Exercise. This word has many meanings to the vast majority of people. Within this brief article, this large topic will be broken into the essentials so you can better understand this essential part of our daily lives.

 

Why Exercise?

As you endlessly hear that exercise is important, that very much is the case but why is that? It is better to understand why it is so important rather than getting too deep into studies and statistics. Exercise is the act of moving whether it is playing a sport, going to the gym, or simply going for a walk. It is any form of work performed by your body in enough quantity.

 

Of course, exercising has its benefits. Specifically speaking, the health benefits. With exercise in general, these are a couple benefits you can find if you stay consistent. 

 

Exercising reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by up to 35%, meaning lower chances of heart failure. Moderate-intensity exercise for 150 minutes per week can lower the risk of type 2 diabetes by 58%. People who exercise consistently are proven to live an average of 3-7 years longer. Weight-bearing exercise, which is simply an exercise done on your feet, can quite literally be walking. This type of exercise increases bone density and reduces the risk of osteoporosis by up to 40% which essentially makes your bones weaker and more fracture-prone. Exercise reduces the risk of breast and colon cancer by up to 25%. The consistency matters because exercise even reduces the risk of cognitive decline by 20-30% in older adults. Exercise can better the quality of sleep in 65% of individuals. Finally, people report a 20% increase in energy levels and reduced feelings of fatigue. All these are some reasons why you should begin exercising and stay consistent. These are just a few physical benefits of exercise.

 

The Beauty of Variety

Doing exercise doesn’t mean you’re stuck doing one thing as well. That’s the advantage of such a thing, you have so much variety. Just to name a couple of things you can do for exercise, you can go for a run, play any sport, go to the gym, and even simply walk for just 30 minutes briskly.

 

Mental Fortitude

Exercise can benefit your mental well-being as well. Ever heard of someone not feeling great but going to the gym to feel better? It’s the same concept. It doesn’t have to be the gym specifically either, any form of exercise can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression by 30%. Additionally, the consistency of exercising increases your discipline due to you doing some sort of exercise almost daily or whatever days you plan, with no excuses. Going out of your way to do it is what builds your mental strength and proves your determination as well. This helps build discipline for other things such as school, as I feel. Doing something you don’t necessarily want to do always but still giving it your 100% is what tests your mind and helps you improve. 

 

Self-Confidence and Improvement

Finally, some find that they enjoy exercise due to the physical benefits as well. Exercising naturally builds stronger muscles which can help whether your goal is for aesthetic purposes, getting stronger or faster for a sport, or even just for the practicality of daily life. All of these are the benefits of exercise, be it mental or physical and so this is for the people on the fence about it to finally decide what they want to do with themselves and their health.