Why exercise is important for you
Everyone has their own personal reasons and motivations to stay active. However, it’s no hidden fact that staying active can be hard at times. Focusing on the why can help get you through the tough times. Here are some of the common reasons why exercise can be beneficial for you, as highlighted by our motivated Exercise Physiologist Michael Tocchetti.
The obvious:
Muscle strength: We are always using our muscles when we exercise, and the body is very good at adapting to what we do. The process of exercising causes our muscles to adapt and get stronger. Certain types of exercise can have more beneficial effects for muscle strength, such as resistance training.
Joint flexibility: Our joints are the backbone of our ability to move, but sometimes it can feel like they don’t agree with what we want to do. Staying active and keeping out joints moving is crucial to maintaining their full range of movement pain free. Any form of exercise helps, but mobility training such as yoga can be particularly beneficial.
Fitness: Your fitness is essentially your body’s ability to do something for a prolonged period of time. There are lots of factors that dictate your fitness, but most notably is the ability for your heart and lungs to supply your muscles with oxygen. The gold standard for improving your fitness are cardio-based exercises that get your heart rate up like walking, swimming, or boxing.
Your health: The management of your health, and any health conditions, is an important part of staying active. Exercise is a crucial element of treating many different health conditions (such as diabetes). Sometimes, health conditions may impact what exercise is safe for you to do – and that is where an Exercise Physiologist can help identify the right exercise for you.
The not-so obvious:
Mental health: Aside of the physical benefits of staying active, there are also many benefits to your mental health. Exercise can help to improve your mood, reduce stress levels, and help with emotion regulation. While there is evidence that supports some exercise modalities over others, usually its more about finding what type of exercise works for you – that you enjoy doing.
Balance: Our ability to be aware of our body’s movement within our surroundings is how we stay safe. Exercise and particularly balance training can help with improving our body awareness and control to maintain stability within our environment. This reduces our injury risk and chance of falls. Some exercise modalities are centred around this principle, such as Tai Chi.
Better sleep: Getting enough sleep can sometimes be challenging, but exercise is one of things we can control that can help to improve our sleep. The aftermath of exercise can help our body to regulate its core temperature and release beneficial neurotransmitters which help you to relax and improve sleep quality. Some people find the timing of their exercise can have improved impact on their sleep.
While this is not a be-all-end-all list of the positives of exercise, we hope it helps to highlight some of the many reasons why exercise can be beneficial for you. Whether you are hoping to start improving your physical activity habits or looking to continue and build on your current habits, keeping these benefits in mind can help keep you motivated along the way. And if you feel like you need a bit of help, feel free to reach out to Michael and the Altaira Allied Health team are ready to lend a hand with plans tailored for you. Book now: https://altairahealth.com.au/
