When it comes to the benefits of exercise. the list starts and ends here my friends.

I laid out for you the top benefits that people who engage in working out every day reap. And benefits you can start reaping to day as well.

Share with me what you think of the list when you are done reading it!

Enjoy my friends.

Benefits Of Working Out

1.) Lessen Depression 

There is a great article done by Harvard Health which talks about how working out can help with with the management of symptoms of depression. It talks about how essentially the quick fix to a low mood would be through high intensity exercise in which endorphins are released. This is often referred to as a runners high.

But the really step towards curing or simply better ones condition that has depression is through the likes of long term steady state low intensity exercise. When one integrates this approach to fitness, they start to create better nerve cell growth in the hippocampus which improves nerve cell connections, which in turn helps relieve depression. As with those who are depressed, they show a smaller hippocampus.

So again through taking a long term approach to exercise, you can literally alter your brain that will support ridding one of the terrible symptoms of depression. It can be a more natural approach to helping those who are more treatment resistant as well.

Another study talks about how it can also temporarily relieve symptoms of depression through the thermogentic hypothesis which states that a rise in core body temperature from exercising, which results in symptoms lessening.

The same study also talks about how it increases the temperature of certain areas of the brain along with the actual brain stem which can lead to one feeling much more relaxed along with a reduction in ones body temperature.

Although there have been studies shown that exercise does in fact increase serotonin and norepinephrine in various brain regions in animals, it is not been thoroughly studies in humans to draw conclusive results.

2.) Anxiety

Like I stated above off of information from the study, exercise allows for muscle tension reduction. Which this alone can help those who struggle with anxiety. A study also shows that regular exercise is linked to lower sympathetic nervous system along with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis reactivity. Which can lessen symptoms of anxiety.

They also reference pre-clinical studies which show that voluntary exercise alters the release of corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) from the hypothalamus along with the ACTH from the anterior pituitary. Which these types of findings are suggestive of the fact that exercise induces changes in the HPA axis which modulates stress reactivity along with anxiety in human beings.

The study also talks about how another possibility of why exercise lowers stress is due to the opioid system. Endogenous opioids play a role in the regulation of both mood along with emotional reactions.

Studies have shown that exercise increases activity of endogenous opioid activity within the central and peripheral nervous system in which can create a euphoric state along with provide a reduction in pain.

The study concluded with the fact that there isn’t simply just one reason why exercise lessens anxiety. But multiple that have an affect on a biological, physical and psychological level.

Helps With Social Anxiety

3.) Make New Friends 

There is literally almost no other better way to meet like minded people who are looking to improve their health and well-being. For myself, I have met two of my best friends at the gym along with had a couple long term relationships come from meeting members at the gym.

As you continue to reshape your body, your confidence grows. This allows you to approach people in a more confident way in the gym. It is a culture that is misunderstood as it is a place where people gather to escape their crazy lives. So right there, all gym goers have something in common right away.

This can allow people who are introverts to come out of they’re shell. Along with the fact that they can show people in the community that they are dedicated to their health and fitness. Which can attract people to work with them in businesses that they have. Or make social connections with people that can help the attain job positions in the community.

As we all known, it’s often times not what you know, but who.

4.) Good Bone Health

A great article by Livestrong references research review of bone density studies which was geared towards determining weightlifting’s effectiveness in building bone. The study was done in 2006 published in the April edition of “Aging Clinical Experimental Research”.

They talked about how lifting weights has the greatest impact on young adults under the age of 60. By engaging in a weight lifting regimen that is consistent, one can expect to see bone mass gains that range from 2-5 percent per year.

As far as the aging population goes, those who are above 60 can expect to see increases from 1 to 3 percent.

Which lifting weights for bone health is absolutely critical, as we start to lose bone mass after a certain age. Usually around 25 to 30. A process referred to as osteoporosis along with osteopenia.

This is seen in the older population in which they end up getting fracture from weak and diminishing bones. By working out people can build strong bones so that they are not victim to osteopenia as they age.

A study talks about how exercise should be the first choice of intervention in management of osteopenia along with osteoporosis.

Not only can working out help us create stronger bones, but it will also result in creating stronger muscles which will help us in our daily life as we age as well. Like reduced risk for falling and fracturing bones.

5.) Better Sex Drive

A great article by fitness.com talks about the link between exercise and better sex drive. It references studies that talk about how exercise effects the sex drive in men who work out an hour a day, 3 to 5 times a week.. Showing that they had more frequent sex, better sexual function along with reporting more satisfying orgasms.

Also with women, the article references studies in which woman who exercise regularly become more easily aroused. Along with are able to reach orgasm faster and how more intense orgasms.

It helps us have more endurance in the bedroom along with greater flexibility and muscle strength to enjoy new positions and last physically longer in bed.

Exercise also causes better blood flow, increasing blood flow to the genital area in both men and women.

Not to mention that ones self image is better when they start reshaping their body. We feel sexier, therefore we act sexier. It leads to better sex as we are not trying to hide our bodies.

Lastly, of course exercise boosts testosterone in both men and women in a matter of 6 to 8 weeks after starting a workout program. This leads to more frequent erections in men along with increased sexual urges. With women, the boost in testosterone increases sexual arousal along with elevated mood that can create a higher sex drive.

6.) Better Skin 

An article by Webmd talks about how exercise increases blood flow which helps to nourish the bodies skin cells that in turn keeps them vital. An increase in blood flow means better oxygen uptake.

This helps one detoxify their systems more efficiently helping carry away waste from working cells. By increasing blood flow through exercise, we can help flush cellular debris eliminating it from our system. Cleansing ourselves from the inside out.

As we know, exercise also eases stress. which when we lower our stress levels skin conditions can clear up.

Simply put, by exercising we can create healthy circulation in our body which is conducive to keeping skin healthy and vibrant.

