Regular exercise may just be what you need to lift your mood, improve your metabolism, strengthen your mind, and live a happier, healthier, and even longer life.
A Fitness Awakening?
“A recent study found that nearly one-third (31%) of the world’s adult population, 1.8 billion adults, are physically inactive.”
Recently, there has been a radical awakening to exercise in Nigeria and Africa.
We now see more people running or jogging along the streets, especially in urban and suburban areas (maybe those in the rural areas don’t need much running because they are already doing enough running, right? Just kidding).
More gyms are opening in and around big cities (though the gyms may not be as sophisticated as the ones we see on YouTube where Mr Olympias come to train).
It shows that there might be a wave of fitness blowing in town.
Surprisingly, most people are doing it because it’s one of those trends made famous by social media, especially TikTok and Instagram.
Some are doing it because their friends do it, or it makes them feel good, or they want to have a body like Dwayne “Rock” Johnson or Gal Gaddot (Wonder Woman), while the ones who are overweight or obese, of course, are doing it for obvious reasons.
Well, is exercise important?
Why should you be more flexible and have more endurance, strength, and muscle than fat?
In this article, I will share some research about exercise and some personal experiences with you so that the next time you go running, go to your local gym, or do yoga or aerobics, you’ll do it with more understanding and purpose.
How Important Is Exercise?
Regular exercise may just be what you need to lift your mood, improve your metabolism, strengthen your mind, and live a happier, healthier, and even longer life.
Exercise and physical activity are terms used interchangeably. However, there is a slight difference.
According to The Britannica:
“Physical activity is an inclusive term that refers to any expenditure of energy brought about by bodily movement via the skeletal muscles; as such, it includes the complete spectrum of activity from very low resting levels to maximal exertion.”
While exercise is a component of physical activity, the element distinguishing exercise from physical activity is that it is planned and structured and specifically for maintaining and developing physical fitness.
Here are ten mind-blowing benefits of regular exercise.
Exercise Can Improve Your Mood And Make You Feel Happier
In a 2019 review, scientists discovered that 10-30 minutes of exercise is enough to improve your mood.
Have you ever heard of the happy hormones, endorphins, serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin? These hormones help control our emotions through very complex biochemical/physiological processes.
Endorphins, which are produced during exercise, help calm our mood and have been found to reduce pain.
Exercise also increases the brain’s sensitivity to hormones that relieve the feeling of depression—serotonin and norepinephrine.
After my workout sessions, I always feel lighter, pumped, and strong. In a way, I even feel it has helped my creativity and productivity.
If you have found out that you always experience low moods, then I recommend you start exercising. You’ll definitely experience tremendous improvements in your mood and energy levels.
What You Need To Know About Endorphins
- Endorphins are natural painkillers made by the body. They are released when you’re in pain or stressed and help reduce pain while making you feel good.
- The name of these hormones comes from the term “endogenous morphine.” “Endogenous” because they’re produced in our bodies; morphine refers to the opioid painkiller whose actions they mimic.
- There are about 20 different types of endorphins. The best studied is beta-endorphin, which is associated with the runner’s high, which is the feeling you get after an intense workout session.
- We release endorphins when we laugh, fall in love, have sex, eat a delicious meal and do whatever makes us happy and excited.
- Exercise, meditation, sex, playing music, laughter, and ultraviolet light (sunlight) can release endorphins.
Exercise Is The Most Effective Method Of Losing Weight
Regular exercise is the most effective method research has proven to help lose weight.
Eating less (calorie control) is a good weight loss strategy and is more effective when combined with regular exercise.
We now have weight loss drugs, like Wegovy and Ozempic, that promise magical results in reducing weight. Not bad; I am not against it.
However, what we must understand is that pills and medications alone will never be able to reproduce the physiological and mental effects of regular exercise.
Obesity and overweight have been linked to chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes, and one of the most effective methods to manage obesity is to lose weight through exercise plus other lifestyle modifications.
