10 Benefits of Exercise That Will Surprise You [Infographic]

It's common knowledge that exercise makes you healthier, more alert and stronger. But did you know that there are more surprising emotional and psychological benefits you can gain from exercise aside from physical benefits?

Many people think that they need to exercise, but lack the motivation to actually do it. Others start and stop, citing various reasons such as lack of time, too busy, too difficult or too tired.

In reality, exercising has more benefits than just having a trim and sexy body and losing weight. It positively affects your memory, energy level and the quality of your sleep. Exercise makes you happier. It helps you live longer and lead a balanced and healthier life.

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One more thing, Claude Bouchard says that scientists are discovering that exercise is medicine that cannot be compared to any pill. Mr. Bouchard is the Pennington Biomedical Research Center's director of human genomics laboratory.

Does this knowledge finally motivates you to exercise? Here are some more benefits.

It's a brain-health booster
Exercise promotes quicker learning and better memory. It can make you smarter. Current studies reveal that the late onset or prevention of Alzheimer's can be attributed to exercise as well. Exercise improves the flow of blood to the brain. It helps in the production of the BDNF protein or the brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which encourages new neurons to grow and protect against brain cell degeneration.
It lowers depression symptoms
Several studies have indicated that several types of exercise, from cycling to walking make people happier. Exercise helps release several chemicals in the brain, such as dopamine, endorphins, norepinephrine and serotonin. These chemicals aid in relieving stress, lightening your mood and dulling your pain. If you're happy, you won't feel depressed.
It slows the aging process
Rather that search for the fountain of youth, try exercising. Regular exercise can add five years to your life. Exercises of moderate intensity have been found to slow down cell aging. You do not have to buy expensive supplements to slow down the aging process. Exercise will help you do it naturally, and of course, reap additional benefits at the same time. As people age, the protective caps called telomeres, on the chromosomes' ends shorten. The production of a molecule that protects the telomeres increases rapidly with exercise.
Your skin will look better
Skin lotions and sunscreens protect and hydrate the skin, to make it youthful, supple and resistant to the sun's damaging rays. For naturally glowing skin, try aerobic exercises that increase the flow of blood to the skin, supplying it with nutrients and oxygen to help wounds heal faster and improve the health of your skin.
Recovery from major illnesses is faster
In the past, people with certain illnesses were advised not to exercise. New findings now reveal that even people with chronic conditions such as heart failure and Type 2 diabetes can benefit from a variety of exercises. Many doctors support the belief that exercising helps patients heal faster. They also take less medication in the process. Even walking will help raise the heart rate, and show better improvements, including increasing your energy, anxiety and mood levels
Exercise expels craving for food
We normally equate exercise to burning of calories. While that is already a given, new research has found that exercise actually stops your from craving food. The study was published in the Journal of Applied Physiology. It said that an hour of moderate exercise effectively reduces a person's anticipation and consumption of food, reduces the motivation to eat, and reduces the feeling of pleasure when eating. It's because the flow of blood is directed to the muscles instead of going to the stomach.
It helps you set and achieve goals
Surprised that exercise can teach you this? When you are committed to exercise you set a goal in mind, such as participating in a marathon, or increasing your bike speed or losing weight. You develop a plan on how to reach it and set a target to achieve the goals that you have set. Your confidence also gets a boost when you've achieved your goals. These are teachings that you can also apply to your work and daily life.
Naturally reduces the risk of heart disease
In a 2013 research published in the BMJ (UK), exercise can help you to naturally lower the risk of heart disease. The various studies and clinical tries that were conducted showed that there were no detectable differences that can be seen (among the 339,000 participants in the trials) between those who exercise and those who were given medications for pre-diabetes and the prevention of coronary heart disease. The research also showed that exercise proved more beneficial to those who have already suffered a stroke.
It promotes better sleep
Exercising is a wonderful sleep inducer. It strengthens your circadian rhythms, helping you get a good night's sleep to make you alert in the morning. If you have difficulty sleeping, exercising is a better activity that taking sleeping aids. However, it is said that it will take about four months of regular exercise before you can realize the positive effect of the physical activity on your sleep pattern.
It boosts your energy
One of the reasons many people cite when asked why they do not exercise is because they are already exhausted from working. Due to their tiredness, they feel that they no longer have the energy to go to the gym and exercise. Experts disagree however, since exercising will restore their lost energy. Doing low-intensity exercises, which is just like taking a leisurely walk, can actually lower the exhaustion level and increase their energy by as much as 20 percent.

No matter how busy you are, it matters if you remain active. Even with a desk job that requires you to sit in front of the computer for long hours, you can still take time to exercise.

You can do foot, ankle, leg and knee exercises without leaving your seat. There are also several upper body and arm and exercises you can do. Click here to read our reviews on Rowing Machines.

You can even do eye exercises while you're at it. What you need is the commitment to reap the many surprising benefits of exercise to achieve a better and healthier life.

10 Benefits of Exercise That Will Surprise You

Does this knowledge finally motivates you to exercise? Here are some more benefits.

Editorial Team

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Does this knowledge finally motivates you to exercise? Here are some more benefits.

Editorial Team

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