Why exercise?

CEBU, Philippines – The statement “Exercise is good for you” may have become cliché to many.  It no longer hits right, and even rings empty at worst. But it’s true – regular exercise brings many benefits, the most immediate of which are increased energy levels and good mood.

Exercise gets the mind in good condition.  It causes the body to produce endorphins, chemicals that can help a person to feel more peaceful and happy. It can also lift the feeling of people who have mild depression and low self-esteem.

Many people, the young especially, exercise to make them look better. Exercising burns calories and keeps the body in better shape. People who exercise have more toned muscles and the right bulges in the right places.

And, yes, there are those that exercise for health reasons. Exercising to maintain a healthy weight decreases a person’s risk of developing certain diseases, including type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. It also strengthens the bones and promotes better sleep.

The website www.kidshealth.org cites three components to a well-balanced exercise routine: aerobic exercise, strength training, and flexibility training.

Aerobic Exercise. Like other muscles, the heart enjoys a good workout with aerobic exercise. It is any type of exercise that gets the heart pumping and quickens your breathing. When you give your heart this kind of workout regularly, it will get stronger and more efficient in delivering oxygen (by way of oxygen-carrying blood cells) to all parts of your body.

If you play team sports, you’re probably meeting the recommended 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous activity, on practice days. Some of team sports that give you a great aerobic workout are swimming, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, hockey, and rowing.

But if you don’t play team sports, there are plenty of ways to get aerobic exercise on your own or with friends. These include ball games, biking, running, swimming, dancing, tennis, hiking, and brisk-walking. Yet, exercises that you do on your own are easier to continue since you don’t have to be dependent on others’ availability.

Strength Training. The heart isn’t the only muscle to benefit from regular exercise. Most of the other muscles of body enjoy exercise, too. When you use your muscles and they become stronger, it allows you to be active for longer periods of time without getting worn out.

Strong muscles are also a plus because they actually help protect you when you exercise by supporting your joints and helping to prevent injuries. Muscle also burns more energy when a person is at rest than fat does, so building your muscles will help you burn more calories and maintain a healthy weight.

Different types of exercise strengthen different muscle groups. For arms, try rowing or pull-ups and push-ups. For strong legs, try running, biking, rowing, or skating. Squats and leg raises also work the legs. For shapely abs, try yoga or pilates, and crunches.

Flexibility Training. Strengthening the heart and other muscles isn’t the only important goal of exercise. Exercise also helps the body stay flexible, meaning that your muscles and joints stretch and bend easily. People who are flexible can worry less about strained muscles and sprains.

Being flexible may also help improve a person’s sports performance. Some activities, like dance or martial arts, obviously require great flexibility, but increased flexibility also can help people perform better at other sports, such as soccer or lacrosse.

Sports and activities that encourage flexibility are easy to find. Martial arts like karate also help a person stay flexible. Ballet, gymnastics, pilates, and yoga are other good choices. Stretching after your workout also helps you improve your flexibility.

A common reason why people drop an exercise program is non-sustained interest. They start out full of enthusiasm and mental images of what they want to achieve. Then, at some point the bravado begins to dissipate. This usually happens when the undertaking ceases to be fun and is hard to keep up.

The good news for prospective quitters is that there are different sports and activities to try out. When one exercise becomes boring, it’s time to move on to another. Or various exercises can be tried one at a time; say, a week for each. These can be done in a cycle; once you get to the last one, you can start all over again.

On the other hand, as with all good things, it’s possible to overdo exercise. Especially if the exercise is intended to maintain a healthy weight, overdoing it isn’t healthy. Exercising too much burns too much calories, but the body needs to have enough calories to function properly.

Another thing to remember is: Never exercise through pain. If you have an injury, for example, make sure to give yourself enough time to heal. Unless, of course, if the pain is simply muscle pain that often occurs when starting an exercise program after a long time of inactivity.

Given all the benefits that exercise brings, it’s really a wonder why not everybody is doing it.