What are the Benefits of Exercise?

Denis July 16, 2019

We all know that exercise keeps us healthy and fit. However, exercise does more than just keep our body in good physical condition. It acts in many ways to delay or mitigate some of the physical, mental and emotional effects of aging. Along the way, it also helps us look and feel younger!

Creams, lotions, moisturizers and other products applied to the skin may feel good, unfortunately they only work (or at least we hope they do) on the ‘outside’. Exercise helps defy the aging signs from the inside out.

30 Minutes of physical activity every day is a good target. This is easily achievable by walking the dog, playing with the children, or grandchildren, in the park or back yard. Even vacuuming the house or gardening are considered to boost your daily activity levels.

Smarter Brain

There is scientific evidence which shows that aerobic exercises improve memory retention and learning abilities. Walking for at least thirty minutes a day, at least four times a week, can greatly improve blood flow to the brain. This then provides more oxygen to the brain, which in turn prevents beta-amyloid plaques from building up, thus helping to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

So, playing crossword puzzles, Sudoku and other mentally-stimulating games are definitely not the only way to keep your brain sharp. Exercise will too!

Younger Looking Skin

Exercising for at least three times a week has been shown to reverse the visible signs of aging, so our body looks younger. It is not only those in middle-age who will benefit from exercise. The same is true for people in their older years who regularly stick to their exercise regimen.

The portion of the skin referred to as stratum corneum is one of those areas that are benefited the most by regular exercise. Experts say that exercise preserves the health of the skin’s stratum corneum and even reverse its signs of aging. The stratum corneum is the part of the skin which readily displays aging effects as it sags, wrinkles, droops and thickens due to diminished elasticity and dying cells that naturally occur with aging.

Improved Balance

As we age, we become more prone to falls and more susceptible to fractures when we do. However, a 2010 study showed that regular exercise can help reduce one’s risk of falling by as much as 13 per cent. This percentage may seem small but the fact is that one in every three adults aged 65 and older fall every year, according to research.

Falls can result in fractures, tissue and organ injuries and even death. One of the best exercises for improving balance is Tai Chi. A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine revealed that Tai-Chi was effective in helping people prevent falls while their mental health was also improved.

Stronger Bones

Undertaking weight bearing exercises will cause new bone tissues to form thereby making your bones, as well as your muscles, stronger. The good news is that you do not have to be an athlete in order to achieve these benefits. Weight bearing exercises are easy to do and can be performed almost anywhere.

Examples of these exercises include

climbing stairs
jogging
running
walking
tennis
dancing
basketball.

If you have a child or a teenager in your family, encourage them to do these exercises with you.

As well as encouraging you to exercise, this will help to “future-proof” the child from weak bones. This is because the greatest gains in bone mass can be achieved before or during puberty. They need to have as much bone mass as they can while they are still young to ensure they have greater bone mass as they age.

Don’t let that dishearten you, as bone density and strength can be improved at any age.

A Healthier State of Mind

A number of studies have found that exercise helps to prevent depression as exercise may block negative thoughts or distract you from daily worries.

Exercising with others provides an opportunity for increased social contact.
Increased fitness may lift your mood and improve your sleep patterns.
Exercise may also change levels of chemicals in your brain, such as serotonin, endorphins and stress hormones.

Reduce Your Risk of a Heart Attack

Cardiovascular exercise improves blood circulation, which may help reduce the risk of developing clots or blockages in the arteries.
The heart is a muscle, and regular exercise helps keep it toned and strong. As the heart becomes stronger, the heart rate lowers because fewer beats are required to pump the same amount of blood.
Exercise can help reduce or prevent high blood pressure in some people.
Research shows that exercise can raise HDL levels, the so-called “good” cholesterol, which has been linked to a lower risk of heart disease.
Exercise reduces the risk of developing diabetes, which is a risk factor for heart disease.
People who exercise are less likely to smoke. Several studies have confirmed that if you’re a smoker and find it difficult to quit, exercise can still be beneficial. In fact, smokers who are fit may have a lower risk of heart disease than non-smokers who are sedentary.
People who exercise tend to have healthier diets. Being active often compels people to make other positive lifestyle changes, such as eating less fat and more fibre.
Along with a healthy diet, exercise can aid in weight control. Being overweight or obese has been linked to numerous diseases, including diabetes, and regularly burning calories makes it easier to maintain a healthy weight.
Exercise has been proven to help manage stress, which can take its toll on the whole body, but especially the heart. People who exercise tend to be less depressed and have a more positive outlook.
Exercise strengthens muscles and improves mobility, which makes it easier to perform activities of daily living. The easier these activities are, the more active one is likely to be overall.

Did you know that heart disease kills more women than all forms of cancer combined?

Manage Your Weight

It’s a fact: You have to burn more calories than you eat and drink to lose weight.

Exercise pays off in the long run by keeping the weight off. Research shows that regular physical activity will increase your chances of maintaining weight loss.

When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn.

Any amount of activity is better than none at all. To reap the benefits of exercise, just get more active throughout your day — take the stairs instead of the elevator or rev up your household chores. Put on some of your favourite music and dance (like no one is watching 😊). Consider walking to work or cycling? If this is not possible, get off the bus one stop earlier. Consistency is key.

Lower Cholesterol Levels

Exercise can improve cholesterol. Moderate physical activity can help raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the “good” cholesterol. With your doctor’s permission, work up to at least 30 minutes of exercise five times a week or vigorous aerobic activity for 20 minutes three times a week.

Physical Activity Lowers the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Helps lower your blood glucose and blood pressure
Lowers your risk for prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke
Relieves stress
Strengthens your heart, muscles and bones
Improves your blood circulation and tones your muscles
Keeps your body and your joints flexible.

Have Lower Blood Pressure

How are high blood pressure and exercise connected? Regular physical activity makes your heart stronger. A stronger heart can pump more blood with less effort. If your heart can work less to pump, the force on your arteries decreases, lowering your blood pressure.

Becoming more active can lower your systolic blood pressure — the top number in a blood pressure reading — by an average of 4 to 9 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). That’s as good as some blood pressure medications. For some people, getting some exercise is enough to reduce the need for blood pressure medication.

When your blood pressure is at a desirable level — less than 120/80 mm Hg — exercise can help prevent it from rising as you age. Regular exercise also helps you maintain a healthy weight — another important way to control blood pressure.

To keep your blood pressure low, you need to keep exercising on a regular basis. It takes about one to three months for regular exercise to have an impact on your blood pressure. The benefits last only as long as you continue to exercise.

Know your blood pressure numbers

For you to manage your blood pressure, you need to know which blood pressure numbers are ideal and which ones are cause for concern. Following are the blood pressure ranges used to diagnose hypotension and hypertension in adults.

Systolic (top number)	Diastolic (bottom number)	Blood pressure category
90 or below	60 or below	hypotension
91 to 119	61 to 79	normal
between 120 and 129	and below 80	elevated
between 130 and 139	or between 80 and 89	stage 1 hypertension
140 or higher	or 90 or higher	stage 2 hypertension
higher than 180	higher than 120	hypertensive crisis