Another article talks about how a lot of people think that exercise does the exact opposite. That is it bad for your skin. But the article says that it is peoples bad habits before and after the gym that cause breakouts.

So in order to reap the benefits of better skin through working out, remove makeup before you work out. Or wear makeup products that won’t clog your pores.

Along with rinsing off your face after you workout. Simply carry wipes that have salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide in them as the main ingredient. You will be able to prevent breakouts after working out.

7.) Better Sleep

The good folks over at Sleep.org talk about the link between better sleep and working out. The great thing about it according to them, is that we can reap the benefits by engaging in as little as ten minutes of aerobic exercise per day. It can dramatically better the quality of your sleep cycles when done on a regular basis.

The article talks about how exercise both improves quality of sleep along with duration as well.

Early morning and afternoon exercise has been shown to reset our sleep wake cycles through the process of raising our bodies temperatures slightly then drop back to normal which triggers sleepiness a few hours later.

Another article done by sleepfoundation.com talks about how there was a study done that showed how exercise helps those with insomnia. It showed that after 4-24 weeks of exercise, the participants with insomnia fell asleep faster along with slept longer. They also showed better quality in their sleep patterns compared to before they started their consistent exercise routines.

8.) Vision For The Future

When we start lifting weights and doing exercises, we start to see changes in our body. These changes get us excited to push forward and see how much progress we can make. It gives us a bigger vision of ourselves and keeps us alive and excited to see what our full potential is. Once we see results it becomes and obsession. We stop having to push ourselves as much towards getting a better body. It becomes a must. We must go to the gym or our day is not as good as it would be.

This benefit of working out comes deep from within. As we feel that we are making progress and progress equates to a feeling of happiness as when we are moving forward in life, we feel good about ourselves.

We have hope of a better future. And when we look forward to working out each day, we tend to naturally have hope in every other area of our life. As what we do in one realm of our existence naturally bleeds over to the others.

When you and I are striving to work hard in the gym, we become hard workers outside the gym. It can literally lead to life transformation, all by giving it your best in the gym. I know this has happened for me.

9.) Improves Memory And Cognition

A great article by Scientific American talks about how exercises helps us think better. It was provoked by a question that was answered by Justin Rhodes, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Illinois. He talks about how a growing body of evidence suggests that when we exercise or even walk for a period of time, we think and learn better.

Part of the way exercise affects our learning and thinking process is the fact that it enhances cognition which has to do with blood flow. Research shows that when we engage in physical activity, blood flow and blood pressures boosts in every area of the body, including in our brains. When we have more blood this means more energy and a higher rate of oxygen uptake. This makes our brain perform better.

He also talks about how exercises our mental capacity because it activates or hippocampus which is the part of the brain for critical learning and memory. It is highly active during exercise.

It causes our neurons within this part of the mind to essentially rev up. When this happens cognition is improved.

The article talks about about the fact that aerobic exercise may even be able to reverse hippocampal shrinkage, something that unfortunately occurs with age along with help boost memory in older adults. Along with the fact that another study showed that students who exercise get better test scores than their less athletic peers.

Another article on the subject done by Forbes talks about 6 ways that exercise makes you smarter. Supporting the claim that exercise helps with cognition. A couple of which include:

1. More energy on a cellular level –  by improving muscle strength and endurance. Which helps us think clearer with our heightened energy.
2. Sharpened Focus – lasting two three hours after exercise. Even in the long term it can help us ward off brain aging and even Alzheimer’s. This works on a deeper cellular level through neuroplasticity which the brain actually improves itself though blood flow along with levels of brain deprived protein.
3. Improve Memory – Shown through the likes of an experiment that was published in the journal of American College of Sports Medicine where students were asked to memorize a series of letter, which afterwards they were instructed to run, weight lift or sit quietly. The students in the running group showed more accurate scores when they were tested on their memorization of the letters compared to the group who didn’t run.

10.) Lower Blood Pressure

Mayo Clinic talks about how exercise can be a great drug free approach when it comes to lowering high blood pressure. Our risk of high blood pressure increases with age, also known as hypertension. But simply exercising regularly makes our heart stronger, since the heart is a muscle too. When we create a stronger heart, we are able to pump more blood with a smaller amount of effort.

When we are exerting less work to pump blood, the force that are on our arteries lessens which lowers blood pressure.

But how much? Well the article also talks about how when we become more active we mainly lower our systolic blood pressure, which is the number on the top when we are given our blood pressure reading. It lowers it by an average of 4 to 9 millimeters of mercury which is actually as good as some of the best blood pressure medications on the market! It can reduce ones need for blood pressure medication.

The article says that it only takes one to three months before you start to impact your blood pressure through exercise. It will help you maintain a proper weight, which is one on the biggest factors to keeping a good handle on good blood pressure.

Personally I have seen people go off of blood pressure medication once they commit to exercising 3-5 times per week.

11.) Manage Diabetes

The American Diabetes Association talks about how there are a few different ways exercise lowers blood glucose. The two ways are

• Insulin sensitivity is heightened which means our muscle cells are better at using any available insulin to take up glucose both while we exercise as well as after.
• Muscle contraction enables our cells to take up glucose and utilize it for energy even if insulin is not available.

Due to these two reasons, exercise can help lower blood glucose in the short term. But when one exercises on a regular basis, it can also lower your A1C which is a number that represents the percentage of your hemoglobin which is a protein in red blood cells which carry oxygen. The lower our A1C levels are the lower our risk of diabetes complications are.

The American Diabetes Association recommends two types of physical activity for the management of diabetes which include both strength training and aerobic exercise.

Another article titled type 2 diabetes and exercise talks about how people who are insulin resistant can make great strides towards the management of their diabetes through exercise. As ones insulin resistance goes down when we are engaging in exercise which allows us to use the glucose in our bodies more effectively.

