7 Unexpected Benefits of Exercising

You’ve probably heard that exercise is good for your health numerous times – and you might have also heard that it’s “healthy for your heart”. However, if you’re like the majority of people, most times that is not enough motivation to convince you to get up and go break a sweat at the gym. So here are 7 unexpected benefits of exercising that should encourage you to exercise.

1. Keeps your brain active

Exercise is linked to less depression, better memory and quicker learning. Studies also suggest that exercise is, as of now, the best way to prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease along with other brain-related illnesses.

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2. Puts you in a happier mood

Countless studies show that different types of exercise make people feel better and can even relieve symptoms of depression. Exercise triggers the release of chemicals in the brain like; serotonin, norepinephrine, endorphins, and dopamine, that eases pain, lighten our mood and relieves stress.

3. Makes you age slower

Exercise has been shown to lengthen lifespan by as much as five years. A recent new study suggests that moderate-intensity exercise may slow down the aging of our cells. As humans get older and their cells divide over and over again, their telomeres (the protective caps on the end of chromosomes) get shorter.

4. Makes your skin look better

Aerobic exercise accelerates the blood flow to the skin, delivering oxygen and nutrients that improves the skin’s health and helps injuries heal faster. When you exercise, your muscles generate a lot of heat, which you have to give up to the environment so your body temperature doesn’t get too high. The heat in the muscle transfers to the blood, which shuttles it to the skin; it can then escape into the atmosphere.

5. Amazing results can happen in just a few minutes

Emerging research suggests that it doesn’t take much movement to get the benefits. Recently, it was tested to see how effective a 10-minute workout could be, compared to the typical 50-minute session. The micro-workout devised consists of three exhausting 20-second intervals of all-out, hard-as-you-can exercise, followed by brief recoveries. The workout resulted in identical improvements to longer ones in heart function and blood-sugar control.

6. Helps recovery from major illnesses

Very energetic exercise can also be appropriate for people with different chronic conditions, from Type 2 diabetes to heart failure. A recent analysis of more than 300 scientific trials discovered that for people recovering from a stroke, exercise was even more effective at helping them rehabilitate.

7. Shrinks fat cells

The body uses both carbohydrates and fats as energy sources. But after consistent aerobic exercise training, the body gets better at burning fat, which requires a lot of oxygen to convert it into energy. One of the benefits of exercise training is that our cardiovascular system gets stronger and better at delivering oxygen, so we are able to metabolize more fat as an energy source.