Regular physical exercise can affect aspects of your body ranging from your bone strength to your risk of contracting disease. The American Heart Association recommends that all Americans include 30 minutes of exercise in their routine most days of the week.
Weight Loss or Maintenance
More than 72 million Americans are obese and in need of losing weight as of 2011, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One of the leading benefits of regular physical exercise is helping you lose weight or maintain a healthful weight. When you make physical activity a regular part of your life, you increase the number of calories you burn each week. When you burn more calories than you take in through your diet, you create a calorie deficit, which helps you lose weight. When you burn just enough calories to equal the amount of calories you consume, you achieve weight maintenance.
Muscle Benefits
Regular physical exercise also helps increase the size of your muscles, as well as helps tone muscles. Increasing muscle strength through exercises such as strength-training helps provide additional support to your body, especially at your joints. Not only can physical exercise increase your strength, but greater levels of muscle mass on your body helps you burn calories more efficiently, which can increase weight loss results. MayoClinic.com also suggests that the more toned your muscles are, the easier it is to maintain a healthful weight.
Bone Benefits
Physical exercise can increase the strength of not only your muscles but also your bones. Exercise can strengthen bones at any age, suggests the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. When you exercise, you place stress on the bone, activating the natural bone building process. Increasing the strength of the bone helps prevent bone diseases such as osteoporosis as well as slowing down the loss of bone as you age.
Disease Prevention
Along with osteoporosis, physical exercise can help reduce your risks for a range of other diseases. Exercise helps increase the strength and health of your heart, which can reduce your risks for heart problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and even heart disease. Exercise can also reduce the risks for diabetes, arthritis, viral illnesses and some forms of cancer.
References
- American Heart Association: Physical Activity
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Halting the Epidemic by Making Health Easier at a Glance 2011
- MayoClinic.com: Aerobic Exercise -- Top 10 Reasons to Get Physical
- National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases: Exercise for Bone Health
- MayoClinic.com: Strength Training -- Get Stronger, Leaner, Healthier.
