Proper exercise is extremely important to a healthy, well-balanced body. So many people are looking specifically at changing their diet to get more fit, but that is only half the battle. In order to get the maximum benefits from a healthier eating lifestyle, a healthier exercise lifestyle needs to be developed and followed, as well.
Some of the benefits of proper exercise are:
The benefits of aerobic exercise
– Strengthens and builds up our heart muscle and our bones.
– Lessens our body’s fat store because they are being used to fuel our activity level.
– Increases the level of oxygen to our lungs and bloodstream. This occurs because, during aerobic exercise, we breathe more deeply. The more oxygen that reaches the lungs, the more oxygen that can get into our blood. (Since oxygen is our most important nutrient, this is a great benefit!)
– We will not become breathless when doing activities like climbing stairs or walking around a shopping center. Doing aerobic exercise conditions the lungs so they are better able to handle everyday activity.
– Increases our immunity to disease, since it helps to drain the fluids from and circulate the fluids properly in the lymphatic system.
– Improves the endurance level of our cardiovascular system.
– Helps to detoxify the skin due to the promotion of sweating.
– Improves the flexibility and strength of our muscles throughout the body.
– Decreases our risk for developing heart disease.
– Lowers the total body cholesterol level while increase what is called “good cholesterol”, or HDL.
– Decreases our blood pressure.
– Improves the overall tone of our body. Aerobic exercise may increase the size of your muscles, your strength level, and your flexibility level while you are burning away unwanted fat.
– May help with the alleviation of stress and improve our overall mood, making us more productive in our everyday lives.
Aerobic exercise is a critical element for good health. However, you cannot stop there. For a well-rounded and proper exercise regime, you need to include some strength training activities, too.
The benefits of strength training exercise:
– Increases our body’s metabolism.
– Helps to intensify our body’s fat weight loss.
– Gives our body greater muscle strength, muscle tone and firmness.
– Helps to develop our tendon and ligament strength.
– Increases our body’s bone density and strength.
– Boosts our body’s stamina, energy and endurance.
– Helps increase our body’s coordination and balance.
– Helps improve our overall mood and attitude.
– Enhances our mental functions.
When you combine these two types of activity with stretching, you are working toward a proper exercise program. This proper exercise will give you significant weight loss and muscle toning results!
With aerobic exercise, you want to warm up with stretching or light walking before you build up to the higher intensity activities. After a set amount of time, you want to cool down, again with stretching or light walking. This will allow your body to do easy transitions from inactivity to activity.
With weight training exercise, it is also critical that you do a period of warm up and cool down activity. To warm up, do simple aerobic exercise for 10 minutes or so, as it will increase the blood flow to your muscles. Doing these warm up and cool down activities will help reduce the amount of soreness you experience after exercise and well as preventing strains and injuries.
Proper exercise helps our bodies in so many ways! The increased activity raises our metabolism, which allows our bodies to burn fat instead of storing it. This will help keep weight under control, if the activity level is maintained. Get up and keep moving to see realize the benefits for yourself.
