While everyone understands that exercise can keep one’s well-being high, most people presumably do not understand every contribution exercise delivers. People understand exercise can help you become more flexible, energetic and stronger, but what about the effects it has on the brain, skeleton and one’s mood? Exercise strengthens the entire body in more ways than just muscles, and this article intends to go over the more fascinating benefits one can receive from a quality workout.
For example, exercise plays a critical role regarding the condition of one’s bones. A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health goes into extensive detail regarding the relationship between exercise and bone health. Specifically, it details the process whereby bone health increases with more exercise; the more motions one performs in a day—such as those made during a workout—the more forces are applied to their bones and the more those bones adapt to those forces.
The brain also receives innumerable benefits from frequent exercise. Robert W. Baloh notes in their book “Exercise and the Brain: Why Physical Exercise Is Essential Peak Cognitive Health” how workouts can improve one’s nervous system, energy throughout the day and ability to think and reason among other benefits. They note how these traits increase with exercise due to our origins as a species, stating how “early humans engaged in a variety of cognitive functions…as they walked and ran through complex environments.” The ways brains develop inevitably end up linked to the ways bodies develop.
The ways exercise could increase the health of one’s brain may explain why studies showcase a link between mood and working out. In one article, the Cleveland Clinic discusses how both the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Psychiatric Association highly recommend exercising as a means of combating depression. They mention how the CDC’s claims are backed up by data regarding the relationship between stress and depression, and what better way is there to vent excess stress than a high-intensity workout?
Exercise may even have benefits we aren’t aware of yet, as studies are finding an ever-increasing number of ways it helps one’s health. One of the first lines in Baloh’s book mentions how simple exercise like “a brisk walk three or four times a week” has been found to halt the progression of dementia in its early stages for several years. It’s a sentiment that almost sounds too good to be true, but perfectly encapsulates just how beneficial frequent workouts can be. Regardless of any other factor involving one’s health, the data and research makes one thing certain: it’s never a bad idea to invest a few minutes into a good workout!
