There are numerous positive effects of exercise that happen inside the body
When you picture a healthy, fit and strong person what comes into your mind?
Is it someone with big arms and low body fat? Or maybe your favorite superhero? Is it an Olympic athlete? What about your next-door neighbor misses Jones who at 82 years of age still does her own gardening? Imagine at that age still being healthy, fit, and strong, unlikely right? What’s her secret? Exercise.
Now as much as I love the effects of exercise that happen on the outside of the body, there are numerous positive effects that happen inside the body. Those may just convince you that exercise is essential to live a happy healthy life.
Positive effects of exercise inside the body
Exercise increases bone mineral density preventing and reversing the effects of osteoporosis which will, in turn, strengthen our immune system. This means less sick days, less missed opportunities, and more of doing what you love.
Exercise also strengthens your muscles which aside from becoming stronger in day-to-day life it will increase your metabolism. So even while you’re relaxing on the couch after a hard day’s work you will burn more calories, thus meaning you can eat a little more and enjoy yourself.
I’m sure there will be readers who are thinking this is all great and all but they just can’t seem to get motivated to exercise. I can understand that.
However, once you start moving your body and putting it under stress your hormonal/endocrine system kicks in administering you with a shot of adrenaline. You start to feel better about the activity you’re doing, then your brain produces endorphins which are the body’s natural painkillers. This allows you to push through and afterwards you have this amazing feeling of achievement. This feeling of achievement is fueled by increased dopamine and serotonin production in the brain.
Exercise also helps produce Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF). This can play a huge factor in keeping the brain healthy and protecting it from depression, anxiety, and even dementia.
To summarize:
Exercise is something that I think we as human beings need to do. More of now than ever with the rising cases of obesity, osteoporosis, and depression. To anyone reading, I urge you to take action, make a change, be the healthy fit strong superhero you know you can be.
It doesn’t matter where you start, just as long as you start!