The article also talks about how exercise can help people that have type 2 diabetes avoid having to endure long term complications that are related to diabetes. The main one being heart problems. As those with diabetes are susceptible to developing arteriosclerosis which is when arteries become blocked. It can lead to one having a heart attack.

Exercise can help keep our hearts strong along with help us maintain good cholesterol numbers which in turn will help us avoid blockage of arteries.

12.) More Muscle! (Burn More Calories!)

Now of course having more muscle can make us look better and feel better about ourselves. It also helps for having strength that allows you to take on life in a more confident way as you are less worried about getting injured. This boots confidence levels in area area of life as a fragile body can cause one to be in a constant of worrying about being injured.

But there are many other benefits of developing more lean muscle tissue including the ability to speed up your metabolism talked about in an article by Patch.com.

. This results in bettering our bodies ability to burn fat.

Lean muscle tissues creates better metabolism as muscle is an active tissue. Maintaining this muscle requires caloric energy. The way muscle works in the body is by expending calories which are to help our bodies converty food into heat, energy and water. So the more muscle tissue we have, the more calories can be sent to muscle to be burned. Which leaves a smaller amount of calories to be stored as fat.

Some of the health related benefits of having more muscle are talked about by Esquire Middle East where they talks about how there was a long term study done which was published in the American Journal Of Medicine which showed that those with more muscle actually live longer. Along with the fact that BMI doesn’t hold a candle as being a better indicator of longevity as the level of ones muscle mass provides.

They also provided more protection for our joins that protects against dislocations, breaks and fractures. Along with creating better tendon and ligament strength through repetitive use of our muscles. This will results in a less injury prone body. All provided by having more muscle mass.

Also due to the fact that muscle tissue is the only spot in the body that amino acids can be stored, the amount of muscle we have contributes greatly in creating better immunity. As amino acids like arginine, cysteine and glutamine, play a pivotal role in our ability to respond well to toxins that are in our bodies. The larger our amino acids stores are, the better we are at fighting off infections and diseases.

13.) Lowering Resting Heart Rate

Active.com talks about how exercise affects our resting heart rates by doing chronic cardio training. This allows our hearts to deliver bigger bursts of blood which means fewer beats are needed. This takes the workload off of your heart.

As far as the link between strength training and resting heart rate, strength training is when the muscles contract. When they do so they press and close the blood vessels that flow through those muscles. This allows for an increase in blood pressure in the entire body of which the heart has to fight against in order to create stronger force to enable it to push blood out of.

This adaption of the heart results in increasing of the thickness of the left ventricle wall. The thickness that results from this is healthy for one to have.

So through just 2 to 3 hours a week, you can create a healthier heart and lower resting heart rate.

14.) Lower Cholesterol

A great article by verywellhealth.com talks about how exercise effects cholesterol. It talks about how some studies have shown that exercises can change one’s LDL which is known as being bad cholesterol. Small dense LDL liporoteins are known to contribute to cardiovascular disease compared to one who has larger LDL particles. Studies have displayed that by engaging in a consistent moderate exercise, you can increase LDL particle size. This can contribute to lowering our risk for the development of cardiovascular disease.

The article also referenced how as study that was done over 12 weeks that had participants engage in endurance exercise. The program showed a reduction in small dense LDL by up to 17 percent in participants.

Exercise can also enhance the means of transportation of cholesterol in route from the bloodstream to the liver. Which is where it is eventually filtered out of us. Exercise can also reduced cholesterol absorption from the small intestine in our bloodstreams. Lowering bad cholesterol levels.

Another study showed how physical activity and exercise can better cholesterol levels, increasing HDL along with maintaining, or in a sense offsetting LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.

Although this study showed that in order to provide a noticeable reduction, exercise needs be intense. Intense activity is related to improving ones lipid profile. This is done by initiating clearance of plasma LDL tryglycerides and cholesterol.

It also shows that more sets and/or repetitions has an even greater impact on lipid profile than increasing intensity. Although both contribute to creating a better lipid profile.

15.) Personal Development

By increasing endorphins, you will be a in a much better mood. This results in one feeling better and taking on new challenges in their life. It leads one to seek positive growth outside the gym. As we feel better about ourselves, out whole outlook on life changes. Life becomes more exciting. We want to grow as people. So we seek out growth opportunities.

We become more upbeat and hang out with better and more upbeat people because of it. We push our comfort zones in the gym, which in turn we then push our comfort zones outside of the gym. This leads to us conquering fears along with growing as an individual so much more than we would without engaging in consistent exercise.

16.) Disease Prevention

This is one of the biggest and best benefits of exercise. You are now creating a body that is on the defense against disease. You are taking a preventive approach to your health that is ready to battle anything that comes at it. You are creating a healthy body where you won’t be as vulnerable to disease as you age. This can set you apart from living a long healthy life while others suffer from disease.

This will not only provide you with longevity in your years. But also save you a ton of money in the form of what you would have paid for hospital and doctors visits if you were sick with these diseases.

You are giving yourself the best shot at living a disease free life by better your mental and physical health though the likes of exercising, endurance and strength training.

17.) Weight Loss

This is an obvious but still is well deserving of being on our list! You can lose weight, gain muscle, lost fat and look better. Working out can literally change your life by the amount of weight loss that you can enjoy. It may be the only time you are excited about spending money on new clothes.

By utilizing aerobic exercise, strength training and a good diet. You can set a weight loss goal and hit it with dedication. Often times when one starts exercising, they see very fast results. Which is great for those who have never been very physically active. Or those who are looking to do so after being out of the game for a while.

18.) Better Energy

The more we workout the better energy we have. It may seem counter intuitive to say this, but it isn’t. The New York Times has a great article that talks about how the cure for exhaustion is more exercise. They reference studies done by the University of Georgia who created a study that would show the link between treating fatigue with exercise.

