Why exercise recommended

But exercise is found to work just as well as antidepressants when it comes to improving depressive symptoms. Secondly, the sense of accomplishment is like no other. A joyful moment in and of itself. But, it goes beyond this. Exercise releases chemicals in your brain that clear the fog and darkness that depression brings and puts the color back into the world.

Unfortunately, it appears that less than half of patients battling depression are counseled to try exercise in place of drug treatment at their physician visits. Aside from the comparison to drugs, research also suggests that active people are less likely to become depressed. By now this pill is becoming more than a drug, but a weapon against multiple diseases. Can you believe there is more magic to be told? Exercise can be used as your new secret weapon towards an A on your next exam or a promotion for good performance at work.

It works by increasing the ability to retrieve important memories and making room to learn more. The brain needs to be constantly replenished with a healthy flow of blood.

Blood flow significantly increases during exercise, activating nerve cells that release certain proteins like, brain-derived neurotrophic factor BDNF. BDNF contributes directly to improving cognitive function; specifically learning and memory. So instead of cramming for your next exam or staying up until late hours for that work presentation, use your time wisely and exercise for better performance.

Not enough time? Bring your book with you to your workout. Professor Maren Schmidt-Kassow suggests content learned while exercising lightly is better retrieved than learned while sitting quietly. Exercise activates miracle chemicals in our brain called endorphins: natural pain and stress relievers.

Endorphin secretion can also lead to increased euphoria, sex drive, and immune response. The action is comparable to that of Morphine and Codeine. Only this drug does not lead to addiction or dependence. Due to endorphins that are released continuously during prolonged exercise, a lasting moment of euphoria occurs and runners are quickly hooked. Exercise strengthens the muscles around joints and hence is especially helpful for those suffering from joint and back pain, particularly the one caused by arthritis.

For people suffering from arthritis in particular exercise may not be the most appealing activity of the day, but if they knew how much exercise could alleviate their pain by controlling inflammation in their joints, they may want to do more of those arthritis-approved water aerobics and strength training.

Second, do start exercise if you care about inflammation. Low-grade inflammation is also a side-effect or complication resulting from infection, hypertension, diabetes, or smoking. The inflammatory response causes arteries and vessels to thicken in order to continue transporting blood. This leads to the condition of atherosclerosis, the most common cause of a heart attack. In other words, exercise prevents injury and reduces blood pressure.

Injury and high blood pressure lead to inflammation. Inflammation can cause hardening of the arteries, which commonly causes heart attacks, which ties back to point 2 about exercising decreasing your heart disease risk. Only Ayurveda has inconclusive or no scientific backing. Exercise, though, does. Your digestive tract does a great deal of work to move food through your system.

Exercise helps stimulate abdominal muscles that participate in digestion to help the process go smoothly In addition to digestion, exercise keeps your gut healthy by preventing colon cancer I touched on that earlier. Without exercise, intestinal transit time is lengthened, inflammation is increased and your immune system becomes weaker, allowing your body to become more vulnerable to this cancer. Also, according to Tamar Duker Freuman, RD, in most conditions, the stimulation of bowel muscles from exercise overrules the hype of taking digestive enzymes when it comes to uncomfortable bowels.

Now tell me, how much would you be paying for a pill that can do all this? Let me be clear: exercise, esp. But exercising any other time of the day has been proven to be helpful by actually improving the quality of your sleep, reducing the time it takes to fall asleep, and helping you sleep more. Research is still being conducted to find out just how exercise brings about this improvement in sleep.

Most suggest vigorous exercise will not enhance sleep duration or the time it takes to fall asleep. But moderate exercise, mid-day, may lead to a faster and longer snooze by:. I can so totally imagine a Nigerian spammer promising great sex if you learn the 10 most amazing exercises for sex for the bargain price of 10,! A combination of a few of those benefits is known to improve your sexual arousal.

Research suggests that this enhanced arousal happens minutes after exercise. And with an erotic stimulus, blood rushes faster and stronger to the genital areas increasing arousal. But the benefits are more than that; exercise increases endurance and flexibility which can help wow your partner. Even with the onset of a cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, or cancer, exercise can increase the survival rate tremendously. All it takes is about minutes of moderate exercise a week.

A study performed by the National Cancer Institute found that life expectancy can increase up to 4. Wondering how much you should be doing to get those juicy health benefits? Go here to read how often should you exercise. Years ago I was not as active. My daily commitment to exercise has only happened after I realized that if I really wanted to live healthy, then I had to make exercise a regular part of my life, not something that happened on and off.

And despite my fear that I would never become like the people who exercise daily, well look at me now, proving my fear wrong. Or sign up for the Mini Habit Week that starts this Monday and officially get started with it!

