as “feel-good” hormones. These natural chemicals have the capability to alleviate symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression, promoting better mental health. Reduced stress and anxiety levels, in turn, have many positive benefits on other aspects of our health, like improving sexual desire and responsiveness.
6) Increased Energy Levels
Workout also rejuvenates our energy level. Regular physical activity increases your stamina and endurance, making daily tasks feel less exhausting. This newfound energy can translate into a more fulfilling and active sex life.
Here, I would also like to add that exercises also helps maintain optimum blood sugar level. You can refer to this dummies guide to exercising for diabetes for better guidance if you have elevated blood sugar levels.
7) Better Sleep Quality
As we just discussed above, regular workout helps release mental stress. Stress-free life is essential for sound sleep, as poor sleep is linked to dementia and memory loss. So, if you struggle with sleep problems, exercise may be the solution you’ve been looking for. Engaging in regular physical activity can improve sleep quality by helping you fall asleep faster and enjoy deeper, more restorative sleep.
Quality sleep is essential for sexual health and overall well-being. It also plays a crucial role in musculoskeletal recovery and repair.
8) Enhanced Immune System
A strong immune system is your body’s first line of defence against illness. Exercise has been shown to bolster your immune system by promoting the circulation of immune cells, making you more resistant to infections and diseases. With the recent COVID-19 outbreak, the significance of a healthy lifestyle and exercise multiplies and a recent study3 also suggests that regular exercise improves immunity to fight COVID-19 infection. Research has included 16 studies and they found that regular exercise is associated with fewer chances of getting infected by COVID-19.
9) Positive Effects on Sexual Function
Exercise can have a direct impact on sexual function and satisfaction. It can increase sexual desire and arousal, improve sexual stamina, and even reduce the likelihood of sexual dysfunction. Engaging in regular exercise can lead to better sexual experiences and overall sexual well-being.
Conclusion
Exercise and workouts are undeniably important for our physical fitness and well-being. As a physical therapist and advocate for a healthy lifestyle, I cannot overstate the importance of regular exercise. The benefits go far beyond physical appearance and extend to your cardiovascular health, mental well-being, sexual health, musculoskeletal health, endurance, and respiratory health.
There are several studies that support the fact that exercise also helps fight various diseases, like exercise can help in the prevention and cure of cancer “Exercise is medicine for cancer prevention & cure”. Not only this, a calculated amount of exercise during chemo improves the health of cancer sufferers. The benefits of exercise are endless and there’s no reason not to add a workout to your daily routine.
Keep Reading: Do These 12 Easy Chair Exercises for Seniors for Healthy Lifestyle
Dr Sunit Sanjay Ekka is a physiotherapist in practice for the last 15 years. He has done his BPT from one of the premium Central Government physiotherapy colleges, ie, SVNIRTAR. The patient is his best teacher and whatever he gets to learn he loves to share it on his Youtube channel and blog.
