Outline
Introduction
Physical Health Benefits
Mental Health Benefits
Conclusion
Introduction
Exercise is a purposeful, organized, and repetitive physical activity that can improve your motor skills, body composition, and fitness. Exercise is essential for leading an independent and functional life because it enhances physical strength, endurance, bone mineral density, and mental and physical fitness.
Global guidelines recommend that you get not less than “150 minutes” per week of moderate to intense workout since exercise has a significant positive impact on health. Following these guidelines can reduce the prevalence of so many chronic diseases by 20%–30%. Moreover, thorough breakdowns of international research have found that little physical exercise is adequate to yield health advantages. 2
The Physical Health Benefits of Exercise
Here are the physical health benefits of exercise;
Aging: Exercise promotes a healthy aging process. Any amount of physical activity may improve your stability and decrease physical degeneration. 3
Disease Prevention: Chronic diseases are a growing problem globally, affecting people of all ages, genders, and races. It is essential to prevent and manage these diseases to improve your overall health and well-being. These diseases include lower respiratory illness, obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, and stroke. Exercise and increased physical activity (PA) can lower your chances of developing chronic diseases. 1
Weight Management: Your body uses more energy when you exercise, which helps you lose weight. You can lose weight by creating a calorie deficit by burning calories through physical exercise and consuming fewer calories overall. 4
Cardiovascular Fitness: Exercise helps stabilize blood pressure and strengthen the heart. It also improves blood flow to muscles and organs. 8
The Mental Health Benefits Of Exercise.
Here Are Some Mental Health Benefits Of Exercise;
Sleep: Regular exercise can improve your quality of sleep. Exercise alters heart rate and blood pressure in addition to releasing certain chemicals from the brain that will cause you to sleep better. 7
Elevate Mood: When you exercise, certain chemicals in your brain are released, which lift your mood. 5
Reduce Stress: Exercise lowers hormones like cortisol and adrenaline that can cause you to have stress-related hormone levels. 5
Boost Self-Esteem: Exercise enhances confidence and a positive self-image. 5
Feeling Energized: Exercise can enhance your muscular mass and increase your energy. Exercise improves the efficiency of your circulatory system and delivers nutrients and oxygen to your tissues. Additionally, you will have more energy to complete everyday tasks as your heart and lung health improve. 6
Manage Mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, etc; Exercise increases the production and proper control of necessary brain chemicals, which in turn lessens the symptoms of mental diseases like anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and so forth. 2
Improve attention, focus, memory, cognition, language fluency, and decision-making: Exercise helps your brain function better by increasing blood and oxygen flow to the brain, using glucose efficiently, and regulating necessary chemicals (hormones). 5
Summary
Exercise can improve the function of your body tissues and organs, thus enhancing your physical well-being. Regular exercise keeps the brain healthy by increasing and sustaining the brain’s nutrient supply. Therefore, regular exercise has a significant positive effect on your physical and mental health.
References
Anderson, E., & Durstine, J. L. (2019). Physical activity, exercise, and chronic diseases: A brief review. Sports medicine and health science, 1(1), 3–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smhs.2019.08.006
Mahindru, A., Patil, P., & Agrawal, V. (2023). Role of Physical Activity on Mental Health and Well-Being: A Review. Cureus, 15(1), e33475. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.33475
Moreno-Agostino, D., Daskalopoulou, C., Wu, Y. T., Koukounari, A., Haro, J. M., Tyrovolas, S., … & Prina, A. M. (2020). The impact of physical activity on healthy ageing trajectories: evidence from eight cohort studies. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 17(1), 1-12.
Wang, F., & Boros, S. (2021). The effect of physical activity on sleep quality: a systematic review. European Journal of Physiotherapy, 23(1), 11-18.
Pinckard, K., Baskin, K. K., & Stanford, K. I. (2019). Effects of Exercise to Improve Cardiovascular Health. Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine, 6, 69. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2019.00069
