Apart from Body Composition, What Are the Benefits of Exercise?

Apart from Body Composition, What Are the Benefits of Exercise?

Conceptions regarding the possible benefits of exercise tend to vary, but they are certainly not restricted to the achievement of individual goals like losing some weight, increasing one’s strength, getting toned, or building big muscles. With the exception of those who take their sport seriously and strive to keep their fitness levels at their peak, most of us turn to exercise purely for aesthetic reasons. Even though we may not actually take to the water or play beach volleyball, when we step on to the sands, we want to look good in swim shorts or a two-piece. In short, we want a body composed of less flab and more firm muscle.

Whatever the manufacturers may claim, you won’t achieve this with fat-burning medications or appetite suppressants, and a diet of quinoa and mixed leaves may be nutritious, but only an Andean llama can endure it for long. Exercise is the key to building the body you want, but, there are far more compelling reasons than vanity to get on down to the nearest gym.

For quite some time, blogs, vlogs, and TV doccies have been extolling the health benefits of getting some regular exercise, promising that it could reduce our risk of develop type 2 diabetes by half, and the chances of a heart attack or a stroke, by more than a third. Among the benefits less often emphasised are those relating to conditions that, although not life-threatening, can certainly be life-altering.

Osteoarthritis is the most common reason for undergoing a hip replacement and the condition is now affecting younger subjects than ever before. According to the UK’s National Health Service, exercise reduces the risk of osteoarthritis by over 80% and of various forms of cancer by anything from 20-50%. They sound like some pretty good reasons to stop lounging on the couch and start pumping some iron.

Uncertainty over the country’s future, fears about violent crime, unemployment, and money problems in the wake of constant price hikes have led to a huge spike in the incidence of depression and a parallel increase in the demand for anti-depressant drugs. Effective as a means to raise one’s spirits, rebuild confidence, and restore self-esteem, and certainly nowhere near as risky as living on anti-depressants, exercise acts to promote the release of feel-good chemicals in the brain, known as endorphins. What are you waiting for? Choose all-round health today.