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What can motivate us to regularly do morning exercises or go to the gym? For some reason, tasks like “become healthier” or “lose weight” are not inspiring enough. Well, here are some more reasons that can motivate us.
We have all heard or read about the health benefits of exercise. But, as a rule, this vague idea is not enough to motivate us to regularly do morning exercises, go for a run or go to the gym.
For example, among Americans, only 20% are physically active for at least 150 minutes a week, which is in line with WHO recommendations for adults. More than half of the “baby boomers” born during the post-war birth surge admit that they never do any exercise. Overall, 80,2 million Americans over the age of six are sedentary.
Meanwhile, science is producing new arguments in favor of an active lifestyle for all populations, including pregnant women and those suffering from chronic diseases. Moreover, studies show that it is never too late to start exercising.
Exercise is one of the best ways to prevent or delay Alzheimer’s
In fact, physical activity is a kind of medicine. “There is no pill that can match the power of exercise,” says Claude Bouchard, head of the Human Genome Laboratory at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center. “And if such a pill existed, it would cost a lot of money.”
Here are some of the benefits of exercise that not everyone has heard of.
1. Good for the brain
Physical activity improves memory, cognitive abilities and concentration. In addition, the available evidence suggests that exercise is one of the best ways to prevent or delay Alzheimer’s disease.
2. Improve your state of mind
A variety of physical activities, from walking to cycling, help you feel better and can reduce symptoms of depression. They contribute to the production of serotonin, norepinephrine, endorphins, dopamine – hormones that alleviate pain, improve mood and reduce stress.
3. Slow down aging
Regular exercise can extend life by up to five years. According to a study in Belgium, even moderate-intensity exercise slows down aging by affecting telomeres, the ends of chromosomes that perform protective functions in the chromosome. With age, telomeres shorten, which becomes one of the causes of aging of the body. Exercise interferes with this process—and thus aging—at the cellular level.
4. Improve skin condition
Aerobic exercise causes blood flow to the skin, supplying it with the oxygen and nutrients it needs to keep it healthy. Due to this, various skin lesions heal better.
5. Effective even if you only work out for a few minutes
Martin Jibala, a sports physiologist at McMaster University in Canada, decided to compare the effectiveness of an intense 10-minute exercise program with a standard 50-minute exercise program. For his experiment, he developed a micro-complex consisting of 20-second exercises that must be performed with maximum tension, taking breaks for rest in between.
In a three-month experiment, these short exercises proved to be just as effective as sessions that lasted five times as long. They similarly improved heart function and normalized blood sugar levels.
6. Help with chronic diseases
Until recently, it was believed that with many serious diseases, physical activity is contraindicated. But modern research shows that this approach is not always fair. Exercise, including intense exercise such as that developed by Martin Jibala, can be very beneficial for patients with a variety of chronic conditions, including type XNUMX diabetes and heart failure.