Everyone knows that exercise is good for you, but it can sometimes be a little unclear as to what exactly it is that makes it good for you. After all, especially when you are just starting out, exercise is hard, painful work. You show up to the gym fresh-faced and ready to make good on those New Year’s resolutions, and you leave it an hour or so later feeling shaky, smelling awful, and drenched in sweat. To make matters worse, the next day, you wake up and experience stiff, sore muscles that make you want to never move again. How could something like that be healthy?
But it’s true! Barring any health issues or severe overexertion, regular exercise can have a number of health benefits, such as:
- Controlling Your Weight. For many Americans, their primary goal in exercise is to drop a couple pounds. If you are exercising in a sustainable, safe way, you may not immediately see results, but your body is changing for the better. If you keep at it, you will eventually see some very impressive results.
- Improving Your Mood. When you exercise, your body releases chemicals that your brain typically associates with happiness. This is a quick and easy way to give your brain a little boost in trying to regulate your mood.
- Helping You Sleep. By burning off excess energy, exercise can also help make sure that when your head hits the pillow, you’re more likely to fall asleep faster than you would if you hadn’t gotten in a workout that day.
Above all, remember that the name of the game is consistency and sustainability. Make sure that you exercise consistently within your limits, and you will be shocked by the improvements in your health as time passes!