THE BENEFITS OF REGULAR EXERCISE

Exercise can be defined as any activity intended to improve physical, or sometimes mental strength and fitness. It can also be said to be any movement that makes your muscles work flexibly and requires your body to burn calories.There are many types of physical activity, including swimming, running, jogging, walking, and dancing. All these physical activities help the body both physically and mentally. It keeps you fit to be able to run your day to day activities.

DIFFERENT WAYS REGULAR EXERCISE CAN HELP THE HUMAN BODY AND BRAIN

• Exercise can help with weight loss: Regular exercise is a very strong tool for weight loss and lots of studies have proven that to be true. It can help you burn more calories on daily basis. Aerobic exercise with resistance training can help you to maintain your muscle mass and weight loss. Lack of regular exercise can cause you obesity and weight gain.

• Exercise can lighten up your mood: No matter the intensity of your physical activities, exercise can benefit your mood. Exercise has been known to improve your mood and decrease feelings of depression, stress and anxiety. It effects changes in the parts of the brain that regulate stress and anxiety. It can also increase brain sensitivity to the hormones serotonin and norepinephrine, which relieve feelings of depression. It can also increase the production of endorphins, which help to produce positive feelings and reduces pain or depression.

•Exercise can increase your energy levels: Regular exercise can boost your energy level. Aerobic exercise boosts the cardiovascular system and improves lung health which can help with energy levels in no small measure. Regular exercise helps your heart to pump more blood and delivering more oxygen to your working muscles. This way, your heart becomes more efficient. Exercise has been known to have increased energy levels in people with health conditions like cancer.

•Exercise is good for your muscles and bones: Exercise plays a vital role in building and maintaining strong muscles and bones. Exercise helps to release hormones that promote your muscles’ ability to absorb amino acids. It helps them grow and reduces their breakdown. Exercise also helps to build your bone density when you are younger and also help to prevent osteoporosis when you get older. Some research suggests that high impact exercise like running, gymnastics or odd impact sports like basketball and soccer may help promote a higher bone density than no impact sports like swimming and cycling.

• Exercise can help your brain health and memory: Exercise can improve brain function and protect memory and thinking skills. Firstly, it increases your heart rate, which promotes the flow of blood and oxygen to your brain. It can also stimulate the production of hormones that enhance the growth of brain cells.The ability of exercise to prevent chronic disease can translate into benefits for your brain, since its function can be affected by these conditions.

Regular physical activity is especially important in older adults since aging — combined with oxidative stress and inflammation — promotes changes in brain structure and function . Exercise has been shown to cause the hippocampus, a part of the brain that’s vital for memory and learning, to grow in size, which may help improve mental function in older adults.
Finally, exercise has been shown to reduce changes in the brain that can contribute to conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.