The 7 Big Benefits of Regular Physical Activity

Want to feel better, reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes and improve your love life? Exercise. The Mayo Clinic tells us that we all can benefit from exercise, no matter our age, size, sex, or physical ability.

Here are seven ways exercise can help you lead a happier, healthier life.

When you’re physically active, you burn calories. The more intense the activity is, the more calories you burn. Exercise not only helps you prevent weight gain, but it also helps you maintain weight loss.

No matter how much you weigh, physical activity boosts high-density "good" cholesterol lipoprotein (HDL) and decreases unhealthy triglycerides. This keeps your blood flowing smoothly, which lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and stroke. Additionally, regular exercise helps maintain blood sugar levels — decreasing the risk of diabetes — and lowers the risk of arthritis, as well as many types of cancer. Exercising can also improve your overall cognitive function.

Need an emotional lift? Exercise stimulates endorphins that can leave you feeling happier, more relaxed, and less anxious. Regular exercise can help you shape and tone your body, giving you more self-confidence and raising your self-esteem.

If you are winded by simple household jobs, exercise can improve your muscle strength and boost your endurance. Physical activity sends oxygen and nutrients to bodily tissue that helps your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. As your heart and lung health improves, you’ll have more energy.

Regular exercise can not only help you fall asleep faster, but it can also promote better, deeper sleep. However, you don’t want to work out close to bedtime or you may be too energized to relax.

Remember that exercise boosts energy and that a toned body increases your self-confidence? Both may boost your sex life. Regular physical activity may enhance arousal for women, and men who exercise regularly are less likely to have ED problems than are men who don't exercise.

Use your exercise time to get out of the house and enjoy nature. Pick up a sport you’ve always wanted to try.  Make exercise a social event. Exercise with friends or family, enroll in a class, join a pick-up team at a recreation center, or get the kids out on a roller rink — any physical activity can be a fun way to connect and make friends.

Always remember to check with your health care professional before starting any new activity or exercise routines, especially if it’s been a while since you were active or if you have chronic health problems, such as diabetes, arthritis, or heart disease.