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How Exercise Benefits The Body And Mind

Resources

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Exercising can sometimes be viewed as something people do just to lose weight. It’s true that keeping your body moving can produce a change in appearance, but it also offers a variety of internal changes as well as cognitive and mental health improvements (“Physical Activity Is Good for the Mind and the Body – News & Events | health.gov”). 

Engaging in regular exercises, like lifting weights, everyday functional movements (Begum) or anaerobic exercise (Bubnis et al.) is extremely helpful in improving whole body function. When your body has a habit of being active, you’ll experience an increase in both physical and mental stability, endurance, and strength (“Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity”).

The Benefits Of Exercise On Your Body

Balanced Hormones

Being active can significantly improve your endocrine system, by balancing hormones like cortisol, thyroid, insulin (“Exercises to balance hormones”) and more. Being generally active will cause these balances to take place, but you can add a variety of aerobic exercises to your weekly routine to get the best results for overall hormonal health.

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Low and high impact aerobic exercises to try:

  • Swimming
  • Cycling
  • Walking
  • Rowing
  • Running
  • Jumping rope
  • High impact routines
  • Step aerobics

List: Aerobic Exercise Health: What Is It, Benefits & Examples

Bone Density

Strength and resistance training not only helps to improve muscle strength but also builds bone mass. Regular exercise forces your bones to react to the intensity of activity, which creates more bone (Fischer) and thus bones become stronger and more dense. These changes are most noticeable in conjunction with an adequate amount of vitamins and minerals in your diet, especially vitamin D and calcium (Rosen, MD), as these are required for optimal bone health.

Muscle Strength

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If you’re looking to build or keep muscle, regular strength training is most beneficial. This type of exercise makes your muscles work harder (“How to improve your strength and flexibility”) than they normally would in everyday movements. Which leads to muscle toning and building. Strength training is especially important as you age. Since muscle mass decreases the older you are (Simon), it’s highly encouraged to add this type of exercise to your schedule to retain those muscles instead.

Tip: It’s recommended that those who are older should workout with a personal trainer. Strength and resistance training at any age is most beneficial with accountability, encouragement and enjoyable, results based commitment. As we age, private training sessions with a professional trainer will ensure that individual needs and goals are met.

Healthy Weight

The calories in your body are used as a source of energy during physical activity. Sometimes people will try to merely restrict their caloric intake–by going on a diet–to lose weight. However, this can be an unhealthy approach to weight loss. In some instances, calorie watching can cause people to avoid nutritional food simply because of its high calorie count (Kooienga). Others may become overwhelmed with their restricted intake and begin a cycle of binge eating that results in never being able to maintain their weight.

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Combined with a well balanced and portioned diet, regular exercise is the best way to keep a healthy weight and be satisfied with your results. Alongside a nutritional source of foods, burning calories through physical activity leads to an increase in metabolism. This makes an impact on oxidizing fat and improving lean muscle tissue for an internally healthy and externally fit appearance.

Joint Health

Joints are important for proper mobility, stability, and everyday functionality. Focusing on resistance exercises will help retain joint movement as well as benefit those with arthritis through improved flexibility and joint strength (“Exercising with arthritis: Improve your joint pain and stiffness”). Similar to strength training, resistance training is increasingly beneficial as we age, and is most effective when accompanied by a personal trainer for achieving desired results.

Muscle, bone, and joint health work together. Keeping joint muscles strong through exercising will reduce bone loss and decrease joint pain (Bartlett). Deteriorating joints can affect daily activities to the point of total restraint from doing even the simplest of things. Improve joint mobility with personalized resistance training workouts so you can continue to enjoy the little things in life!

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Cardiovascular Health

Exercising conditions the heart and lungs which heavily benefits the cardiovascular system. Regular physical activity reduces the development of cardiovascular diseases like heart disease, arterial disease, aortic disease and even strokes (“Cardiovascular disease – Illnesses & conditions”). Active movement will also help prevent diabetes and cause a decrease in blood pressure; which contributes to a healthy cardiovascular system.

During physical activity, oxygen levels rise, heart muscles are strengthened, and blood circulation is improved. Exercising allows muscles to transfer oxygen from the blood, which will reduce the heart pumping blood to the muscles (“Exercise and the Heart”). In turn, leading to a healthier heart and reducing the probability of developing multiple heart diseases (“Benefits of Exercise”).

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The Benefits Of Exercise On Your Mind

Mental Illness Improvement

Exercising is favorable in helping to decrease the effects of certain mental illnesses, like anxiety and depression. “Feel-good hormones” such as dopamine, serotonin, testosterone and estrogen are released and increased when working out. These endorphins promote a joyful mood, higher energy levels, and an improved self esteem.

Tip: Intense workouts with minimal to no breaks throughout, are most beneficial for these hormonal releases. During this type of workout, typical movements would include lunges, squats, pull-ups, pushups and crunches (“Here Are Ways Exercise Helps Balance Hormones”). However, going on a swim, a fast-paced walk, taking a run, or riding a bike are also great.

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Positive Mood Changes

The same exercises and hormones that help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression also help decrease feelings of anger and stress. Be mindful that working out helps keep these emotions in check, but working out while angry might be strenuous on your heart (“Working out while angry? Just don’t do it”). The healthiest way to manage stress and anger is to incorporate exercise into your weekly schedule.

It’s not recommended to do an intense workout only when you are angry or stressed. However, people who exercise regularly tend to be more relaxed and happier because exercise is a means to engage in a continuous release of energy. Which is extremely helpful for reversing negative moods.

Better Sleep Patterns

Working out vastly improves sleep quality. As mentioned above, exercising helps decrease stress and anxiety and aids in relaxation, which makes it easier to fall asleep at night. Working out in the day or an hour or two before bed will also make it easier for the body to wind down when the lights go out.

If you’re an active person, your body will naturally be more tired at night. This will help you fall asleep faster, sleep more efficiently and get better rest with a deeper sleep state (Sen). Improving the cardiovascular system and HRV (heart rate variability) through exercise is a contributor to restful sleep as well.

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Memory Retention

The increase of blood flow associated with regular exercise helps improve brain function, including memory. Blood circulation is always essential, but a heightened amount from vigorous movement delivers more nutrients to the brain and creates essential molecules for memory (McGregor and Nash).

An essential brain protein called “brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)” is elevated after an exercise (“Exercise promotes (BDNF)”). BDNF helps neurons survive (“BDNF gene”), and increases synaptogenesis (Varoqueaux and Brose), which is responsible for long term memory. Being physically active on a regular basis will improve memory retention, as well as other cognitive abilities such as thinking, learning, and problem-solving (“Physical Activity Boosts Brain Health | DNPAO”).

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Start Exercising For Better Physical And Emotional Health

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Get moving! Exercising doesn’t have to be difficult, time consuming, or draining. Start slow and small. For the best results, get a personal trainer to tailor workouts for your individual needs. Working out should be a fun experience that is personalized to your pace and ability.

At The Quad, we encourage all ages at different walks of life to start their journey towards better fitness. Whether your goals are for physical or mental health, constant activity is beneficial for overall wellness. If you’re in Beaverton, Oregon, or the surrounding areas, we’d love to have you join our tribe! You can contact us for further information or sign up for private training to get started.