Adults should incorporate daily exercise into their routines to improve their mental, emotional and physical health.
According to the National Institute of Health, many Americans have shifted into a sedentary lifestyle over the past decades. With this lifestyle change, people have stopped working out.
The human body requires daily physical movement to thrive, survive and remain healthy. When daily movement is removed, the risk of lifestyle diseases simultaneously increases.
Reduces chronic disease risk
One of the most discussed benefits of exercise is reducing the risk of lifestyle diseases. Physicians and researchers corroborate that a healthy life cannot be lived without exercise.
According to the World Health Organization, lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and obesity are the leading causes of death around the world, except for sub-Saharan Africa.
The WHO also suggests that a sedentary lifestyle nearly doubles one’s risk of heart disease, obesity, colon cancer and osteoporosis; unfortunately, researchers found that a sedentary lifestyle is a reality for 60% to 85% of adults worldwide.
To combat these diseases, physicians recommend at least 30 minutes of exercise daily. Experts at the Mayo Clinic say that 150 minutes of weekly aerobic activity will decrease the chances of chronic disease.
Improves emotional health
When someone is exercising, their body begins to release endorphins. Endorphins are the body’s feel-good receptors which are activated during exercise.
Exercise can be a quick form of therapy that will aid in reducing any negative emotions. The best part of this therapy is that it is much more accessible and affordable than other methods.
Experts at the Cleveland Clinic said that endorphins block nerve cells from experiencing pain; thus, one is able to continue even through painful and stressful moments. Without realizing it, exercise increases tolerance toward life’s difficulties.
The list of benefits related to endorphins is long. Endorphins can also decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety, contribute to weight loss and improve pain associated with childbirth.
Enhances sleep quality
Most adults require seven to eight hours of sleep each night to feel energized the following day; however, many adults cannot receive nightly seven to eight hours of sleep because of health conditions such as Insomnia. Cleveland Clinic experts suspect that one in three adults globally have insomnia.
With how prevalent insomnia is, exercise may be the tool that can help to fix the issue for some people. Exercise is recommended as one of the holistic remedies for insomnia or sleep troubles in general.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine said that there is no direct explanation as to how exercise improves sleep; however, the researchers emphatically agreed that aerobic exercise is positively correlated with how much deep sleep one can get.
Doctor Charlene Gamaldo said that exercise helps to decrease any stress or mood swings someone is experiencing, which will help them to transition to sleep.
Additionally, it does not matter what time of day someone exercises. The sleep benefits of exercise can be achieved no matter when one completes a workout. Gamaldo suggests that people should find a routine and see if exercise helps their sleep schedule.
The best way to encourage healthy habits begins with getting physical activity at least once daily.
