Benefits of Exercise 😉

July 24, 2020

Benefits of Exercise 😉

On the brain, exercise has an immediate and profound effect on an individual - it increases neurotransmitters like dopamine which improves the mood. Other benefits are;

It improves reaction time to stimulus like catching fast an object thrown at you 😉, or running fast from a raging dog or any emergency.
It helps produce new brain cells in the hippocampus which is responsible for long term memory.
It protects the brain from degenerative diseases like dementia, Alzheimer's disease...

In addition, exercise better overall body functions - it controls weight, helps quit smoking, reduces risk of heart diseases, type 2 diabetes, stroke e.t.c

So, what is exercise?

Any physical activity intended to improve health. Note; exercise is different from stressful events. Exercise is more intentional, stress is related to pressure.

The easiest forms of exercise is walking or cycling instead of using the car or public transport. Exercise has become more rare in our generation because technology have made things easier - washing machine instead of manual wash, vacuum cleaner instead of sweeping, car/bus replacing a trek.

To benefit greatly, adults should be active for at least 20-30minutes per day either in sports, indoor exercise or the gym. Not only adults but every age group should exercise regularly according to their dosage 😅.

There is moderate intensity activity in which you can talk but not sing during exercise while in vigorous intensity activity you can't say a sentence without pausing for breath because breathing is hard and fast. Both forms are good, the latter's advantages may only outrun the former. Both improves the cardiac reserve.

Research has shown that adults (18-65yrs) spend 7/more hours sitting, over 65yrs average 10+ hours sitting or lying down. This inactivity for a long period over the course of time is termed sedentary lifestyle, which I can say is very harmful to overall health.

How then do we go about exercise? Start small and be constant. Stroll that small distance instead of taking the car or taxi, take the stairs often, stretch your body in the morning, engage in a sport, register at the gym if you can afford, play with your kids as time permits, dance when you can...