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There are now a hundred well-established reasons why exercise is good for you, most of them well documented by research in the expanding field of sports medicine. And most experts agree on these general benefits of regular workouts:
1. Increased energy and stamina.
2. The replacement of intramuscular fat with lean muscle tissue which produces a more efficient use of calories from the foods you eat. (Most of your calories are burnt off by lean muscle tissue. Nothing is burnt by fat tissue.)
3. Improved absorption and improved use of nutrients from the foods you eat.
4. Better sleeping habits and more restful sleep.
5. Improved self-image, increased good looks and a more positive attitude to life.
6. Fewer drugs, and less coffee, tea, and alcohol, refined carbohydrates and sugar are consumed by exercisers than by sedentary people.
7. Improved emotional state.
8. A significant retardation of the ageing process.
9. Healthier skin with fewer wrinkles.
Get Moving to Counter Stress
A high level of regular aerobic physical activity burns off a lot of toxic substances taken in from your foods and your environment and eliminates many harmful metabolic wastes which otherwise contribute greatly to a feeling of mental and physical tension and fatigue. It also uses up a number of chemicals produced by your body when it is under stress. So it is one of the very best methods you can find for combating the negative effects oflong-term stress, as well as getting rid of that awful pressured feeling which comes when you are worried, overworked or anxious.
When you are under stress, from whatever cause, your body produces a number of chemicals under the direction of the sympathetic branch of your autonomic nervous system. These chemicals are designed to mobilize the body for fight or flight. But, because modern life is so sedentary, most people simply never get a chance to burn them off. For instance, excess adrenaline and its related products tend to get stored in the brain and heart, where they can affect function and alter your responses to things and your moods. Physical activity causes these stored products to be metabolized and clears away the 'adrenaline build-up' which has accumulated from stress. It leaves you feeling relaxed and restores a healthy balance to your autonomic nervous system. It also makes your whole body stronger so that you are more resistant to whatever stressors you happen to come up against. You can then work harder and longer without negative effects.
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