You see, several people start exercising every month. They feel excited…. Can weight loss be fun? This is a question that nearly everybody answers with a big NO. I disagree. I actually believe that you can…. We are used to listening about obesity rates, and how obesity is related to heart disease risk and all sort of other diseases. At the…. Meet Krista — living proof that the way to getting fast results with exercise is not by punishing yourself to do more. The road is instead counterintuitive….

Your email address will not be published. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Your exercise advice is great, but your dietary advice is lacking a strong scientific backing. Maybe research that more or stick to writing about exercise? This is an obvious point, as your citations are focused on exercise studies and not diet. It seems to be, and on several fronts: breast, colon, endometrial, perhaps ovarian. The effect of physical activity on breast cancer prevention may be stronger after menopause than before, although some research suggests that it takes quite a lot to make a difference: four to seven hours of moderate to vigorous activity a week.

Three studies have found that if you've had colon cancer or breast cancer, physical activity reduces the chances of it coming back. To top things off, moving the body seems to help the brain. Several studies have found that exercise can reduce the symptoms of depression, and it changes the brain in ways similar to antidepressant medications.

In old age, physical activity may delay the slide of cognitive decline into dementia, and even once that process has started, exercise can improve certain aspects of thinking. We have to eat, so following nutritional advice is a matter of making choices. Swap out saturated fats for healthy oils. Eat whole grains instead of refined carbohydrates.

But in this day and age, many perhaps most people don't need to be physically active unless they choose to be. And most evidence suggests that the choice of the kind of activity is far less important than whether to be active at all. About half of adult Americans don't meet one of the most oft-cited guidelines, which calls for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a fast walking pace most days of the week — and you can accumulate that total in bouts of 10 to 15 minutes.

About a quarter of American adults say they devote none of their free time to active pursuits. Clearly some of us are less athletic than others — and some unathletic individuals were simply born that way.

Twin studies suggest that about half of the difference in physical activity among people is probably inherited. And researchers are making headway in identifying particular genes that may influence how we respond to physical exertion. For example, they've identified some of the genes responsible for variation in the beta-agonist receptors in the lungs. How your lungs and heart react to strenuous exercise depends, in part, on those receptors.

But genetic explanations for behaviors like exercising only go so far. Many other influences come into play: family, neighborhood, cultural attitudes, historical circumstances. Research has shown, not surprisingly, that active children are more likely to have parents who encouraged them to be that way. Perceptions of how active parents are also seem to matter. The safety and layout of neighborhoods is a factor, particularly for children. In a dangerous place, having children stay home and watch television instead of going to the park to play might be the healthier choice simply because it's safer.

In addition to getting at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week we should also resistance training to build up muscle strength twice a week. But some exercise, even if it is pretty minimal, is better than none, particularly among people who are very sedentary. So in that spirit, we've made 27 suggestions for ways to become a little bit more physically active.

Take the far away spot. Walking from the farthest corner of the parking lot will burn a few calories. If it's a parking garage, head for the roof and use the stairs. Walk to the next stop. If you take a bus or train, don't wait at the nearest stop. Walk to the next one. Or, at the end of your journey, get off a stop early and finish up on foot.

Hang loose. During your bus or train trip, stand and don't hold on too tightly. You'll improve your sense of balance and build up your "core" back and abdominal muscles.

Get into the swing of it. Swinging your arms when you walk will help you reach the brisk pace of 3 to 4 miles per hour that is the most healthful. Walk and talk. If you are a member of a book group, propose 15 to 20 minutes of peripatetic discussion of the book before you sit down and chat. Walk while you watch.

Soccer moms, dads, and grandparents can circle the field several times during a game and not miss a single play. Walk tall. Maintaining good posture — chest out, shoulders square but relaxed, stomach in — will help keep your back and abdominal muscles in shape. Besides, you'll just look a whole lot healthier if you don't slouch mom was right.

Adopt someone as your walking, jogging, or biking buddy. Adding a social element to exercise helps many people stick with it. That buddy might have four legs. Several studies have shown that dog owners get more exercise than the canine-less. Be part of the fun. Adults shouldn't miss a chance to jump into the fray if kids are playing on a playground or splashing around in the water.

Activities should work all the major muscle groups of your body—legs, hips, back, chest, abdomen, shoulders, and arms. Muscle-strengthening activities should be done in addition to your aerobic activity.

A repetition is one complete movement of an activity, like lifting a weight or doing a sit-up. Try to do repetitions per activity, which counts as 1 set. Try to do at least 1 set of muscle-strengthening activities. To gain even more benefits, do 2 or 3 sets. You can do activities that strengthen your muscles on the same or different days that you do aerobic activity—whatever works best for you.

You may want to try the following:. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Physical Activity. Section Navigation.

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. How much physical activity do adults need? Minus Related Pages. Some Activity is Better than None. Stay active: It can make life better. Move More and Sit Less Adults should move more and sit less throughout the day. Recommended Levels For Health Benefits Adults should follow the exercises as specified in the following options. Example 1. Example 2. Example 3. Aerobic activity — what counts?