Exercise Strengthens Muscles And Bones
Bones and muscles are the most important anatomic and physiological structures for support and strength.
Among the most weakening symptoms of old age are lack of strength and loss of muscle mass and bone density.
As people age, muscle mass is lost, reducing mobility and increasing the risk of falls and injury.
Regular exercise is vital in preserving, maintaining and building strong muscles and bones.
According to research, regular exercise helps build bone density in the lumbar spine, neck, and hip bones, vital areas that pose a lot of structure and strength problems later in life.
Studies also revealed that high-impact sports like soccer and gymnastics helped build bone density compared to other non-impact sports.
If you’re still very young and want to remain strong and healthy when you get old, then now is the perfect time to start building bone and muscle strength.
It’s easier when you’re younger.
Exercise Can Boost Your Energy Levels
Exercise improves cardio-respiratory health significantly. You have more energy when the heart pumps more blood to the body.
The heart is a muscle, and exercising it regularly gives it more strength and power to function efficiently.
Regular exercise is among the most important ways to improve cardiac and respiratory health.
The more exercise you do, the more you realise that your cardiac and respiratory functions improve, giving you more energy and keeping you healthy.
The more energy you have, the more productive you are.
I have experienced this firsthand.
When I resumed going to the gym, I immediately noticed a significant improvement in productivity because my energy levels were improving.
I don’t need to be forced or coerced into taking exercise seriously because I know what it does for me.
Exercise Can Significantly Reduce Risk Of Chronic Diseases
“Regular physical activity can reduce mortality by up to 50% in the general population.”
A plethora of scientific evidence proves that regular exercise prevents several chronic diseases.
Regular exercise produces several physiological and biochemical changes that together reduce the risk of developing chronic conditions.
Physiological benefits of regular exercise include:
- Regulation of blood sugar levels: Regular exercise makes it easy for the body to use insulin, preventing the onset of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
- Blood pressure management: Exercise strengthens the heart muscle and helps relax blood vessels, improving blood flow and lowering blood pressure. Lower blood pressure means less strain on the heart muscle.
- Cholesterol control: Regular exercise increases good cholesterol (HDL), while bad cholesterol (LDL) is reduced. Reduced LDL reduces the risk of plaque buildup in the arteries.
- Prevention of inflammation: Inflammation has been linked to several chronic diseases. Regular exercise reduces inflammation by activating complex molecular physiological and biochemical reactions.
Apart from genetic predisposition to certain chronic diseases, preventive measures, like regular exercise and diet, significantly reduce the onset of chronic diseases that lower the quality of life of millions of people.
Let’s say you’ve got a genetic predisposition to diabetes. What you can do to slow it down or prevent it is to take exercise seriously, plus other compulsory lifestyle changes.
Exercise Can Help Improve Brain Health And Memory
Regular exercise sends more oxygen-rich blood to the brain, resulting in improved brain general well-being.
It can also enhance the release of certain special hormones that help with the growth of certain brain cells.
The hippocampus is the area in the brain that handles memory and learning. Research has shown that exercise increases the size of the hippocampus, thereby improving memory and learning.
In addition, older adults benefit immensely from exercise’s ability to slow down the effects of brain ageing.
Studies have also revealed that regular exercise can create a form of non-pharmacological resilience to the development of Alzheimer’s disease in older adults.
Exercise helps create new brain neurons (neurogenesis), improves how existing neurons work (neuroplasticity), and releases neurotransmitters that improve overall brain function (neurochemistry).
Exercise And Mental Health
A myriad of studies support exercise as a form of therapy for mental health improvement.
Exercise has been linked to help with symptoms of depression, anxiety, neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s), and drug addiction.
Exercise May “Slow” The Ageing Process
Modern studies have started to discover very strong correlations between exercise and longevity.
A recent study published in the Journal of Preventive Medicine discovered that regular exercise is linked to longer caps at the end of human chromosomes.
