This post, 6 Benefits Of Exercise You Don’t Think About But Should, was originally published in August 2017 and has been completely updated in August 2021.
We all know there are lots of benefits of exercise, right?
I want to share with you six that I think are more important than some others.
But first, let’s talk about the different types.
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Types of Exercise
There have been four (4) different types of exercises defined.
Balance, flexibility, strength, and we all know aerobic.
Some of these are low-impact like walking, yoga, stretching, and Pilates.
Others are high-impact like jogging, HIIT workouts, and martial arts.
And of course, strength exercises would be weight lifting, including using body weight.
Ways to Get in Exercise
Now, over the years, there have been lots of studies and suggestions on just how much per day per week it takes to really be healthy.
10,000 Steps
Even so much as suggesting that if you get 10,000 steps in a day you’ll be healthier.
For those of you who don’t have a pedometer (a way to track your steps) of any sort, 10,000 steps can be really hard. unless you have kids, your workout is cardio or your job involves walking a lot.
Before I had my son I can promise you I probably never came close to 10,000 steps unless I was hiking… or shopping.
Spread it out
I’ve heard 10 minutes here and there throughout a day is good. For example, when you wake up do some stretches, jumping jacks, push-ups, squats, lunges, etc.
Then maybe at lunch, you take 10 minutes for a walk around or some more jumping jacks, etc. if you have your own office space.
When you get home, while making dinner, do another 10 minutes. Before you know it you’ll have done 30 minutes total.
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HIIT
Do an intense workout for 10, 20, 30 minutes.
The idea with a HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workout is that you do quick bursts of a move/exercise with a short rest period in between.
For example, jog in place for 30 seconds as hard and fast as you can then rest for 10 seconds. Then on to the next move.
The variations vary greatly, including having up to a minute or two in between the high intensity.
YouTube
As you probably already know, you can find so much on YouTube.
I’ve recently been exploring it more and it’s so great.
Anything from walking exercises to Hiit to stretches.
Wherever you are in your exercise journey, you’ll be able to find something that will help you out.
Similar to YouTube, you can find lots of free workouts.
Choose what you might be interested in and look it up.
I’ve found many HIIT and yoga sequence workouts without even having to click on the pin.
Beachbody
If you’ve read any of my other posts, like What you don’t know about weight loss, you know I’ve done and love P90X.
P90X is part of the Beachbody family.
They have so many different styles and options to choose from.
From low impact like Tai Cheng to high impact/strength training like P90X.
Now, this one does cost but compared to what you probably pay for a gym membership it’s probably comparable if not cheaper.
Not only that but you can get access to all their workouts on any device.
So if you’re traveling, or simply want to do your workout somewhere else besides your living room or bedroom you can.
Now that I’ve shared some different options to chose from let’s get into those benefits of exercise!
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Weight Lifting
Whether you use dumbbells, your own body weight or you grab some cans from your pantry, that’s all you need.
Dancing
Yup!
Go turn on your favorite music and get moving.
Have kids?
Have them join you and go crazy.
Don’t worry about what you look like or what ‘moves’ your doing.
Just move!
Just move!
Benefits of Exercise
We all know there are lots of benefits, right?!
There’s one, in particular, that I feel like is one of the most important.
But we’ll get to that.
First, let’s talk about the one that most of us think about first.
Weight Loss
Of course, one of the benefits of exercise is losing weight.
But really there are other really fantastic benefits of exercise that should encourage you to start.
Mental health
Did you know, that along with some of the other benefits listed below, your mental health can be affected.
Affected in the most positive ways!
Endorphines are chemicals produced in your body when you exercise.
And these endorphins increase your positive feelings.
Recently, I took the weekend off of exercise, and boy, that was a bad idea.
I was starting to feel depressed and sad.
After that, I realized, as much as I need to rest from exercise, I really need to move my body.
In some form or fashion, I need to keep moving to help with feeling down.
Strengthens bones
Did you know that lifting weights, and/or doing bodyweight exercises help strengthen your bones?!
This is so important as you get older.
Improved cognition
Yup, you read that right.
One of the great benefits of exercise is improved thinking.
It’ll help you concentrate more and have clearer thinking.
Reduces anxiety
Similar to helping with mental health, exercise helps with reducing anxiety.
Those great endorphins will help with anxiety.
Reduces depression
Again….endorphins 🙂
Lowers risk of some diseases and cancers
Did you know that exercise helps lower your risk of getting some diseases and cancers?
Heart disease and bladder, breast and colon cancers just to name a few.
Are those enough to get you moving?