We’ve all heard it – regular exercise is good for you and can help you lose weight. And if you’ve never exercised before, the good news is that it’s never too late to start. You can start slowly and find ways to incorporate more physical activity into your life. To get the most benefit, you should try to get the recommended amount of exercise for your age.
What are the health benefits of exercise?
- It helps you control your weight.
Along with diet, exercise plays an important role in controlling your weight and preventing obesity. To maintain your weight, the calories you eat and drink should be equal to the energy you burn. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you eat and drink.
- Reduces the risk of heart disease.
Exercise strengthens your heart and improves your circulation. Increased blood flow increases oxygen levels in your body. This helps reduce the risk of heart disease, such as high cholesterol, coronary heart disease and heart attack. Regular exercise can also lower your blood pressure and triglyceride levels.
- It helps you to manage blood sugar and insulin levels.
Exercise can lower your blood sugar level and help insulin to work better. This can reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. And if you already have one of these diseases, exercise can help you manage it.
- It helps to stop smoking.
Exercise can make it easier to quit smoking by reducing withdrawal symptoms. It can also help to limit the weight you may add when you stop smoking.
- Improves your mental health and mood.
During exercise, your body releases chemicals that can improve your mood and make you feel more relaxed. This can help you cope with stress and reduce your risk of depression.
- Improves your sexual health.
Regular exercise can reduce the risk of erectile dysfunction in men. For those who already have erectile function, exercise can help improve sexual function, and it has been found that for women, exercise can increase sexual arousal.