The study group consisted of 36 volunteers, all of which were not regular exercisers and all suffered from persistent fatique.

One group was told to do 20 minutes a day of aerobic exercise at a moderate level, 3 times a week for a duration of 6 weeks.

The other group engaged did the same routine but at a lower intensity, and the third group was prescribed no exercise at all.

The volunteers cardio regimen consisted of using exercise bikes to get their 20 minutes in which allowed the researchers to control how much energy was being exerted by the subjects.

The group engaging in low intensity exercise reported a 65 percent drop in their levels of fatigue. Where as the group that engaged in more intense exercise reported that they noticed a 49 percent drop in their feelings of fatigue.

It should be noted that patients that had fatigue that was related to serious medical conditions were excluded from being able to participate in this study.

A doctor was interviewed for this article was named Dr. Puetz whom recently completed his studies that rewarded him with his doctorate degree. He stated that although it is still unclear exactly why exercise helps combat fatigue, his findings lead to exercising acting on our central nervous systems which leads to increased energy and drops in levels of fatigue.

19.) Lower Mortality Rates In Those With Parkinsons

There was an abstract study done in which nurses both visited and followed up with 438 patients that were living in Osaka over a 4.1 year period. During that time, there were 71 deaths. All of the patients were classified according to how much physical activity they engaged in over the 4.1 year period.

The group that engaged in exercise boasted the lowest ratio of morality at 1.68. As lower as 1.45 for those able to walk independently and 1.89 for those who weren’t able to walk independently. All other patients showed a ratio of 2.47.

The article also quotes a statement by the United States Department of Health and Services who sate that a regular dose of physical activity also lowers ones risk for type 2 diabetes, some forms of cancer along with lowering blood pressure.

20.) Reduce Inflammation 

A great article done by Medical News Today talks about a study done that showed that by engaging in as little as 20 minutes of exercise per day can provide anti-inflammatory effects.

The study was published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity. Which their studies showed that exercise bettered immunity responses by activating the sympathetic nervous system. Which the sympathetic nervous system helps us to increase heart rate, breathing rate and blood pressure. Exercise activates it in order to help the body keep up.

Coupled with the fact that the body releases hormones like epinephrine along with norepinephrine into our blood streams with activates immune cell adrenergic receptors.

During this study, the researchers tested their hypothesis that 20 minutes of exercise would provide enough stimulation to trigger what is referred to as the sympathoadrenergic activation which is responsible for the suppression of the production of monocytic cytokines.

These monocytes a certain type of white blood cell which plays a big role in our immunity. And the cytokines are a certain strain of protein which aids other cells to become effector cells that help kill of infected cells or even cancerous cells.

The main cytokine that the study was trying to measure was TNF which can induce cell proliferation and even death of cancerous cells. It also helps create an immunological response and bring inflammatory cells where we have injuries.

In order to see if their hypothesis was correct. The group of researchers enrolled the help of 47 people to walk for 20 minutes on a treadmill which was put at an intensity level that was adjusted in order to meet each individuals proper activity level.

The researchers took samples of each participants blood before and after the study. The blood samples showed in an increase in anti-inflammatory cellular response which provided reduction in the amoundt of simulated immune cells that produced the cytokine TNF.

21.) Better Posture

By engaging in a steady exercise routine, you will build intrinsic core stabilizer strength that will allow you to stand more upright and sturdy. This can take the tension off of your upper body that comes from slouching which happens when we have weak muscle groups. When we slouch, our head juts forward which causes even more strain on the neck and back muscles.

A great article talks about some on the best benefits of good posture, those of which include:

1. Keeping our bones and joints in the proper alignment so we can use our muscles properly.
2. Decreases that chances of having abnormal wearing on our join surfaces.
3. Keeps our spine from becoming fixed in abnormal positions
4. Lessens the amount of fatigue we suffer from as our muscle groups are working in more harmony with each other allowing us to exert less energy when it comes to moving our bodies.
5. Lessen or eliminate neck and back aches and pains.
6. Lessens the stress that is on the ligaments that are holding the joints of our spine together.
7. Help you breath better and take in more oxygen

Now as far as the best exercises to do to enable better posture through exercise, the exercises will include those that target the core. This will create a stronger body overall as well as create synergy between the whole movement system. Allowing you to reap all the benefits of better posture talked about above.

The article talks about how data was pooled from 1.4 millions people, allow which were part of a dozen studies done our of Europe. One of the biggest contributers to this literature include Christine M. Friedenreich, PhD who has expertise in both cancer risk and physical activity.

She talks about the fact that there is so much evidence out there for cancers like breast, colon and endometrial have seen a reduction in people getting them by 25 to 30 percent when they exercise. She states that the more we exercise the less at risk we are for getting certain types of cancer.

As far as the massive pool study went, people from ages 18 to 98 participated with the average age of 59. The study was published in 1987. They monitored these participants over 11 years in which out of the 1.4 million people, 186,932 were diagnosed with cancer.

As far as the risk goes for being diagnosed with 7 different types of cancer, it was 20 percent less likely among the most active participants of the study compared to the least active of them. The most active group showed a cumulative total of exercise that would equate to 7 hours a week of brisk walking or 2.5 hours of jogging.

Overall, looking at all other cancer sites, the massive pool study shows that greater levels of physical activity was directly linked to a 7 percent lower risk in being diagnosed with cancer.

22.) Reduces The Risk Of Cancer

A great article titled “More evidence of exercise for prevention” talks about how there was a large study done that included seeing how exercises reduces the risk of 13 different types of cancers. The great thing about this study is that in was concluded the exercise does so for all 13!

The article talks about how data was pooled from 1.4 millions people, allow which were part of a dozen studies done our of Europe. One of the biggest contributers to this literature include Christine M. Friedenreich, PhD who has expertise in both cancer risk and physical activity.

