Exercise Does a Body Good
By Donna Stark
Staying healthy seems to get harder and harder as we age, doesn’t it? Our lives become busy with the responsibilities of work and family, our stress levels increase as more and more demands are placed upon us, and our bodies? Well, it certainly doesn’t feel as good to work out as it did when we were much younger. It’s easy to get distracted with life and even easier to come up with enough excuses that puts your health on the backburner. But just like the food that is trying to cook, if your health sits there long enough and without any attention, it will most certainly get ruined.
Exercise for Optimal Health
Staying healthy isn’t only about eating a healthy diet and drinking plenty of water, it’s also about getting plenty of exercise as well. If you want to maintain great health, you have to exercise, and you have to exercise regularly because the benefits of doing so are much more than that perfect waistline and those strong muscles. Take a look.
- Cardiovascular health - Adding exercise to your daily routine improves your cardiovascular health by strengthening your heart, reducing your overall blood pressure, and increasing your endurance and energy levels.
- Memory loss - By exercising regularly, your body will be able to maintain adequate blood flow to the brain, which will help improve and preserve memory, thought-processing skills, and critical thinking. Ultimately, this will help reduce the risk of dementia.
- Bone health - Weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening exercises can reduce the risk of osteoporosis by creating stronger, denser bones and preventing bone loss.
- Balance and coordination - Regular exercise helps to maintain muscle mass, enhance coordination, and increase strength and stability. This reduces the risk of falls, which can often lead to serious fractures in the elderly.
- Range of motion and flexibility - When a joint cannot move as it was designed, the amount of physical activity will be limited. Exercise helps prevent that from happening by improving the body’s range of motion and flexibility.
- Sleep - If you are having trouble sleeping, regular exercise can help with that too. In addition to helping the body fall asleep faster, it also helps by encouraging a deeper sleep. As a result, you will wake up feeling more refreshed and with more energy to face the day ahead of you.
- Better mood - Exercise can have a positive impact on your mood because it helps to increase serotonin and endorphins, which are natural mood lifters. And for even greater impact, exercise outdoors! You will get your daily dose of Vitamin D by doing so.
Aging Well
It’s important to stay focused on every aspect of your health as you age, so pull it off the backburner as fast as you can and start exercising today! And even though the benefits that come from regular exercise are too numerous to count, you only have to worry about one … the best benefit of all … optimal health!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Lubbock, Tex.