Get up and get active! Any movement that makes your muscles work and requires your body to burn calories is better than no movement at all. Studies show that just 10 minutes of exercise per day is enough to make a positive impact on your overall health and wellness.(1)
Whether you enjoy working out in the great outdoors or prefer exercising indoors, there are many activities of varying durations to choose from within the SunnyFit® app. Find the one that is the perfect fit for you!
Here Are The Top 10 Holistic Benefits That Regular Exercise Provides:
1. Boosts Your Mood
Physical activity can positively impact parts of the brain that regulate stress and anxiety. It can also increase brain sensitivity to the hormones, serotonin and norepinephrine, which are known to relieve feelings of depression. Exercise can also increase the production of endorphins which produce positive feelings and reduce the perception of pain.(2)
2. Enhances Body Composition
At the most basic level, weight loss occurs when you are burning more calories throughout your day than you are taking in through your diet. With increased activity through exercise, you add to the number of calories you burn that day. Additionally, as your body adapts to regular exercise, your body’s active tissue (muscle mass) will start to increase. This helps with burning more calories at a base level, regardless of whether you exercise that day. It’s a win-win!
3. Improves Muscle And Bone Strength
Any type of exercise or physical activity provides a stimulus that your body must respond and adapt to. Over time, this creates an increase in muscle strength and size, as well as an increase in bone mineral density. However, these adaptations are not system wide, so it is important to have a well-rounded training program that targets your full body.
4. Boosts Energy Levels
It may seem counterintuitive, but regular exercise can help you feel more energized! In the short term, your body releases various hormones that encourage an increase in energy directly after an exercise bout. Long term, your body creates more mitochondria, the location where ATP (your body’s energy source) is manufactured.
5. Protects Against Chronic Disease
Research shows that exercise can help with fighting chronic disease such as heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and dementia. Additionally, it has also been observed that people diagnosed with a chronic disease can fight symptoms and reduce prevalence with regular exercise.
6. Promotes Skin Health
Exercise improves overall efficiency of the circulatory system, and not just to the muscles! Blood flow to your skin increases and can fight skin conditions such as rosacea, acne, and psoriasis.(3)
7. Fosters Brain Health And Memory
Researchers have found that exercise helps keep your brain healthy when it comes to different forms of dementia, but also observed an overall improvement in memory capabilities.(4) Exercise reduces inflammation and stimulates the release of growth factor hormones, which promote overall health of brain cells and blood vessels in the brain.
8. Encourages Relaxation And Better Sleep Quality
Very simply, exercise requires you to expend energy which in turn tires you out for a good night’s sleep. However, this doesn’t mean you need to go all out on every workout. Any activity throughout the day helps increase your sleep drive, so make sure to prioritize movement throughout your day.(5)
9. Reduces Pain Naturally
By building muscle, increasing your joints’ range of motion, reducing overall fatigue, and decreasing inflammation, you’re less likely to experience chronic pain, especially relating to orthopedic conditions. Additionally, it helps your body’s ability to deal with pain when you do experience it.
10. Promotes Longevity
All these reasons rolled into one increases your life span, as well as your health span. So, not only does exercise contribute to a longer life, but an all-around healthier one!
Exercise is important for a healthy body, and there are many good reasons for exercising regularly. If you're on the fence about starting an exercise plan, think about all the amazing benefits discussed in this article to help you over that hurdle. Remember, you don’t have to spend hours at the gym to see results, just be intentional with a little bit of daily movement to reap the reward. You got this!
1. Sunny Health and Fitness, Surprising benefits of exercise, 2020. https://sunnyhealthfitness.com/blogs/health-wellness/exercise-benefits. Accessed 5 February, 2023.
2. Semeco, A. et al, Exercise: The top 10 benefits of regular physical activity, Healthline Media, 2021. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-benefits-of-exercise#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2. Accessed 5 February, 2023.
3. Sullivan, A. et al, Immediate Benefits of a Brief 10-Minute Exercise Protocol in a Chronic Pain Population: A Pilot Study, 2010. https://academic.oup.com/painmedicine/article/11/4/524/1893707. Accessed 5 February, 2023.
4. Jaret, P, Exercise for Healthy Skin, 2011. https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/acne/features/exercise. Accessed 5 February, 2023.
5. Godman, H. et al, Regular exercise changes the brain to improve memory, thinking skills, 2014. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memory-thinking-skills-201404097110. Accessed 5 February, 2023.
6. Basso, J. et al, The Effects of Acute Exercise on Mood, Cognition, Neurophysiology, and Neurochemical Pathways: A Review, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2017. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5928534/. Accessed 5 February, 2023.
7. Cleveland Clinic, 13 benefits of exercise, 2023. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/benefits-of-exercise-other-than-weight-loss/. Accessed 5 February, 2023.
8. Cleveland Clinic, How exercise affects your sleep, 2020. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-exercise-affects-your-sleep/. Accessed 5 February, 2023.