As people grow older and their cells divide many times, their telomeres—the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes—become shorter.
People who didn’t exercise at all had Telomeres that were in bad shape compared to those who did.
Exercise helps increase a molecule (Shelterin) that protects telomeres, the ends of our chromosomes.
This protection slows down how quickly telomeres shorten over time, so exercise seems to slow ageing at the cellular level.
This shows the immense “unseen” benefits of exercise on a molecular level.
Other benefits of exercise include:
- Exercise can reduce pain.
- Exercise improves skin health.
- Exercise promotes better sleep.
- Exercise builds social connections.
- Exercise promotes a better sex life.
- Exercise improves self-esteem and confidence.
- Exercise helps with relaxation and sleep quality.
Why Is More Muscle Healthier Than Fat?
Muscle is an active tissue (metabolically) that burns more calories at rest than fat.
Having more muscle can increase our basal metabolic rate, allowing us to burn more calories throughout the day.
In contrast, higher body fat percentages can slow metabolism, making weight management harder.
Keeping healthy muscles can help you avoid losing muscle as you age.
It can also strengthen your bones and improve your physical fitness.
On the other hand, having too much body fat can raise your chances of health issues like heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers.
Facts about gender differences in physical activity levels (according to WHO).
- Women are less active than men by an average of 5 percentage points. This has not changed since 2000.
- After 60 years of age, physical inactivity levels increase in both men and women.
- 81% of adolescents (aged 11–17 years) were physically inactive (2).
- Adolescent girls were less active than adolescent boys, with 85% vs. 78% not meeting WHO guidelines.
In Conclusion
The importance of regular exercise can’t be overemphasised. There is enough scientific evidence globally to prove its many health benefits.
So, there’s absolutely no reason whatsoever why you should not include regular exercise in your weekly routine.
It should be part of your life, and if you are younger, you are in a better position to live healthier because you can incorporate regular exercise early enough into your lifestyle.
Aim for 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week.
Various schools of thought have varied opinions on how much exercise is enough and how much is needed to reap the maximum benefits of exercise.
The most critical factor is starting small and doing something, which is better than not doing anything at all.
Also, consider your health, and that’s why, in certain conditions, you may need to consult specialists before you start exercising.
Your exercise regimen should aim to improve strength, balance, and endurance and build more muscle.
Walking, cycling, and swimming are moderate-intensity aerobic exercises that get your heart beating faster.
Running, jogging, and high-intensity sports like soccer and football count as vigorous-intensity exercise.
Lifting weights and resistance bands can also help you build muscle and improve strength and balance.
You don’t necessarily need to train hard like a professional athlete; all you need to ensure is that you include enough exercise into your weekly or, if you can, daily routine.
Adopting a lifestyle of regular exercise isn’t all about the aesthetic it gives but primarily about the long-term health benefits.
More Resources To Read
Selected References
- Caceres, V., Colino, S., & Otten, M. (2024, January 10). Mind-Blowing benefits of exercise: Why exercise is important. US News & World Report. https://health.usnews.com/wellness/fitness/slideshows/mind-blowing-benefits-of-exercise?slide=18.
- Cooper, K. H., & Blair, S. N. (2024, November 9). Exercise | Definition, Types, Principles, & Health Effects. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/exercise-physical-fitness.
- Pinckard, K., Baskin, K. K., & Stanford, K. I. (2019). Effects of exercise to improve cardiovascular health. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2019.00069.
- Rd, A. S. M. (2023, November 13). The top 10 benefits of regular exercise. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-benefits-of-exercise#happiness.
- Walton, A. G., PhD. (2022, April 14). 6 Science-Backed Ways Exercise Benefits the body and brain. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/05/23/6-ways-exercise-benefits-the-body-and-brain/.
- Watson, S. (2024, April 18). Endorphins: The brain’s natural pain reliever. Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/endorphins-the-brains-natural-pain-reliever.
- World Health Organization: WHO. (2024, June 26). Physical activity. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity.
