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Exercise is Medicine

You may think we’re being biased when we say how amazing exercise is for your health. But you don’t have to take our word for it. There are so many studies that show exercise truly is medicine. Current guidelines recommend, 30mins of moderate intensity exercise at least 5 times a week (preferably every day). This has been shown to help prevent conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and certain types of cancer. Reducing chronic disease risk and boosting your health will have a dramatic effect on your quality of life. Let’s have look now at how it works its magic.

Boosts your mental performance

When we think of the benefits of exercise, our first thought is often how it improves the fitness of our lungs and heart. But many people aren’t aware of the mental performance benefits of working out regularly. Nobody says “What a terrible decision that was” after finishing a round at the gym. The thought process is strongest when you decide (or are forced) to exercise when in a negative and tired mental state. You get back from your walk, run or gym session and think, “wow, I feel so much better, I’m glad I did that”. You might finish the training session exhausted, sweaty and it may have been quite demanding. But all that fades and you realize how much more positive, and elated you feel. There are a few proposed mechanisms for the effects of exercise on mental fitness, these include:

• Enhances the production chemicals (serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine) in the brain that help regulate our mood. Endorphin release during a workout has also been related to positive mood and an overall enhanced sense of well-being.
• Causes, the production of brain derived neurotrophic factor which supports the growth of neurons and strengthens the neural network in the brain.
• Creates a positive self-evaluation and improves self-efficacy due to providing a meaningful mastery experience.
• Serves as a distraction from worries and depressing though.
• Changes your posture which changes your mood state.

Don’t forget your bones 

Vitamin D production through sun exposure is a great way to keep our bones healthy. But, did you know, the workouts you’re performing could also be playing a role in maintaining healthy bones. Bones like all tissue respond to stress. Muscle contraction and activity in weight bearing positions is not only great for your muscles and general health but also your bones.  Adequately loading bones can help them to build a much stronger architecture inside the bone in addition to making the bone more dense. When thinking about your workout routine, it is a good idea to consider whether you are loading your bones.

Metabolism boost 

Metabolic health is often associated with overweight and obesity, but it also includes many other conditions that are related to being overweight. Being overweight can have detrimental effects on our health. Exercise can have an effect on weight maintenance but how effective is it for weight loss? Unfortunately, it cannot outrun a poor diet, so when addressing weight; nutrition and exercise should be considered together. Although it has a smaller role in weight loss it does however; have a huge impact on our health and still plays an important role in weight management. What most people don’t know, is that if you are regularly physically active, and have a high level of fitness, you are at a much lower risk of developing metabolic diseases even if you are overweight. So, keep active, even if it doesn’t appear to be helping you lose weight, it’s far more valuable than we give it credit.

Lower your cancer risk 

Regular exercise may help to reduce your risk of certain types of cancer. The evidence is stronger for bowel, breast and prostate cancer. The way exercise effects cancer production varies between the different types. Some of the proposed mechanisms are:

• Lowers blood oestrogen
• promotes motility (movement of food) in the large intestine and gut which reduces the time food and waste come into contact with bacteria
• Reduces cancer related growth factors
• May play a role in reducing tumor growth

Helps your live longer 

Being physically active has shown to reduce all-cause mortality. Living a life free of chronic disease, increases your life expediency but more importantly, enhances the quality of those years.

All these exercise benefits with little to no side effects. It’s never too late to start, please speak with your Accredited Exercise Physiologist.