7 Invisible Ways Exercise Improves Your Life

Many people gravitate toward exercise because it can bring on welcome changes to your physical appearance – weight loss, firmer muscles, more toned legs, and less body fat, for instance. But there are many more benefits from exercise that you can't see. These "invisible" benefits are just as important, if not more so, than the strictly aesthetic ones. In fact, one study found that while many people started an exercise program to lose weight and improve their appearance, they continued to exercise because of the benefits to their well-being! How does exercise improve your life in ways you can feel but not necessarily see? 1. Lessen Your Anxiety - Exercise has undeniable effects on your mood, with anxiety reduction key among them. A study by Princeton University researchers revealed that exercising creates new, excitable neurons along with new neurons designed to release the GABA neurotransmitter. GABA inhibits excessive neuronal firing, helping to induce a natural state of calm. Commonly prescribed anti-anxiety drugs like Ativan, Xanax, and Valium actually exert a calming effect in this same manner, by boosting the action of GABA. The mood-boosting benefits of exercise occur both immediately after a workout and continue on in the long term. In addition to the creation of new neurons, including those that release the calming neurotransmitter GABA, exercise boosts levels of potent brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, which may help buffer some of the effects of stress. Exercise is also one of the most effective prevention and treatment strategies for depression. 2. Boost Your Immune Function - When you exercise, you increase your circulation and your blood flow throughout your body. The components of your immune system are also better circulated, which means your immune system has a better chance of finding an illness before it spreads. This includes seasonal colds and influenza. According to a survey by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, exercising vigorously for at least 2.5 hours each week can reduce your chances of catching the flu. The survey suggested that 100 cases of flu per 1,000 people could be prevented each year this way. Other studies have also shown that regular exercise will help prevent the common cold. In one such study, women who exercised regularly were found to have half the risk of colds of those who didn't work out. The ability of moderate exercise to ward off colds seemed to grow the longer it was used. The enhanced immunity was strongest in the final quarter of the year-long exercise program, suggesting that it is important to stick with exercise long term to get the full effects. 3. Sleep Better - If you're having trouble sleeping, an exercise program may be the solution. Research shows that regular exercisers report sleeping better, including falling asleep faster and having a decreased need for sleeping pills, than they did prior to the start of their exercise program. 4. Reduce Symptoms of PMS - Women who exercise even report that their symptoms of PMS, including feeling irritable and bloated, improve. In fact, exercise was helpful for improving PMS symptoms in over 80 percent of those who tried it. 5. Boost Your Sexual Health - Exercise is an important component of keeping your sex life alive, largely because it significantly lowers the risk of erectile dysfunction in men. This works because exercise helps open your arteries, increasing blood flow throughout your body. Additionally, exercise helps with stress relief, improves your stamina and boosts your body image – all of which are conducive to a healthy sex drive. 6. Strengthen Your Brain - The increased blood flow that results from exercise also benefits your brain, allowing it to function better almost immediately. As a result, you tend to feel more focused after a workout. Furthermore, exercising regularly will promote the growth of new brain cells. In your hippocampus, these new brain cells help boost memory and learning. As stated by the Huffington Post: "When you work out regularly, your brain gets used to this frequent surge of blood and adapts by turning certain genes on or off. Many of these changes boost brain cell function and protect from diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or even stroke, and ward off age-related decline." Exercise also encourages your brain to work at optimum capacity by causing your nerve cells to multiply, strengthening their interconnections and protecting them from damage. There are multiple mechanisms at play here, but the rejuvenating role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is one of them. BDNF activates brain stem cells to convert into new neurons. It also triggers numerous other chemicals that promote neural health. 7. Boost Your Body Image - Exercise helps your body to tone up and become leaner, but this benefit may pale in comparison to what it does for your body image. A meta-analysis of 57 studies found that exercise improves the way people feel about their bodies. My Top Exercise 'Prescription' for Good Health If you're ready to start exercising or want to make sure your program is allowing you to reap maximum benefits, both aesthetic and otherwise, please read the exercise guidance below. Ideally, you'll want to strive for a varied and well-rounded fitness program that incorporates other types of exercise as well, including "intermittent movement" during work hours to counteract the ill effects of prolonged sitting. I recommend incorporating the following types of exercise into your program in order to truly optimize your results: 1. Avoid Sitting for More Than 15 Minutes: The key is that you need to be moving all day long, even in non-exercise, or as I now like to call them, intermittent movement activities. 2. High-Intensity Interval Training: As mentioned, this is when you alternate short bursts of high-intensity exercise with gentle recovery periods. 3. Core Exercises: Your body has 29 core muscles located mostly in your back, abdomen, and pelvis. This group of muscles provides the foundation for movement throughout your entire body, and strengthening them can help protect and support your back, make your spine and body less prone to injury and help you gain greater balance. 4. Stretching: Stretching works with your body's natural physiological makeup to improve circulation and increase the elasticity of muscle joints. This also allows your body to repair itself and prepare for daily activity. 5. Strength Training: Rounding out your exercise program with a strength training routine will ensure that you're really optimizing the possible health benefits of a regular exercise program. Source: mercola.com, 8/1/14.