Regular exercise has been linked to a wide variety of health benefits, ranging from weight management to the prevention of diseases such as Type 2 diabetes. Although the long-term effects of regular exercise have become common knowledge, many individuals are less familiar with the immediate and short-term effects that exercises causes in the body.
Cardiovascular Response
According to the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition website, aerobic exercise places the body's large muscle groups in continual, rhythmic and sustained movement to create a cardiovascular impact. As the strain on your body's muscles increases, your capillaries widen in order to facilitate the increased flow of oxygen to your muscles, while filtering out waste products such as lactic acid and carbon dioxide. As the cardiovascular effort intensifies, your breathing and heart rate increase, resulting in a higher rate of calories burned.
Psychological Effects
As your body acclimates to the increased demands for blood and oxygen, the production of endorphins in your brain accelerates. The Mayo Clinic website calls these chemicals the brain's "feel good" neurotransmitters, resulting in a feeling of optimism, clarity and general mood enhancement that can remain in your body for hours following the workout.
Muscular Impact
Weightlifting and strength-training exercises have an immediate impact on your muscles. When heavy weights and resistances are lifted, the tissue in your muscles is temporarily damaged, resulting in soreness, as lactic acid rebuilds the muscles immediately following the exertion. As a result, muscle mass increases due to the continual destruction and reconstruction of your muscular tissue.
Safety Concerns and Considerations
Talk to your doctor before engaging in any vigorous exercise if you are unsure how your body will respond. If you are new to a certain exercise, begin gently and gradually increase your intensity over the course of days -- for instance, instead of lifting a weight that you can only perform three repetitions with, start out with a weight that you can comfortably lift 10 to 12 times before resting.
References
- President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition: Exercise and Weight Control
- MayoClinic.com; Exercise and Stress: Get Moving to Combat Stress; July 2010
- "BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders"; The Immediate and Long-Term Effects of Exercise and Patient Education on Physical, Functional and Quality-of-Life Outcome Measures After Single-Level Lumbar Microdiscectomy; David M. Selkowitz, et al.; 2006
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