She talks about the fact that there is so much evidence out there for cancers like breast, colon and endometrial have seen a reduction in people getting them by 25 to 30 percent when they exercise. She states that the more we exercise the less at risk we are for getting certain types of cancer.

As far as the massive pool study went, people from ages 18 to 98 participated with the average age of 59. The study was published in 1987. They monitored these participants over 11 years in which out of the 1.4 million people, 186,932 were diagnosed with cancer.

As far as the risk goes for being diagnosed with 7 different types of cancer, it was 20 percent less likely among the most active participants of the study compared to the least active of them. The most active group showed a cumulative total of exercise that would equate to 7 hours a week of brisk walking or 2.5 hours of jogging.

Overall, looking at all other cancer sites, the massive pool study shows that greater levels of physical activity was directly linked to a 7 percent lower risk in being diagnosed with cancer.

23.) Help During Pregnancy

Proper exercise during pregnancy puts an individual at no risk for miscarriage when done properly. The great thing about it is that it can be a great outlet for women during an incredibly stressful time in their lives.

As far as some of the the physical and psychological benefits go for working out, a great article talks about that, some of the benefits of pregnant exercise include:

• Prevent and/or treat gestational diabetes which is a form of diabetes that affects how your cells use sugar during pregnancy that can affect a childs health and pregnancy overall.
• Increases mood and energy
• Promotes better sleep
• Keep your more fit during pregnancy and provide a better ability to cope with labor. Along with getting right back into shape after the baby.
• More endurance to push through labor

Even more benefits of exercise for pregnant women include:

• Reduces risk of overall pregnancy complications through a study done where women who exercised during pregnancy were less likely to have unplanned C sections.
• Less odds of complications during delivery. This was talked about through a study in Spain about women who exercised 3 times per week both gained less weight during pregnancy along with had a lower chance of have macrosomic babies, which are babies that are more than 9 pounds when born.
• Alleviate back pain and pelvic pain.
• Combat fatigue and better low level tiredness which plaques many women, especially during the first trimester and later in the final trimester.
• Lessen constipation

24.) Less Wrinkles

Usually exercise is looked at as way to shape your body and get more muscles along with burning more fat. But it does help create healthier organs. Which includes out skin which is the biggest organ we have.

An article by stackedskincare.com talks about the benefits of exercise pertaining to better skin. It talks about how sweat is actually great for purging our bodies of toxins that can lead to pore clogging and blemishes. It lets our sweat glands to function better to help rid those toxins.

IT can also help us have less wrinkles as exercise allows our body to maintain healthy levels of cortisol, which is one of the main stress related hormones. When cortisol levels are high, they can lead to acne breakouts or even be the cause in collagen breakdown in your skin. This can lead to sagging and excess wrinkles. Exercise aids in collagen production to help keep your skin tight and firm.

The article also talks about how exercise may even allow skin to heal and repair itself faster. This can help us protect us from the development of cancer.

25.) Better Joint Health

Exercise will allow your muscles to lengthen and shorten to sizes that the need to be to enforce good moving habits. This will allow you to move more efficiently, taking unneeded load off of your joints.

Other benefits or working out that has to do with bettering your joint health through exercise includes:

1. Increase in blood flow as exercise pumps blood that increases full body circulation including our joints. When this happens the synovial membrane is better exposed to nourishing oxygen and nutrients.
2. Joint repair happens when we simply put force and movement on our joints. Joint repair genes are activated through joint movement.
3. Cellular waste is removed through a process of autophagy, a biological process, which is a process of cell damage in the joint where they are broken down and removed.
4. Synovial fluid creation is encouraged around the joints when we engage in physical activity. It allows our bones to move more smoothly and naturally, causing less damage over time.

26.) Prevent Colds

Working out creates a better functioning body which can lead to a better functioning immune system. But there is scientific evidence that shows proof of this. A study shows how exercise can prevent a cold.

The study in which 1000 people found that staving active cut their chances of getting a cold by 50 percent. Of those who did get a cold but exercised, their infection was less severe compared to those who didn’t exercise.

The US researchers had their healthy volunteers keep a record of any sniffles or coughs they had during a 3 month period which was between autumn and winter. The healthiest of the group were married males along with those those who ate plenty of servings of fruit each day.

The members of the group of who were exercisers who were active 5 or more days per week went unwell an average of only 5 days out of the three month period. Where as those who didn’t exercise, or did very little, went unwell for an average of 9 days.

Severity of the cold symptoms among the most physically active that got a cold was 41% less than those who didn’t work out and contracted the virus.

One can enjoy a boost in their immune system up to a few hours after exercise. Helping one fight off viruses entering into their systems.

And 31% less severe in those who were very active.

27.) Help With Asthma 

A study was done in Montreal that was done over 12 weeks, talked about by Medscape. Where the participants where unfit adults. Unfit physically, not as adults LOL. The study was done to combat the theory to strike down the stigma that people with asthma should not exercise.

The study consisted of 33 patients whom were all diagnosed with asthma through the help of a physician. They were all assigned to receive 12 weeks of supervised aerobic activity along with their usual care for their asthma.

The mean age of the group was 49.

The outcome was post exercise asthma control in which was measured by having the participants fill out an Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ).

The exercise for the study included 3 one hour sessions each week that consisted of a ten minute warm up followed by 40 minutes of aerobic exercise where clients energy exerted matched 50 to 75 percent of their heart rate reserve. This was for the first 4 weeks. Then bumping it up to 70 to 85 percent of their heart rate reserve for the last 7 weeks. Each session contained a 10 minute cool down.

Heart rate checks were done three times during each session.

The other group of participants were encouraged to keep leading their sedentary lifestyle, which they were reached out to every 4 weeks to check symptoms, medications and exercise levels.

