Mention the word “exercise” and most people would envision a gym full of people working out. This isn’t an inaccurate description, but exercise doesn’t have to be limited to spending hours in the gym. The exercise can be done in more subtle ways. Simply increasing your daily physical activities, such as choosing to take the stairs instead of the elevator, jogging every morning, taking a brisk walk for 30 minutes, or even doing some chores around the house, can count as exercise. The benefits of exercise go beyond giving you that perfect body figure you’ve always dreamed of. While it’s certainly what most people hope to achieve from exercise, some really think about the other benefits it can provide. What are these benefits? Here are a few:

• Promotes and maintains weight loss. Exercise combined with the habit of eating the right foods is a very good combination to eliminate those unwanted fats and lose weight. If done consistently, it also maintains this weight loss, allowing you to become more confident as you begin to see how you’re progressing. The effects may not be seen for the first few days, but keep trying!
• Increases your resistance against diseases and health conditions. Exercise has been shown to reduce the risks of serious health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer. It also reduces blood pressure, lessens the effects of asthma, prevents osteoporosis, and helps control the onset of arthritis.
• It cheers you up and keeps you young. Exercise can not only be a fun experience, but it has also been shown to do wonders for your brain and emotions. Exercise stimulates the production of “happy” hormones called endorphins, the same hormones that are produced when you laugh and smile. Exercise also acts as a de-stresser, relieving and helping to optimize the body for action. Psychologically speaking, exercising also increases your self-esteem and confidence.
• Helps you deal with sleeping problems. Good exercise can help keep insomnia to a minimum while at the same time promoting deeper sleep, helping you feel refreshed the next morning. However, it is not a good idea to exercise before bed, as it can aggravate your insomnia by giving you energy.
• Keeps the bloodstream clean and functional. Just as the heart is one of the most severely affected organs when one is sedentary, the opposite also occurs. Exercise not only promotes heart health, but also prevents bad cholesterol from taking over and clogging your blood vessels.
• Keeps the body in optimal condition. Beyond giving the body a good figure, exercise also promotes the body’s stamina and flexibility, including increasing muscle strength and metabolism.

The benefits of exercise are not limited to any group. Everyone can exercise regardless of age, weight, gender, or some other group, and everyone could also reap its potential benefits. You don’t need to switch to exercising right away. Take it easy, give your body a chance to adjust, eventually increase your activity until you feel comfortable, and soon these benefits will no longer be a dream.