1. Exercise Helps Make You Feel Happier

Exercise has been proven to improve mood as well as decrease feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression.

Exercise triggers changes in the parts of the brain responsible for regulating anxiety and stress. It can also increase the brain’s sensitivity to the hormones norepinephrine and serotonin that relieve feelings of depression.

Exercise has also been shown to boost the production of endorphins that are known to help reduce the perception of pain and produce positive feelings. Interestingly, the intensity of workouts doesn’t seem to matter. It appears that exercise can benefit mood regardless of the intensity.

In fact, in a study involving 24 women that had been diagnosed with depression, exercise helped reduce feelings of depression significantly regardless of intensity.

The effects of exercise on mood are actually so powerful that choosing whether or not to exercise makes a difference even over short periods of time. A review of nineteen studies revealed that active individuals that stopped working out regularly had significant increases in the symptoms of anxiety and depression, even after just a few weeks.

2. Exercise Aids Weight Loss

According to some studies, inactivity is a major factor in obesity and weight gain. To understand what effect exercise has on weight loss, it’s important to understand the relationship that exists between exercise and the expenditure of energy.

The body’s energy expenditure occurs in three ways:

• Exercising
• Digesting food
• Maintaining body functions such as breathing and heartbeat

A reduced intake of calories when dieting can lower your metabolic rate and this can delay weight loss temporarily. Conversely, regular exercise has been shown to boost the metabolic rate thus burning more calories to help you lose weight.

Furthermore, studies show that if aerobic exercise is combined with resistance training, it can help maximise fat loss as well as maintain muscle mass, which is critical to maintaining lean muscle mass and keeping the excess weight off.

Fitness training is truly personal – private studios, experienced trainers, and the tailored support you need to feel and be your best. You can search on websites for fitness trainers to get more guidance about your fitness activities.

3. Exercise Is Great for Bones and Muscles

Exercise plays an important role in building and maintaining strong bones and muscles.

Activities such as weightlifting can help stimulate muscle building, especially after they are paired with an adequate intake of protein. This is due to exercise helping release hormones responsible for promoting the muscles’ amino acid absorption ability. It promotes growth and reduces the breakdown of muscles.

As we age, we often lose muscle mass and function and this can lead to a significantly higher risk of injury. Regularly engaging in physical activity such as exercise is critical to maintaining muscle strength and reducing muscle loss as we age.

4. Exercise Can Boost Energy Levels

Exercise can significantly boost energy levels for many individuals, including those suffering from various medical conditions. According to the findings of an earlier study, six weeks of regular exercise helped reduce feelings of fatigue for the 36 individuals that had earlier reported persistent fatigue.

Exercise also has amazing lung and heart health benefits. Aerobic exercise helps boost the cardiovascular system and also improves the health of the lungs, which can help significantly boost energy levels.

The heart pumps more blood as you move, which delivers more oxygen to the working muscles. Regular exercise allows the heart to become more adept and efficient at moving oxygen into the blood, which makes the muscles more efficient.

Over time, this aerobic training results in less demand on the lungs and less energy is needed to perform the same activities, which is part of the reason you are less likely to get short of breath when engaging in vigorous activity.

Exercise has also been proven to increase energy levels in people suffering from other conditions, such as cancer.

5. Exercise Helps Lower the Risk of Chronic Disease

One of the primary causes of chronic disease is a lack of regular physical activity. Regular exercise has been shown to improve heart health, insulin sensitivity, as well as body composition.