The study concluded that asthma control was significantly better with the exercise group compared to the group that didn’t exercise. The use of bronchodilators was almost three times less compared to the group who didn’t participant in the exercise regimen.

They also saw boost in mood in both depressed and non depressed groups. Along with smaller waist circumference in the exercise group.

28.) Inspiration To Others

One of the benefits of exercise that not many people look at directly, is the fact that once once transforms their body, the transform their mind. They become a beacon of hope so to say to friends and family. As people can get the feeling that if you can do it, they can do it. You can help be a part of transforming loved ones lives all through your acts and start a legacy that inspires people to get healthy and fit.

29.) Help Fight Addiction

A great article done by Unity Rehab talks about how we can use exercise to beat addiction. It talks about how both the mind and boy crave once choice of substance, but exercise can provide similar endorphins that are produced from drug use. If one can intensely workout and get things like the “runners high” during exercise, they can swap out drug use for exercise. As a bad habit can only be replaced by a good one. You cannot actually break a bad habit, it mus be swapped.

The article also talks about how one study showed that patients that were receiving treatment for substance abuse exhibited that exercised lead them to a greater sense of accomplishment which in turn boosted their self confidence levels when it came to their ability to stay sober.

As far as when one is going through withdrawals, exercise can come in as a saving grace to get people through tough times. Some ways it can help are:

• Decrease cravings and use
• Lessen how effective the drug is on ones system which lessens their susceptibility to using and abusing their particular drug of choice.
• Lessen anxiety and stress
• Offer neurological rewards
• Boost self esteem
• Help one sleep better

All of which add up to a great recipe towards getting one past their withdrawal symptoms and the toughest times of quitting drugs.

30.) Improve Productivity

Often times people see working out as cutting into time that they could use to be productive. But working out does the exact opposite. Especially being productive at work. Harvard Business Review talks about how studies have shown that our mental firepower is related directly to our physical regimen.

Due to the fact that exercise helps us improve concentration, better our memory, learn faster, prolong metal stamina along with lessen our stress levels. This all leads to being more productive in activities to where we need all of these benefits heightened. It also leads to greater creativity when all these psychological facilities are working optimally.

The article also talks about how exercise boosts our mood which is directly related to workplace performance. When we feel less irritable, we build better interpersonal connections and are better collaborators as well are thinking clearly and aren’t likely to react from stress.

There is also a study done that researched the link between exercising at work and self related work performance which consisted of researchers using over 200 employees for their study who would report their performance on a daily basis to them. They compared their output directly to days they did work out and days they didn’t do so.

The results showed that on the days employees visited the gym, their work experience changed. They reported back that they found themselves managing their time more effectively and being more productive with their work time. They also reported their their interactions were smoother and they also went home feeling more satisfied with their day.

31.) Boosts Creativity 

When everything is firing in your properly and you start to stray away from a sedentary lifestyle, your whole life changes. This includes a healthier brain which is more able to offer up its optimal creativity levels.

Brain Balance Centers has an article that talks about a study where research showed that those who regularly exercised performed better on creativity tests. The study can be seen here. Published in the Journal Frontiers on Human Neuroscience which showed that those who exercised performed better on tests of creativity than their sedentary peers did.

The researchers noted that regular exercise seems associated with both improved convergent and divergent thinking. Both of which are considered crucial components in creative thinking. Divergent thinking has to do with thinking of multiple solutions to one problem. Whereas convergent thinking has to do with thinking of simply only one solution for a given problem.

The article also references study researcher Lorenza Colzato who is a cognitive psychologist who stated “Exercising on a regular basis may thus act as a cognitive enhancer promoting creativity”.

Exercise also creatives proper brain function in which it both prepares and encourages nerve cells to bind with one another. This is essentially the cellular basis that is essential for learning new information.

32.) Help ADHD

Again a happy brain results in many symptoms of diseases and disorders to subside or lessen. Research shows the same thing for those who have ADHD. It is expanded on in an article titled “Exercise and the ADHD Brain: The Neuroscience of Movement“.

The article talks about how research shows that physical activity sparks real along with positive changes within the brain, all of which increase attention and better mood.

A doctor, John Ratey, M.D, who is an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He was interviewed for the study, whom stated “Think of exercise as medication.” He also talked about how for a small handful of people, exercise can actually replace stimulants in those who are diagnosed with ADHD. For most it can be a complementary treatment with medication. Which he believes exercise is something people with ADHD absolutely should be doing to help increase their mood and attention.

He also talks about how exercise turns on the attention system so our executive functions are in sequence. This includes working memory, inhibiting, prioritizing along with sustaining attention. All of which cause kids to be less impulse and more in a prime state to learn.

33.) Help Arthritis

It may seem counterintuitive to think that exercise can help those who struggle with arthritis. But it is actually being prescribed to patients who have arthritis as the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.

Mayo Clinic talks about the fact that it increases both strength along with flexibility which helps both reduce joint pain along with combat fatigue. Moderate exercise is enough to ease your pain along with help people maintain healthy weight levels.

The article also states it strengthens muscles around joints which help with arthritis. Along with the fact that it helps maintain good bone strength and also lay down new healthy bone. Creating denser and healtheir bones.

It helps control weight so that we don’t have excess load on our joints. And helps us sleep better which can speed up healing to joints with arthritis.

It also creates better flow in synovial fluid which keeps joints lubricated for proper function.

The best exercises to do to help your arthritis are range of motion exercises like raising your arms over your head or rolling shoulders backwards and forwards.

Also strength training which it is good to do one day on one day off with your strength routine. This will give you enough rest as well as protect your joints by building stronger muscle and tendon strength.

Along with aerobic endurance exercises as this will help you keep weight at a healthy level. Which you should try to work your way up to 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic exercise.

