THUNAIA brief look at the science proven benefits of exercise to our physical health.
Physical activity helps in weight management, reduces health risks, strengthens your bones and muscles, improves your ability to do daily activities and prevents falls, and increases your chances of living longer. Each of these are explained in more detail below.
Reduces health risks of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome- Regular physical activity can lower your blood pressure and improve your cholesterol levels. You can reduce your risk even further with more physical activity. Being physically active also lowers your risk for developing several commonly occurring cancers (such as cancers of the bladder, breast, colon, kidney, lungs, amongst some others).
Improves your overall quality of life
Strengthens your bones and muscles- Doing aerobic, muscle-strengthening, and bone-strengthening physical activity at a moderately-intense level can slow the loss of bone density that comes with age. Among older adults, physical activity also reduces the risk of falling and injuries from falls. Physical activity programs that include more than one type of physical activity are most successful at reducing falls and fall-related injuries. Regular physical activity helps with arthritis and other rheumatic conditions affecting the joints.
Improve your ability to do daily activities and prevent falls – it improves the ability to do everyday activities such as climbing stairs, grocery shopping, etc. This is especially the case for older adults that can benefit from multicomponent physical activity i.e. physical activity that includes more than one type of physical activity, such as aerobic, muscle strengthening, and balance training.
Increase your chances of living longer - Science shows that physical activity can reduce your risk of dying early from leading causes of death, like heart disease and some cancers. This is remarkable in two ways:
Only a few lifestyle choices have as large an impact on your health as physical activity. People who are physically active for about 150 minutes a week have a 33% lower risk of all-cause mortality than those who are physically inactive.
You don’t have to do high amounts of activity or vigorous-intensity activity to reduce your risk of premature death. Benefits start to accumulate with any amount of moderate- or vigorous-intensity physical activity.
The key take-away is that there are many long-lasting benefits that arise from exercise. In improving your general health, you protect yourself from injury and other health problems, and most importantly, you protect your wellbeing.
If you are hesitant about incorporating more activity into your lifestyle, know that the decision to take an active role in your physical health now, will help you long into your future.
Please see this article on how exercise is good for our brain and how it can be part of an overall self-care regime that wires us for happiness.