As we enter into the new year there will be many of you who are signing up for gym memberships and joining sports clubs to try and get rid of some of those extra pounds which you may have put over the holiday season. Whilst there is nothing wrong with this of course, it is absolutely vital that this is not just a flash in the pan, and that you ensure that you continue with this healthy lifestyle. Jessica Leonard is a nutritionist who spoke with us lately about a wide range of issues, and something which we discussed was the importance of exercise in our lives, something which she works hard on when it comes to her clients. Exercise most certainly can aid weight loss, but that is not all that it can do.
Happiness is something that we are all looking for and mental wellbeing is a very important aspect of that. What many don’t know is that regular exercise is a key factor in improving our overall mental wellbeing. This is for a number of reasons but one of the key factors as to why regular exercise helps with mental wellbeing is because when we exercise we release chemicals called endorphins, which are known as feel-good chemicals. If you exercise just 30 minutes per day, you can expect to see an increase in your happiness and wellbeing.
It is not just your mental health of course which is aided by regular exercise but also your heart health, and those who exercise regularly have an incredibly low risk of heart disease or heart attacks as they get older. When you exercise and you increase the heart rate, you are also increasing the amount of oxygen and blood which is pumping through the body. As you heart rate elevates the heart is working harder to pump that blood to where it needs to be, and this helps to ensure that valves and pathways remain unblocked, and that the heart remains more supple and flexible.
Mobility is an issue which many struggle from in later life, and you can do something about that now by regularly exercising. What happens as we age is that our bones and joints become weaker and more brittle and it is this which restricts our mobility. Through exercising however you will be able to strengthen the muscles around these bones and joints, which will increase flexibility and support the body when those bones do begin to get weaker.
Of course you can exercise to lose weight and alongside a healthy diet you will see great results, with this being said however, even if you don’t need to lose weight, exercising regularly will do you the power of good and leave you healthier, fitter and help you to avoid certain illnesses and health problems later on down the line.
Just 30 minutes a day doing anything that gets your heart racing is sufficient to enjoy these benefits.