Exercise is a topic that has been beaten to death. But it is also a very general subject, so it is easy to see it being pulled apart and taken in wild directions without delivering a useful message. You already know it is right for you and you should likely be more active than you currently are but we won’t go there. What you may benefit from though is a general overview of how exercise works…
The basics. You move, you sweat, you burn fat, and do good things for your body. That’s it in a nutshell. Going a bit deeper, exercise is an activity that engages various complex units in your body. Think about the skeletal system; more than 200 bones providing structure to your body. Tied to these bones are muscles, and between them lie tendons. Ligaments link the bones together.
To enable any physical movement, muscles need to be activated. Intracellular reactions occurring in less than a millisecond allow muscles to contract, bringing bones together or moving them apart. The point of all this has to do with calories or energy expenditure.
The Calories. Exercising burns calories: it is a vehicle for expending energy.
Exercise is the best way to keep your body in great shape – literally and figuratively. Not only does it help with weight control but it also offers a multitude of benefits. Exercise increases your body’s ability to fight and prevent disease: this suggests activity has always been a prerequisite for stable health.
Fitness. Generally speaking, physical activity elevates your fitness. Your body, with its flexible nature, becomes stronger and more efficient when its physiological processes are placed under stress.
Think about how blood flow is essential for your body’s functioning. Every tissue and organ requires a sound input and output of blood. In simple terms, when blood flow is improved, everything works better. When your heart is stronger, it is more efficient and can supply the various systems of your body with the required oxygen and nutrients. When blood flow is impaired, health problems begin to take shape, and disease starts to develop.
Exercise helps elevate your fitness and in turn, your health.
Physique. Exercise plays a direct role in determining your physique. Thankfully, this is all the motivation many people need to be active.
Stimulating your muscles, especially through resistance training, can enhance your physique through muscular adaption. Weight loss, through caloric expenditure, helps you become leaner. A big reason why we tend to find leaner physiques more attractive is it’s correlated to good health. In other words, good health is ideal and is a byproduct of a physically active lifestyle. Just don’t forget nutrition is also part of the equation.
Exercise works to improve your health and well-being. It is a tool to enhance your life and what you can get out of it. It is worth your time, so never hesitate to make an effort.
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