Exercising and Longevity
There are numerous reasons why exercising is greatly beneficial for your health. Among them, exercise can help you avoid cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Considering that the heart is a muscle, aerobic physical activities like walking, cycling, or jogging or resistance training exercises like yoga and weightlifting can help it grow stronger and perform better. Additionally, exercising regularly can reduce the level of cholesterol in the body, it can help you maintain healthy arteries and regulate blood pressure. Therefore, exercising often can be a useful tool in the prevention of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart diseases, and even some types of cancer, among others.
Besides its physical health benefits, it can also improve mental health by boosting the production of endorphins, which are a group of peptides naturally produced by the brain and that work together with the receptors, reducing the perception of pain and stress. This way working out can help fight mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, and dementia. Even though doing exercise is by no means a cure to these conditions, it can be useful in their treatment. Furthermore, working out can also improve our coordination and discipline. These, among many other factors, are enough to decide to start an exercising routine.
An easy way to start exercising is to go to the gym, even though working out at home is a great option as well. In both cases, make sure you are carrying out the exercises adequately to avoid any injuries.
Before any workout, make sure to have a warmup and a stretching session. The warmup should ideally consist of a cardio exercise like biking, running, walking, jumping the rope, and so on for at least five minutes. Begin at a light pace and gradually increase it until you reach your safe goal. Similarly, decrease the pace gradually towards the end of your warmup session. For what regards stretching, try doing an overall body stretch focusing on the muscles you will use in your workout. Be gentle and respect your body limits. Remember, the goal is to get your blood flowing and preparing your muscles before the actual training.
The most key factor to take into consideration is the safety of your exercises. If you are new to the gym, getting an assessment from a trainer will be the best option. It is necessary to know how to use the machines properly. Moreover, you should have a training plan to work on your goals, even if your goal is general fitness. Finally, you should aim at improving your level of training. For example, if you are working on weightlifting, you should always try to increase the weight gradually.
Overall, remember that safety goes first, train at your pace, always trying to improve, and eat a balanced diet that will support your training.
Orthopedic Corner | Leon Mead MD Orthopedic Doctor | 730 Goodlette Road North, Suite 201 Naples Florida 34102 | Phone: (239) 262-1119