The Incredible Benefits of Regular Exercise

Benefits of Regular Exercise: Better Skin

Exercise also boosts circulation and the delivery of nutrients to your skin, helping to detoxify the body by removing toxins (poisons).

As exercise boosts oxygen to the skin, it also helps increase the natural production of collagen, the connective tissue that plumps your skin. Your skin color is also improved after exercise because of the increase in blood flow.

Benefits of Regular Exercise: Less Stress

Regular exercise reduces the amount of stress hormones in the body, resulting in a slower heart rate, relaxed blood vessels, and lower blood pressure. Increased relaxation after exercise shows on your face with reduced muscle tension.

Benefits of Regular Exercise: Improved Mood

Research shows that regular exercise reduces symptoms of moderate depression and enhances psychological fitness. Exercise can even produce changes in certain chemical levels in the body, which can have an effect on the psychological state.

Endorphins are hormones in the brain associated with a happy, positive feeling. A low level of endorphins is associated with depression. During exercise, plasma levels of this substance increase. This may help to ease symptoms of depression. A recent National Health and Nutrition survey found that physically active people were half as likely to be depressed.

Exercise also boosts the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that send specific messages from one brain cell to another. Though only a small percentage of all serotonin is located in the brain, this neurotransmitter is thought to play a key role in keeping your mood calm.

Benefits of Regular Exercise: Fewer Colds

Regular exercise appears to help jump-start the immune system, thus helping to reduce the number of colds, flu, and other viruses.

Benefits of Regular Exercise: More Brainpower

Exercise boosts blood flow to the brain and helps it receive oxygen and nutrients. The better shape you're in, the faster you fire brain waves that are responsible for quick thinking.

So, for example, if math is a real problem, you may find that daily exercise helps to solve it!

Getting Started With Exercise

As you make the daily exercise commitment, be sure to include the following three types of exercise:

• Range-of-motion, or stretching exercises. These involve moving a joint as far as it will go (without pain). You can do this with basic stretches or through dance, yoga, tai chi, and similar activities.
• Endurance or conditioning exercises. Endurance exercises include walking, biking, climbing stairs, aerobics, and swimming. These exercises strengthen muscles and build coordination and endurance.
• Strengthening exercises. Resistance exercises help build strong muscles. You can do them with ankle and wrist weights, free weights, resistance machines, resistance bands, or free weights (handheld weights).

Don't Forget to Hydrate

The more intense the training session, the more heat your body will produce. Before beginning exercise, drink water to help the body compensate for sweating. You can drink more water during exercise if you're thirsty.

The benefits of daily exercise are incredible, and to think that they are free! Start a daily exercise regimen today, and enjoy all the proven "extras" that come with moving around more.