34.) Help With Allergies

A great article talks about how exercise can help with allergies. Some of the main reasons include:

1. Boost in heart rate which makes us feel better and more energized, which the extra energy helps us get through allergic reactions.
2. Boost in blood flow which will help us eliminate toxins related to our alleriges.
3. Opens up our nose and lungs which helps with breathing problems.
4. Boost our immune system which causes white blood cells to circulate quicker which helps us fight illness and can help with asthma.

Overall strengthening your lungs and capacity to draw in air will help immensely when it comes to asthma attacks and the overall management of symptoms. The best way to do this is through cardio as well as circuit training where you work out at a level of intensity that is moderate. Where you are taking in enough oxygen to complete the reps and sets. But aren’t to tired or oxygen deprived to move onto the next exercise right away or shortly thereafter. The goal is to keep moving to build up good cardiovascular strength.

35.) Help During A Period

With exercise, that time of month doesn’t have to be as dreaded. Exercise can help females get through periods with more ease. The benefits of exercising during your period include:

1. Increasing oxygen supply to muscles to lessen cramps.
2. Boost endorphins so that they can serve to help you sleep better along with keep your metabolism functioning optimally.
3. The first day of a menstrual cycle has even shown to optimize your performance through studies done out of Sweden.
4. Boosts mood which helps with mood swings along with other PMS symptoms.
5. Reduces bloating through sweating.

36.) Goal Setting

When we start to workout we learn the power of goal setting. We start to see results and get addicted so we start setting goals that pertain to our physiques. This can have to do with weight loss goals, muscle gaining goals, goals of squatting or deadlifting certain amounts of weight, etc. The type of goal doesn’t matter. It is the fact that we are setting goals when we may have never done so in our lives. Since progress equates to happiness, we find ourselves happier going after our gym goals. Both inside and outside of the gym.

We learn to set goals in the gym, but this translates to us harnessing the power of goal setting outside of the gym. The lessons we learned in the gym can be applied to any area of our life. Both setting the goal and creating the discipline needed to go after those goals until we attain them.

It all starts inside the gym, which through the process of setting goals, can literally alter our existence in every area of our lives.

37.) Help Autism

Autism.com talks about how physical exercise is one of the most effective treatments for those who are autistic. They talk about how studies have shown that strenuous and vigorous exercise is directly associated with lessening behaviors that are notorious of patients with autism. Things like hyperactivity, aggression, self injury along with destructiveness. By engaging in 20 minute or longer bouts of exercise, 3 to 4 days per week, people with autism can lessen these symptoms above.

Psychology Today also has an article on the subject as well, talking about how autistic kids cite exercise as being critical for self regulation along with helping these individuals process their environment. It also offers those with autism to help provide them with opportunities for social interaction. And even moderate certain types of medication side effects.

38.) Speed Up Hair Growth

Exercise can help us grow our hair faster and maintain strong locks of hair! An article talks about the 6 ways exercise speeds up hair growth, some of which include:

1. 1. Regeneration of new cells in our body along with slower breakdown of proteins when we sleep. Which our hair is made up mostly of proteins. Exercise helps us sleep better which leads to renewing of cells which can help hair growth.
   2. Exercise nourishes our follicles as exercise increases blood flow and circulation along with body temperature all throughout the body, including the scalp. The better blood flow we have, the great amount of nutrients and oxygen supply to go the scalp to encourage new hair growth.
   3. Improved all around health which can lead to healthier hair and even preventing some medical conditions that can cause hair loss.

39.) Leadership
When we start exercising we need to learn how to lead ourselves to victory. Victory in the form of getting out of bed and heading to the gym when we don’t want to. Leading ourselves through challenging workout and pushing through extra reps, sets and more minutes on the cardio machine.

When we continually do this. We build up leadership repetition. The hardest person to lead is yourself. But when we begin to lead our lives through exercise, we can and tend to do so in other arenas of our life. The can help us lead our family, friends and ourselves to victory and happiness. And become the rock your friends and family need. All through the act of leading yourself through workout routines day in, week in, month in and year in. Over and over, building your leadership feeling, ability and skills.

You gain the self respect along with respect from other when you transform your body through working out. People know how hard it is to do this and will admire and respect you for doing so. This leads to leadership in your community.

40.) Slow Aging

Yes Father Time is undefeated. We have yet to figure out how to beat him. There isn’t anything close to a pill that will make us live forever. But we do have exercise to help slow that clock down a bit.

An article by Science Daily talks about how researchers out of the University of Birmingham and King’s College London have found that we can keep the body young and healthy by staying active.

The study they did to test this theory consisted of 125 amateur cyclists all aged from 55 to 79. There were 84 males and 41 females. The men needed to have the ability to cycle 100km in less than 6 1/2 hours. The women needed to have the ability to cycle 60 km in 5 1/2 hours or less. Those what were excluded from the study consisted of smokers, people with high blood pressure, heavy drinkers and other health conditions.

The first thing noted from the study was that muscle mass and strength loss did not occur in those who exercise regularly. Testosterone in men remained high and body fat and cholesterol levels also didn’t rise.

But the real finding of the study was the these cyclists were making as many T cells as young people do. Which T cells are immune cells created in the thymus, which begins to shrink when one reaches 20 years of age.

Which the article also reminds us of what the great Hippocrates said in 400 BC “Exercise is man’s best medicine.”. We should live this philosophy into our later years to defy the aging process as much as we humanly can!

41.) Help People With HIV

Those individuals with HIV often experience muscle loss. Resistance training can help these individuals counteract the loss of muscle that can be caused by HIV. Hiv.va.gov talks about some of the benefits of exercise and how it affects HIV positive individuals. They talk about how it can help strengthen the heart and lungs which can become weaker due to a compromised immune system.

