8 Ways Exercise Improves Health and Brain Activity

It is no longer news that exercising is an effective way to stay healthy, burn fat and so on and so forth. The thing that puzzles us is how it is possible to achieve so much from a little workout. This is a major reason why we have undermined exercising simply because we don’t know how it works or how it helps us. You would be surprised to know the extent a simple 30-minute daily workout can improve the quality of your health. Here are a few benefits: 1. Cardiovascular activity increases and blood is efficiently supplied to the brain. This blood supply is not the regular blood supply the brain recieves when the body is not exercised; an extra supply of blood reaches the brain which means more oxygen and nutrient reaches the brain cells. This in turn enhances brain activity and cognitive functions of the brain. 2. Muscle activity triggers the secretion of hormones in the body. Hormones like insulin, testosterone, etc. are secreted thereby facilitating certain metabolic activities necessary for proper body functioning. 3. Aerobic exercises have been known to induce neurogenesis which is an advantageous and credible form of neuroplasticity. With neurogenesis, the volume of grey matter in several regions of the brain are increased. The regions of the brain that experience this significantly are the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus; primarily associated with cognitive control and memory processing, respectively. Naturally, aging shrinks the hippocampus. Aerobic exercise counters this effect. Also, the more our body gets challenged, the more our grey matter benefits. 4. Mental and physical stability is attained. International Journal of Workplace Health Management reports that in a recent study, 23 percent of the people who exercised on their work days were more productive on those days than they were when they didn’t exercise. 5. You will burn calories, which controls excess weight gain. If the activity or workout is intense then you burn more fat. It is an effective means to regulate your weight gain without having to deprive yourself of your meals. 6. It combats diseases and maintains healthy internal body conditions. 7. Your mood gets uplifted. A 30-minute workout improves psychological health as research has shown in numerous cases. 8. You will notice a surge of energy running through your body every time you work out. Your muscles become adapted to the stress and they perform better due to more oxygen and nutrient consumption.   Improve yourself by working out in the gym or at home by simply running or jogging every morning. Find 30 minutes in your busy schedule to dedicate to this act of self improvement. It is worth it!     Photo Credit: Jadeafrican.com     About the Writer: Bello Muhammad is a graduate of Biological Sciences. He is passionate about education and personal development. He is also a lover of chess who has featured in the West African University Games for his institution. You can contact him via Google+ and email: slimophobia@gmail.com, call 08152501891 and twitter @Slimanic.

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This article was first published on 13th May 2015

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