10 Fun Facts About Exercise That'll Get You Moving

Exercising regularly can have huge benefits for your body, long-term health, and mental well-being. However, only around 22% of Americans get enough exercise. So if you aren't very active, you're in good company!

1. Regular Exercise Improves Your Heart Health 

Did you know that your body's hardest working muscle is the heart? It beats around 100,000 times every day and pumps nearly 2,000 gallons of blood around your body.

However, you need to take good care of your heart and respiratory system for this to work properly.

Exercising improves your muscle strength, which means that your muscles are able to pull oxygen out of your blood more easily. This means that your heart doesn't have to work as hard to get oxygen around your body. 

Reducing strain on your heart lowers your heart rate and your blood pressure. This reduces your risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack or stroke.

2. A Regular Workout Routine is Best For Your Body

Your body needs a certain amount of exercise, but finding the right amount and workout for your body can feel challenging. So how often should you exercise?

Well, experts recommend around 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of intense exercise a week. This should be spread out evenly throughout the week.

So ideally, you should work out 4 to 5 days a week. This works your body while also giving it a chance to rest and recover from intense workouts.

3. When Is the Best Time to Exercise?

Choosing between morning or evening workouts usually depends on your schedule. But what is the best time of day to exercise your body?

Well, this depends on what you want to achieve from your exercise. The best time of day to exercise:

• For weight loss is the morning
• To build upper body strength is the early afternoon 
• To improve cardiac health is the early evening

If you want to improve your circadian rhythm, exercise can also help with this. Exercising around 7 a.m. or between 1 and 4 p.m. will help you maintain a regular sleep pattern. If you want to wake up later, then experts recommend working out between 7 and 10 p.m. instead.

4. Exercise Prevents Signs of Aging

Exercise helps to regulate your cholesterol levels. It lowers your levels of LDL (bad cholesterol) and boosts your HDL (good cholesterol).

This helps to fight the physical and neurological signs of aging. This can:

• Improve your bone density and muscle strength
• Keep chronic health conditions at bay
• Maintain your cognitive function longer

While you cannot stop time completely, aerobic exercises in particular can help to slow down the signs of aging.

5. Muscle Burns More Than Fat

You may have heard people say that muscle weighs more than fat. This is why focusing on your fitness rather than the scales can help you look after your body.

If you are concerned about burning calories though, muscle is much better than fat. In fact, one pound of muscle burns through around three times more calories than one pound of fat.

This means that you can enjoy more of the foods you love while you get in shape.

6. Exercising Boosts Your Immune System

Moderate exercise improves blood flow around your body, and this can have a huge impact on your immune system. This means that your immune cells travel around more easily.

As a result, your body will be more prepared for fighting infections. So you will find that you get ill less often.

7. Music Can Improve Your Workout Performance

Not everyone is naturally athletic and this can put people off working out. If you are looking to get the most out of a workout, music can really help!

This doesn't just give you something to motivate you. Music stimulates your brain's movement control centers so that you exercise more efficiently.

This helps to boost your metabolism, improve your heart rate, and use your energy efficiently when exercising. So you will find that your body gets the most out of exercise when you listen to music.

8. Regular Exercise Boosts Productivity

Working out helps your brain create new mitochondria in each of your cells. These produce something called ATP, which is an energy-carrying molecule. 

Boosting your ATP levels means that you will have more energy for physical and mental tasks. As a result, exercising regularly can make you much more productive.

9. Exercising Helps You Learn

Speaking of mental focus and productivity, exercise also helps your brain take on new information. This is because it increases the production of cells that you use for learning and memory.

So if you are trying to master a new skill or study for a test, exercising can really help.

10. Exercise Boosts Your Self-Confidence

Exercise can have a huge impact on your mental health as well, so it is a key part of making better lifestyle choices. There are several reasons for this.

First and foremost, exercising is a form of self-care. This involves setting aside time to do something that is good for your body and lets you take control of its care. This can be very empowering and have a big impact on your self-image and confidence.

On top of this, exercise stimulates endorphin production in your brain. This is a feel-good hormone and reduces your body's stress hormones. Because of this, exercise can help to fight anxiety, depression, and mood swings.

Your improved cognitive function will also help you feel more comfortable and confident in social situations.

Start Taking Care of Your Body With Regular Exercise Today

As you can see from these exercise facts, working out regularly benefits your body in a huge number of ways. This helps to improve your physical, mental, and emotional health. So make sure exercising is part of your weekly routine!

Are you looking for other ways to look after your body and support your exercise regime? Then check out our wide range of fitness supplements now!