7 Benefits of Exercise and Weight Loss

This week’s blog is from a site across the pond, US Health Corps, authored by Kimberly Thomas . It gives an American perspective on why exercise is the thing. Although some of the assertions can be challenged its heart is in the right place  – and it gives me a week off! Please let me know what you think. Here it is:

It is not a secret that the benefits of physical fitness are astoundingly positive. Between 2017 to 2018, the prevalence of obesity in the United States was a whopping 42.4%, translating to 4 out of every 10 Americans. With that said, exercise and weight loss are fantastic ways to give you a better life.

Exercise and weight loss have many social benefits, but from a health standpoint alone, the positives can outweigh the pain and fatigue you can expect to experience. Here are 7 benefits of exercise and weight loss and why you need to get up right now.

1.Makes you feel happier

One benefit of exercise and weight loss is their ability to make you feel happier. Exercise as physical activity improves your body’s circulation, trying to send more blood, oxygen, and nutrition all over your body. You also influence how your body releases hormones that help change how the body works as you exercise.

Exercise and weight loss have positive impacts on your mental health. It releases endorphins and serotonin which gives you a blissful feeling. Exercise and weight loss also give you a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment.

At the same time, exercise cuts down on the cortisol levels in your body. Cortisol is in charge of putting your body under stress, causing it to be in an elevated state. Reducing cortisol allows your body to relax and cut down long-term feelings of anxiety and depression.

2. Improves sleep

Another benefit of exercise and weight loss is their ability to improve your sleep and its quality. Exercise and weight loss, in general, have positive effects on your sleep, with better sleeping patterns for those who try it. 

First, strenuous physical exercise can help you consume a good chunk of your energy, which can then help you get a good night’s sleep. Physical fatigue can also encourage melatonin production, which, with serotonin, can help give you a good night’s sleep.

Exercise, especially when combined with infrared light therapy for weight loss, can also cut down your total body size. A small physical frame can cut down the pressure on your diaphragm, which causes sleep issues like snoring, sleep apnea, and even insomnia.

3. Reduces blood pressure 

Exercise can help push down blood pressure and even alleviate its chronic symptoms on your body. It improves blood flow and reduces inflammation, which allows you to reduce physical pain, sudden blackouts, and irregular heartbeat. 

Exercise as physical activity helps circulate blood throughout your body, reducing blood pressure. It also helps your body release norepinephrine, which improves your heart rate and cuts down blood pressure. Weight loss can also be a crucial component of high BP, and it is central in reducing comorbidities for people suffering from it.

As you lose weight, you lower the risk for arterial clogs and cut down on the workload for your vital organs like your heart and liver. Exercise and weight loss also affect how your body releases hormones like insulin and adrenaline, which control the amounts of sugar, salt, and water in your blood. 

4. Helps with PMS and menopause

For women, exercising and staying in shape can provide specific benefits, mostly related to their monthly periods. Exercise and weight loss can also help with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and menopause symptoms, as these activities help regulate your hormones. 

Female sex hormones, like estrogen and progesterone, can have different effects on the female body. An imbalance of either can give you mood swings and extreme pain. In addition, exercise as physical activity helps balance your hormones, which help regulate your menstrual cycles. 

You can utilize your period underwear better rather than have overly weak or overly-powerful menstrual cycles. It also alleviates issues like cramps, bloating, irregular menstruation, and mood swings from hormonal imbalance.

5. Improves heart health

Exercise and weight loss also have beneficial effects on your heart. One study found that those who exercised had lower blood pressure and heart rates. Exercise, in general, can treat and reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart failure. 

When combined with a healthy diet, strenuous physical activity helps improve blood flow, which improves your heart’s health. It helps regulate your cholesterol levels and increase your HDL (good) cholesterol levels while decreasing LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.

Exercise and weight loss can also improve your resting heart rate, the ideal number of beats you should get. This, in turn, can improve your circulation and, more importantly, your cardiovascular health. 

6. Increases endurance

Another benefit of exercise and weight loss is their ability to increase your endurance. Exercise and weight loss can, in a way, be a form of exercise endurance training, which is excellent for people who want to have more stamina and do physical activities for longer.

Exercise and weight loss, in general, help you run farther, faster, and complete longer endeavors. Endurance, specifically, can help your cardiovascular health. In addition to improving your heart’s health, its increased endurance helps your body maintain a steady heart rate. 

Your heart, naturally, has to work harder when you exercise, which is why endurance is so important. As you lose weight, you’re likely going to burn more calories. This, in turn, increases your endurance, which can help you better improve your endurance through more exercise.

7. Improves libido and sexual performance 

Exercise and weight loss can also help improve your libido and sexual performance. As you’re losing weight, you’re likely to feel stronger, which boosts your self-confidence and self-esteem. 

On top of that, exercise helps you become more in tune with your body. As you exercise, you become more in tune with how your body feels, which can lead you to be more in tune with your sexual needs. As you slim down, you also build better sexual endurance, which can help you stay longer in bed.

Regardless of whether you have a sexual partner or not, physical activity and exercise, in general, can improve your mood. It can reduce anxiety and depression and even help you overcome psychosomatic cases of sexual disorders like erectile dysfunction.

The bottom line 

Exercise and weight loss, as mentioned, have many benefits, especially from a health standpoint. As you’re losing weight, you’re also improving your mental health, increasing longevity, and improving your sexual performance.  

Overall, exercise is a great way to improve your social life and love life. With all these benefits to your health, it’s about time to stand up and start hitting the gym.

 

 

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