Benefits of exercise

Benefits of Exercise

• Exercise improves your mood.
  

A workout at the gym or a brisk 30-minute walk can help you calm down.

Physical activity stimulates serotonin in the brain leaving you in a happier and more relaxed state of mind. You'll also look better and feel better when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem. Regular fitness activates have been proven to help prevent and alleviate depression.

• Exercise combats chronic diseases.
  

Want to help prevent heart disease? osteoporosis? Regular physical activity can help you prevent — or manage — high blood pressure. Your cholesterol will benefit, too. Regular physical activity boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol while decreasing triglycerides. This daily addition is one to make time for because it keeps your blood flowing smoothly by lowering the buildup of plaques in your arteries.

Regular physical activity can help you prevent type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer. 

• Exercise helps you manage your weight.
  

Want to drop those excess pounds? Get off the couch and go for a walking or other physical activities.

This one's a no-brainer. When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn — and the easier it is to keep your weight under control. You can add it in all day. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park far from the store and race your kid or spouse to the door. Walk during your lunch break. Do jumping jacks during commercials. Dedicated workouts are great, but physical activity you accumulate throughout the day helps you burn calories, too.

• Exercise boosts your energy level.
  

Physical activity delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues. Any regular physical activity that gets your heart rate up helps your entire cardiovascular system — the circulation of blood through your heart and blood vessels — work more efficiently. When your heart and lungs work more efficiently, you'll have more energy to do the things you enjoy.

• Exercise promotes better sleep.
  

Find it hard to fall asleep? Or stay asleep? Try boosting your physical activity during the day.

A good night's sleep can improve your concentration, productivity and mood. Adding regular physical activity can help you to sleep better. Regular physical activity can help you fall asleep faster and deepen your sleep. But the catch is. If you exercise too close to bedtime, you may be too energized to fall asleep. If you're having trouble sleeping, you might want to exercise earlier in the day.

• Exercise can put the spark back into your sex life.
  

Are you too tired to have sex? Or feeling too out of shape to enjoy physical intimacy? Regular physical activity can leave you feeling energized and looking better, which may have a positive effect on your sex life. Regular physical activity can lead to enhanced arousal for women, and men who exercise regularly are less likely to have problems with erectile dysfunction than are men who don't exercise — especially as they get older.

• Exercise can be — gasp — fun!
  

Physical activity doesn't have to be drudgery. Take a zumba class. Check out a local climbing wall or hiking trail. Push your kids on the swings or climb with them on the jungle gym. Plan a neighborhood kickball or touch football game. Find a physical activity you enjoy, tennis, swimming, skipping, take a dance class, and play outside with your kids. If you're moving, it counts!