They also suggested that HIV positive individuals can reap the benefits of exercise with the use of moderate vigorous exercise. Also doing so 5 days per week in the form of 30 minutes of brisk walking, bicycling or walking around the house.

Another site about AIDS and exercise talks about how people who have HIV related weight loss will most times have low levels of HDL cholesterol. Which is often referred to as being good cholesterol. Exercise has shown to boost HDL cholesterol levels.

They also talks about how engaging in regular exercise can lessen fat accumulation with people who are living with HIV. As they have a condition called liopdystrophy which is fluctuations in body fat.

Overall, exercise can also help give individuals with HIV more energy. Which can dip drastically in HIV positive individuals.

42.) Help Manage Lupus

Lupus.org talks about the 5 benefits of exercise for managing lupus. It talks about how it can increase strength in parts of the body that have been affected by lupus. Things that include the bones, joints, lungs and heart.

It also can help lessen inflammation in the body through the regulation of chemicals that have to do with the bodies inflammation process. Also it helps control with gain that is caused by corticosteroid medications.

Along with making muscles less stiff and boosting peoples mental health who are living with lupus. This alone can help immensely in managing the symptoms of lupus and cope with life.

Again, exercise can help reduce fatigue in people, especially in those with lupus. Which can help individuals get through rough days.

43.) Manage Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is a complicated disease that affects individuals in a myriad of ways. Physically and mentally. A great article talks about the benefits of exercise for Lyme patients. It talks about how during treatment, patients will experience a significant load of die off from byproducts that come from the tissues along with lymphatic system. All of which include dead bacteria and heavy metals.

Exercise increases circulation along with lymphatic drainage which allows the bodies of lyme affected individuals to detox and rid substances more quickly. It also redcues the length and intensity of what is called Herx reactions. Which is where symtoms of Lyme are amplified when dye off and detox is occurring.

Exercise can also raise your core body temperature which can also help with the eradication of infection.

44.) Better Eye Health

Having better circulation and immunity will bring about better health to every sense organ in your body, including your eyes. But there are other benefits of exercise related to vision. A great article talks about how there have been studies which show that exercising on regular basis can reduce the risk of getting diseases related to the eyes like gaaucoma, cataratcs along with age related macular degeneration.

Coupled with a good diet, exercise can also help you avoid diseases and disorders that aren’t particularly related to the eyes, but can indirectly affect them. Things like diabetes, high blood pressure and high LDL cholesterol.

45.) Digestion

Exercise can also directly affect our digestive process and allow us to be more regular. An article talks about the link between exercise and digestion. It talks about how when we exercise, our bodies aren’t using energy for digestion, but instead for diverting blood to feed our lungs and muscles.

But exercise itself can relieve constipation along with foster healty digestion when we are at rest. When we become more fit, we don’t require as much blood to be diverted to our digestive system. We use the energy to use it for other purposes like detox and healing. Overall our systems become better in functionality, including our digestion.

Another article talks about how our gut microbiota, which is the bacterial composition in our digestive system, is strengthened through exercise.

46.) Keep Your Ability To Smell

Live Science talks about how engaging in exercise can  lower ones risk of having their sense of smell fade as they age.

The study that the article referenced included around 1600 people, all of who fell between the ages of 53 and 97. All of which had no problems with their sense of smell at the start of the study. They were followed for up to ten years where researchers would test the participants ability on how good they were at the detection of odors.Odors included things like chocolate and coffee.

Participants were also to report their exercise habits. During the entirety of the study, 28 percent of people developed sense of smell impairment. But those who exercised at least once a week which provided enough effort to produce a sweat showed a decreased risk of olfactory impairment.

This is so important as our sense of smell helps us identify toxic chemicals along with linked to how much we enjoy our food. The researchers believe that the possible explanation for exercise helping one keep their sense of smell is that exercise betters ones brain function along with overall health.

This study was published in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery

47.) Better Balance

The more one challenges themselves in the gym, especially in unstable environments, the better their balance gets. This can be crucial for anyone in life as this will help them feel more safe about their existence. They will try things they wouldn’t normally do. And even as people age, this can eliminate fear about going out of the house. Anyone and everyone can benefit from better balance. Including awkward teenagers, sports jocks, pregnant women and of course the elderly. It can prevent injuries and better ones quality of life.

48.) Accelerate Wound Healing

When you have a wound, the longer it is exposed, the higher the chances you have of it getting infected. An article talks about how physical exercise can speed up the healing process by boosting our immune system which will in turn allow our bodies to produce anti-inflammatory effects through the release of cytokines. Cytokines are small proteins that assist in cell signaling that are to help repair along with build muscle tissue. They are produced during exercise.

They also referenced a study that showed how exercise is able to reduce hypoxia in a wound. This is when the body is experiencing low oxygen conditions which can slow down healing.

Another study talks about how exercise is shown to reduce inflammation expression in mice with boy cytokines and chemokines within the wounds of mice which is linked to faster healing.

49.) Help For Post Natal

When new mothers start to exercise, it can help immensely in the recovery process along with tone back up the body.

An article talks about some of the main benefits of postnatal exercise. Including things improving ones mood which can help relieve stress and prevent or manage postpartum depression. It can also restore lost muscle strength and raises ones energy levels along with condition abdominal muscles back to restored levels.

Exercise can also restore ones body back to normal. Healing the aches and pains that come with being pregnant.

Conclusion To The Benefits Of ExerCise

So there you have it by friends. The top 49 benefits of exercise that you can reap by simply engaging in a workout regimen that consists of 3-5 days a week. Not only will you reap all these benefits, but you will know for certain that you will be most prepared for a zombie apocalypse. Which we all know is upon us soon enough.

Where the stronger, you in the this case, will survive to help us create a better future! I hope you enjoyed the article. I would love to hear what you have to say about it and if you have anything to add! Shoot my message in the comment section below and we will get to talking!

Peace,

 

Chris