Benefit of Exercise
by Patrick Austin

There are number benefits to regular exercise, but the ultimate benefit of exercise is simple--a healthy, properly run body.

When you exercise, your entire cardiovascular system benefits. This is because exercise prevents the onset of high blood pressure if you're at increased risk of developing it. It lowers your blood pressure if you already have high blood pressure. It increases the concentration of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol) and decreases the concentration of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol) in your blood.

Another benefit of exercise is that is strengthens your heart so it can pump your blood more efficiently and bring much-needed oxygen and nutrients to the rest of your body. This is one of the main reasons why you generally feel refreshed and more energetic after exercise.

Regular exercise promotes rhythmic, deep breathing. Your lungs actually develop greater capacity, so you're better able to take in oxygen to nourish your cells. Taking all of these factors into consideration, exercise reduces your risk of dying of heart disease.

Regular exercise is one of the best things you can do to prevent the bone-weakening disease--osteoporosis. Also important are exercises that bear your body's weight, such as walking and jogging.

An obvious benefit of exercise is that you are able to maintain a healthy body weight by burning calories. Your body requires a certain amount of energy to continue the functions you need to live. And if you exercise, your body works harder and needs more fuel (calories) . Even after you stop exercising, your body continues to burn calories at an increased rate for a few hours. The more intensely you exercise, the more calories you burn.

By burning more calories than you take in, you can reduce body fat, giving you a healthier body composition. Losing body fat can make you look and feel better and can reduce your risk of obesity. Maintaining a healthy body weight eases pressure on your bones and joints, which can help prevent arthritis.

A recently found benefit of exercise is that it fights depression by activating the neurotransmitters — chemicals used by your nerve cells to communicate with one another — associated with depression. Those neurotransmitters are serotonin and norepinephrine. The levels of those neurotransmitters and their balance with each other play a role in how you react to daily events. When you experience depression, the level of serotonin, norepinephrine or both may be out of sync. Exercise may help utilize those brain chemicals. Exercise also stimulates the production of endorphins — other neurotransmitters that produce feelings of well-being. This is more commonly referred to as “runner's high“.

For more information regarding the benefit of exercise, check out these sites:

More info on the benefits of exercise

News report discussing new found benefit of exercise

Exercise: A healthy habit to start