Exercise is the easiest and most accessible medicine. If the benefits of exercise could be packaged into a pill, its cost would be exorbitant and demand skyrocketing. In spite of this, only one in three adults perform the recommended amount of physical activity per week, and less than 5% of adults participate in 30 minutes of exercise every day. The national average for regular exercise is only 51.6%, meaning that over 150 million people are not physically active at all. In this article, we discuss 5 significant reasons why you should consider incorporating physical activity into your daily lifestyle.

1. Exercise to De-Stress
2. Exercise for Weight Control
3. Exercise to Fight Disease
4. Exercise to Think Sharper
5. Exercise for Better Sleep

Exercise to De-Stress  

Regular physical activity is known to improve mental hygiene. In fact, it is one of the most recommended activities to help someone who is stressed, especially in the natural treatment of depression and anxiety. Physical activity stimulates the release of a number of feel-good brain chemicals (serotonin, norepinephrine, endorphins, and dopamine). A morning jog is one of the best ways to get energy in the morning. Working out every day and general self-care routines are also known to boost self-image over a period of time, helping you feel and look more energetic and lively.

Exercise for Weight Control

Why is it so hard to lose weight? Different types of exercise, including cardiovascular exercise and weight training, actually help people of all body types by regulating weight to attain the ideal BMI (Body Mass Index) for their age and height. These exercises are some of the best ways to lose weight for men and women alike. When complemented with a healthy diet, exercise can help you lose excess fat and burn calories without having to alter your metabolic rate.

Also, exercise encourages stronger bones and muscles. The body utilizes proteins during physical activity to increase bone density, resistance, and strengthen muscles. This is why a healthy diet with sufficient protein content is necessary for overall good health.

Exercise to Fight Disease

An active lifestyle is known to help treat a number of health conditions and diseases, including heart conditions, stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and many types of cancer as well. Regular exercise helps treat, and in some cases, even reverse type 2 diabetes and kidney diseases naturally. In fact, just 30 minutes of aerobic exercise can help increase immunity by increasing immunoglobulins, or antibodies, in the bloodstream.

Exercise to Think Sharper

Regular exercise is known to boost decision-making skills and memory by increasing the supply of oxygen to the brain’s anterior frontal regions. In fact, yoga, a more esoteric form of exercise, has been proven to help process information faster and even increase day-to-day productivity.

Apart from yoga, the most brain-friendly exercise is sprinting. 20 minutes of sprinting at least 3-4 times a week is ideal for brain and body health.

Exercise for Better Sleep

Regular physical activity promotes better, deeper, sleep by regulating the temperature of your body during and after exercise. Indeed, there is a mountain of evidence that while exercise can help you fall asleep more quickly and improve sleep quality, it can also negatively affect your sleep if performed too close to the end of the day. However, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to the amount of exercise required and the best time of the day to exercise, as they depend on the individual.