It’s obvious right?  We exercise for our well-being.  To be faster, stronger, leaner.  We exercise because the doctor recommends that we should be spending 30 minutes a day being active.  Vain or not, we exercise for our looks.  For a better beach body.  But the truth is, once we start exercising, once it really becomes part of our daily lifestyle, we realize we exercise for so much more. 

Over the past several years, scientists and doctors have started to dive deeper into the benefits of working out regularly.  While we’ve always known exercise to be good for our health, new findings are proving that it might just be the most powerful medicine in the world.  Whether it’s used proactively to prevent disease or prescribed to overcome the symptoms of an illness, exercise is beneficial to everyone. 

By getting our bodies moving every day, we immediately begin improving our physiological and mental health.  Whether by walking, running, practicing yoga, or lifting weights, our bodies undergo positive changes and release mood boosting hormones, leading to lower risk of disease, depression, and stress.  Amazing, right?

But even more amazing is the extent to which exercise contributes to brain function.  By increasing our heart rate and pumping more oxygen to our brains, we stimulate our minds, better our memories, and improve our critical thinking skills.  Not to mention that spending a few minutes pumping blood gets all of our creative juices flowing too!

But these are all things we know as fitness fanatics, right?  At the end of the day, we choose to workout and lead healthy lives because of the way it makes us feel.  Sure, the external effects of exercise are appealing, but it’s really the internal benefits that keep us going!  We crave a run to clear our minds and seek yoga to relax and recenter.  We decide to take a break from work and hit the weights because we know it will lower our stress levels.  When we are stuck in a rut or need a new perspective, we take a walk to sharpen our minds and think creatively.  

Exercise has always been our best, most reliable cure!  And the more time spent studying it, the more science is proving just how effective working out is for our present and future wellness.

Of course we exercise to feel good about our bodies, but we must also remember that we exercise for much more than that too.  We exercise for a happier heart, a sharper mind, a brighter mood, a longer life, and much, much more!

Oaklander, Mandy. “The New Science of Exercise.” Time Magazine.  http://time.com/4475628/the-new-science-of-exercise/

Mercola, Joseph. “The Science Behind Exercise and Your Brain.”  Uplift Wellness. 

http://upliftconnect.com/science-exercise-and-your-brain/