Whether you have specific fitness goals or want to adopt a healthier lifestyle, incorporate physical activity into your daily routine. This may entail waking up 30 minutes earlier or taking long lunches, so you have time to hit the gym and shower before returning to the office. Regardless of how you manage to squeeze a workout into your day, you’ll enjoy the following benefits.

Why You Should Exercise Daily

1. Maintain a Healthy Weight

Exercise plays an important role in controlling weight. If you have a sedentary lifestyle, you’ll lose muscle mass. Sedentary people are also more likely to gain weight, as they don’t burn off the calories they consume. Get physical every day to keep extra weight off and reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, and metabolic syndrome.

2. Improve Mental Health

Exercise can reduce anxiety and depression. Physical activity improves circulation in the body, including the brain. Although the link between exercise and mental health isn't clear, the increased blood flow appears to stimulate the production of endorphins and other natural chemicals, evoking an enhanced sense of well-being.

Thirty minutes of moderate exercise, like brisk walking, three times a week is enough to improve your mental health. If you don’t have time for a half-hour workout, three 10-minute sessions will have the same effect.

3. Boost Cognitive Function

Exercise helps the brain process new data and store old information. Physical activity stimulates the release of growth factors, which are responsible for maintaining the health of old cells while ensuring the survival of new ones. Additionally, people who exercise have larger prefrontal and medial temporal cortexes, which are the parts of the brain that control thinking and memory. Generally, larger brains are associated with higher intelligence quotient.

For additional tips on how you can lead a healthier, more active lifestyle, talk to the team at IMUA Orthopedics, Sports & Health in Honolulu, HI. Whether you’re starting a fitness journey or have been an athlete for years, their knowledgeable physicians will provide exceptional guidance, as well as training plans and nutrition advice. Learn more about their approach to fitness online, or call (808) 521-8170 to schedule an appointment.