In today’s sedentary lifestyle the importance of physical activity or exercise can not be emphasized enough. It not only has pleasant effects on your mood but also improves your overall health. The risk of many diseases can be reduced with exercise. It saves us from obesity which is the root cause of many diseases. Physical activity helps everyone regardless of age and gender. You do not have to go to the gym to do exercise. Where nutrition is important for the wellness of the body regular exercise is also very important. You can easily do many exercises at home or you can also go running or jogging. If you suffer from any disability then physiotherapy which is a form of physical activity can help you a lot. There are many benefits of physical exercise, some of which will be discussed here:

• Controls weight:

Physical exercise burns calories. The more you engage in physical activity the more fats or to be precise calories are burned. If you want to lose weight then make sure that you go to the gym regularly and also check your calorie intake. Weight is lost only when you are spending more calories than you are consuming.  If you cannot go to the gym regularly then make sure that you are engaged in some other type of physical activity like jogging or dancing etc. Exercise keeps you fit and in shape.

Regular exercise also increases your metabolic rate which further helps you in controlling or losing weight. If you go on dieting then your metabolic rate is slowed down which makes it very difficult to reduce weight. So, exercise is the best way to reduce or control weight.

• Increases energy:

Regular exercise increases the energy level of people who suffer from persistent fatigue. A study showed that exercise or physical activity increased the energy levels in older people who constantly complained about fatigue. Exercise also helps to boost the energy in people suffering from CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome). In fact, exercise proved more beneficial for these people than other treatments. Exercise can also improve the energy levels of people suffering from diseases like cancer.

• Makes you happy:

 Several studies showed that exercise has positive effects on mood and reduces the feeling of anxiety and depression. It changes part of the brain which deals with stress and anxiety thus making us relaxed. Exercise releases serotonin and norepinephrine which are happy hormones. These hormones make us feel happy. You do not have to do intense exercise for this benefit, surprisingly any kind of activity is sufficient. A study showed that physical activity of any type significantly reduced the feeling of depression in women.

• Reduces risk of chronic diseases:

Where exercise has its benefits, it also reduces your risk of chronic diseases. It improves body composition, heart health and strengthens the immune system. A sedentary lifestyle increases belly fat which leads to type 2 diabetes. Exercise increases insulin sensitivity and reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes. It also increases HDL in the body which is known as good cholesterol. Regular exercise also helps you fight oxidative stress which can lead to many diseases like cancer. In short, exercise can prevent stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, depression, anxiety, metabolic syndrome, arthritis, and many other chronic diseases.

Bibliography

1. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. 2nd ed. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://health.gov/our-work/physical-activity/current-guidelines. Accessed June 25, 2021.
2. Tips for starting physical activity. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/tips-get-active/tips-starting-physical-activity. Accessed June 25, 2021.
3. Larun, L., Brurberg, K.G., Odgaard-Jensen, J. and Price, J.R., 2019. Exercise therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome. Cochrane database of systematic reviews, (10).
4. Basso, J.C. and Suzuki, W.A., 2017. The effects of acute exercise on mood, cognition, neurophysiology, and neurochemical pathways: a review. Brain Plasticity, 2(2), pp.127-152.