Benefits of Exercise

Less than 22 percent of people exercise regularly. Why? There are so many benefits that come from even a modicum of exercise when done regularly. Many benefits have been linked to exercise.

1. Makes you happier. This comes from both hormonal releases and self-esteem signals. Exercise has been shown to help with negative emotions and depression.
2. Makes fat loss a lot easier. Losing fat through diet alone is possible, but very difficult. We covered the effects of muscle and the flexibility it provides you in your diet and the way we store body fat. Exercise sends the signals you need to burn the calories you eat. That is an extremely over simplified version of the science involved, but the basic premise has been well proven.
3. Builds muscle and strengthens bones. More muscle improves mobility, reduces risk of injury, helps prevent diabetes through insulin control. It also helps strengthen bone and stave off osteopenia, the loss of bone mass. This is a growing problem as we hit generations of older people who were not as active in their younger generations as those before them were and we start to see osteoporosis rise. 
4. Increases energy levels. This may not make sense inherently. How does tiring myself down with exercise give me more energy? Your body is only going to produce the amount of energy you need, so if  you sit around doing nothing, it won’t produce much energy (metabolism). It is a way to reset your energy levels to a higher standard. The body has a wonderful way of adapting to needs, energy levels included. 
5. Reduce risk of chronic diseases. Diabetes, alzheimers, autoimmune issues. All effected positively through exercise. Here in the US, we are great at emergency medicine, and not so great at avoiding chronic disease. It is not an accident that as that “number of people who get adequate exercise” has dropped to 22 percent, diabetes has seen a rise. Want cheaper healthcare? Be less of a burden on the healthcare system. Chronic disease is a huge factor in the cost.
6. Helps skin health. If you do it right, exercise produces antioxidants, better compounds for your skin and balances out your hormones. 
7. Incredible for the brain. Exercise has been shown to improve cognizant functions, memories and focus. Want a truly scary trip down the internet rabbit hole? Google type 3 diabetes. Exercise can also cause spikes in nootropic regulation as well. Exercise has also been shown to have a positive effect on hippocampus size in older adults as well. 
8. Improves sleep quality. Sleep is a recuperative process. Exercise is a stressor (the good kind). It depletes glycogen stores and helps you sleep deeper. Studies have shown up to a 65 percent improvement in sleep just by adding exercise. Sleep helps exercise, exercise helps sleep. We are a complex, yet simple organism. 
9. Reduces pain. Most of the pain we see in modern society is from weakness, poor mobility or diet-induced inflammation. Guess what helps all three of those? Yep. I knew you guys would catch on quickly. 
10. Gives you better sex. The ultimate goal, right? Whether we want to admit it or not. This works through having a healthier body and the mental aspect of looking better. Confidence goes a long way here.