Feeling sluggish and unmotivated around the holidays this year? There is a lot to prepare, and it may seem like there is no time to get everything done! Don’t let that workout fall to the wayside, it will help speed up your day and improve your focus throughout the holiday season. Here are ten reasons why the gym is important, especially now!
- Feel More Energized
Research suggests that regular exercise can increase energy levels even among people suffering from chronic medical conditions associated with fatigue, like cancer and heart disease. This may seem counterintuitive, but researchers say expending energy by engaging in regular exercise may pay off with increased energy in the long run!
“A lot of times when people are fatigued, the last thing they want to do is exercise,” says researcher Patrick O’Connor, PhD, in a news release. “But if you’re physically inactive and fatigued, being just a bit more active will help,” says O’Connor.
2. Burn More Calories at Rest
Your body is at work using energy even when you’re sleeping! The number of calories you burn has to do with various factors, including your weight, your metabolism, and how much sleep you get each night.
Having more muscle mass in general helps you burn more calories, even while you’re sleeping. We suggest exercising daily, especially strength training. If you have trouble settling down at night, try getting in your exercise several hours before bed. PHF has open gym and classes from 4:30-6:30 Monday through Friday! Exercising several hours before bed will help you get a better night’s rest.
3. Improve Overall Appearance
Exercise is a great deterrent of wrinkles, fine lines, and sagging skin. Exercise supports the production of collagen, a protein that is the support structure of our skin.
When you exercise, you strengthen and tone the muscles beneath the skin, making the skin look healthier. The stronger your muscles are, the more support the skin will have and the firmer and more elastic the skin will look.
4. Be Able to Withstand Stress
Exercise is known to provide stress relief for your body while imitating effects of stress, such as the flight or fight response, and helping your body and its systems practice working together through those effects.
This can also lead to positive effects in your body, including your cardiovascular, digestive, and immune systems, by helping protect your body from damaging effects of stress.
5. Decrease Risk of Illness
Regular exercise can help improve your heart health. Recent studies have shown that interval training is often tolerated well in people with heart disease, and it can produce significant benefits. For people with high blood pressure, exercise can lower your risk of dying of heart disease and lower the risk of heart disease progressing.
Regular exercise can help insulin more effectively lower your blood sugar level. Physical activity can also help you control your weight and boost your energy. If you have type 2 diabetes, exercise can lower your risk of dying of heart disease. Additionally, exercise can help control the frequency and severity of asthma attacks.
6. Speed Up Recovery
The increase of blood flow after a good workout at the gym can help speed up the recovery process. The increase in circulation also helps to reduce the feeling of fatigue that follows a tough workout!
7. Keep Focused
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology found that just 20 minutes of weight training was associated with a 10 percent improvement in memory up to 48 hours afterward.
Study participants performed reps on a leg press machine, but lead author Lisa Weinberg says bodyweight exercises, like lunges and squats, could be beneficial as well.
8. Build Up Cardiovascular Endurance
Performing aerobic exercise regularly strengthens your heart and lungs and improves your circulation, which can help you build stamina and endurance.
Aerobic exercises refer to those that elevate your breathing and heart rate, such as our “Priority strength and conditioning” classes, as well as our “Priority Me!” conditioning classes.
9. Feel Happier
Within five minutes of cardiovascular exercise, you can feel happier. Once you get moving, your brain releases serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine which helps improve your mood.
When you end a long day at work and don’t feel motivated to go to your class at PHF, just remember even a short workout will help you feel happier!
10. Build Confidence
Sometimes self-esteem issues are tied to body perception. Regular exercise helps build confidence by improving our body image.
While exercising you’re likely to strengthen and tone your body. Seeing these results can greatly improve your self-esteem and help you feel better about the way you look!
Sources:
https://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20061103/exercise-fights-fatigue-boosts-energy