The benefits of regular exercise are undeniable. But I think most people only associate exercise with weight loss and muscle gain. They picture the classic Olivia Newton John video of sweating off unwanted pounds and inches, and getting back into “shape”. Insert dad-joke, “round is a shape!” Well, I’d like to make a case for the less celebrated, and I would argue, more important benefits of exercise.
Exercise is good for your soul –
It really is. Science says so. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23299048 , https://www.aafp.org/afp/2019/0515/p620.html Millions of us struggle with anxiety and depression every day, and stress is taking over our lives! I don’t know about you, but I feel like stressed-out is the new normal. Our lives are getting busier, more demanding and exponentially more complex. Thankfully, study after study has shown that people who struggle with their mental health get very real, measurable benefits by exercising. With or without ever losing a pound. It has nothing to do with “physical fitness” and everything to do with hormones and endorphins being released into the brain. When you exercise, you are taking a moment to yourself, For yourself, and that is empowering and energizing!
Exercise makes you smarter –
A good sweat session will help boost your brain power by releasing chemicals and proteins needed to build brain cells. It is also one of the few ways we have to avoid dementia. Regularly getting your heart rate up and flexing those muscles, along with the social interactions and mental stimulation of learning new things provided by exercise, can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s!
Exercise helps you get your beauty rest –
Working out can improve you sleep in many ways. It builds a routine into your day and releases hormones to help regulate your sleep-wake cycle. It stimulates your mind and muscles, so that when your head hits the pillow at the end of the day, you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
Exercise reduces your risk of cancer –
It has been widely published that people who work out on the regular, have lower rates of breast, colon, uterine and lung cancer. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/obesity/physical-activity-fact-sheet So, along with your yearly mammogram and every 10 year colonoscopy, add a 30 minute per day sweat sesh to your preventative health to-do list!
Exercise makes you more successful –
If you ask the most successful entrepreneurs of our time what their secret to success is, many of them would sing the praises of daily exercise. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/276760 Its not just looking good in a tight pants suit that keeps the likes of Jeff Bezos, Melinda Gates, Richard Branson and Michelle Obama hitting the gym, its the mental clarity, discipline, competition and self esteem building that comes from exercise!
Exercise will improve your sex life –
Ooooh scandalous, But true! Regular cardio and resistance training can improve erectile dysfunction and increase stamina. For women, there is the benefit of raising testosterone levels ever so slightly, to help boost your libido. And of course, with better cardiovascular fitness and flexibility, you can enjoy sex for longer, and in more…ahem… interesting positions… ok now I’m blushing.
Well, if you weren’t already motivated to exercise, I bet you are now! It was that last one wasn’t it 😉 So what are you waiting for! Get out that yoga mat that’s collecting dust in the closet, take the dirty, but not so dirty I won’t wear them again, clothes off the treadmill, head on over to your local 24 Hour Fitness, and get to it!!
- Improve your mental health
- Build some brain cells
- Sleep better at night
- Lower your risk of cancer
- Increase your financial success
- Improve your sex life
Its scientifically proven, and science is the best!
(The views expressed in this blog are not to be used for medical advice, instead talk to your own family doctor about your heath concerns. )
Health and Happiness with Dr. Hathaway 