If you’ve been on the fence about exercise, you may want to consider how beneficial it can be for your health and longevity. While we tend to focus on exercise for an attractive body, it’s much more than just about getting in shape. Here are some ways that exercise can improve your health and longevity:
It can help you lower your cholesterol
Cholesterol isn’t our friend. High cholesterol can lead to many health ailments, so it’s important to do what we can to keep it low. It can lead to stroke or heart attack, especially when we get older, so if you’ve recently learned from your medical provider that you have elevated cholesterol, it could be a good idea to start exercising to help prevent it from worsening.
Aerobic exercise can be beneficial for lowering elevated cholesterol, but even a simple activity like walking can help when paired with a healthy diet.
It can help prevent age-related diseases
As we get older, different diseases that we weren’t so worried about when we were younger start becoming some type of possible reality. However, regular exercise can be beneficial in many ways, as it can help you decrease the chances of developing some age-related illnesses.
As a rule, movement of any kind is a great way to improve your chances at staying spry and healthy throughout your senior years, along with a healthy diet and some type of nad supplement that works hand in hand with your healthy habits.
Exercise helps with obesity
If you’ve struggled with weight fluctuations throughout your life and obesity is something you or your family deal with, you could benefit from exercise for your overall health. While carrying a few extra pounds is not detrimental to your health, if unhealthy habits lead to extra weight, picking up healthier habits for your overall health may be a good idea.
If you have health insurance, make an appointment with your doctor to find out how to tackle obesity. People who manage their weight tend to live longer, and it’s easier to avoid some obesity-related diseases as you get older when you’re at a healthy weight. You may need to plan exercise with a personal trainer and get nutritional help from a nutritionist to help you reach your goals for a healthier weight.
Exercise is great for your mood
If you’re dealing with depression or other mental health issues, it can be helpful to adopt some exercise routine. Running for 3-4 miles a day helps you to release tension and face your day with less anxiety; it can be hugely beneficial for you, although you want to work your way up to running if you find it difficult at first.
While your psychiatrist may prescribe medication for any mental health struggles you have, when you accompany this support with daily exercise, you can find it a lot easier to manage issues. Whether you enjoy a dance class to “shake it off” or running to your favorite jams makes you feel better, there are plenty of ways to improve your mood with movement.
Weightlifting is good for you
We’re not saying that you need to become a bodybuilder as you get older, but strength training with some weights can help you improve your muscle mass which can help ensure functionality and mobility as you get older.
Strength training is also good for your bones which can be important for women. Women tend to deal with problems with bone density loss as we age, known as osteoporosis, so some strength training now can help you have a healthier future as you get older.
In Conclusion
If you don’t have an exercise routine right now, consider how exercise could benefit your health and your longevity. A healthier body when you’re younger will help you age with grace.