What's the greatest benefit of exercise?
To really understand the benefit of exercise,
let's start by taking a look at our bodies. (If that's scary
to you, that is one benefit of exercise right there.)
Our bodies evolved a loooong time
ago, when people communicated by grunting and living
life was mostly spent hunting and gathering food. Up until
about 200 years ago when the Industrial Revolution began,
the life of most people involved farming - plenty of physical
activity and 3 big meals to fuel all that physical labor!
Fast
forward several thousand years from the time of Thor and
Uga (cave people) to now, and we find ourselves wondering
about the benefits to exercise. We've "evolved"
into lifestyles behind desks, computers and TVs, with social,
economic and health stress factors at mind-blowing levels!
We can see the benefit of exercise when
we get the picture this way. As time has rolled
on, our societies have evolved from lifestyles of physical
labor to lifestyles with a lot of energy and time saving
inventions. There's a lot less physical activity
and exercise and thus a lot less need for energy (calories!)
We can drive when people used to walk.
We can fly to places in hours when people used to ride horses
for days, months or longer. Heck, we have electric can openers
and washing machines that have not only saved us time but
reduced our necessity for calorie-burning, energy producing
physical activity.
We've developed so much great
technology in the past 200 years and I enjoy most of it!
But look at the price we've paid for it - our health. Pretty
steep price.
Hopefully by now you're getting a good
idea of the benefit of exercise… there weren't epidemics
of obesity, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, incapacitating
stress and depression 200 years ago.
You name it, the list of modern
illnesses is staggering. So it only makes sense that if
you truly want to improve your health and energy level,
the benefit of exercise is a no-brainer.
A few general areas that respond positively
to the benefits to exercise are:
- Tiredness and exhaustion
- Insomnia and poor sleep
- Excess weight
- Stress
- Breathing and circulation
That's just the "tip of the iceberg."
There are tons of ways that physical activity
and exercise help your body work well and keep you feeling
better - you can learn about some of the key advantages
in this article on the benefits
to exercise.
Exercise can improve virtually
every health condition. There are different types
of exercise that help you physically in different ways.
And there is definitely a difference
between physical activity and exercise that understanding
can make a difference in whether you get the benefits of
exercise or not.
I can personally attest to the benefit
of exercise in improving health and energy. Exercise has
contributed to managing lifelong diabetes and has been a
key factor in my recovery after some serious health setbacks.
Along with improving my nutrition,
sleep and handling
of stress better, exercise has helped me reach
the point where I am enjoying my life again! (No
more being a medicated "bed vegetable!")
I've recently discovered mini
trampoline exercise... and I think it is "better
than sliced bread" for ease, simplicity and effectiveness...
and it's enjoyable!
In days gone by, physical activity was
a part of work. I vote that we invest some of the time we've
saved with our "labor-saving" technology into some regular,
enjoyable physical activities and trade the idea that "exercise
is work" for a new one, "exercise is enjoyable!"
Physical activity and exercise
bring about greater physical fitness and an ability to enjoy
life more because we don't have our attention on how "out
of shape" we are.
That is the greatest benefit of
exercise - the ability to enjoy your life to a much greater
degree.
Cheers!
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