The Benefits of Exercise
The Benefits of Exercise – Whatever Your Age!
Did you know how beneficial exercise can be for older people? We’re not talking marathon running but rather keeping fit and active. If you’ve never been a particularly active person, the old adage of ‘It’s never too late to start’ applies equally well to exercise as any other hobby. And if you’ve always enjoyed a fit and healthy lifestyle, tailoring your activities to your lifestyle can be hugely beneficial.
What are the benefits of exercise?
Regardless of your age, there are so many benefits to regular exercise.
- Mobility: exercise improves your strength and posture. It will help you be more flexible and coordinated as well.
- Improves physical health: exercise can help to improve your digestion, immune functioning, blood pressure and strengthen bone density. It can also reduce the risk of certain diseases, including Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, diabetes and some cancers.
- Improves mental health: there are many mental health benefits associated with exercise. It can be a social activity, relieve stress and improve your mood, thanks to endorphins that are released – these also counteract depression, anxiety and boost your confidence. Any physical activity is likely to also improve your sleep. Who doesn’t feel better after a decent night’s sleep?
- Weight maintenance: your metabolism slows down as you get older so it’s more important than ever to try and maintain a healthy weight. Exercise increases your metabolism allowing you to bun more calories.
How can you start exercising?
If you’re not used to regular exercise, advice for any age would be to start gradually. Any activity is better than none. Incorporating walks into your daily life can make a difference. The key to maintaining any kind of exercise and making it a habit is to find something you enjoy doing. It will then be a pleasure rather than a chore and after a while you’ll barely notice you’re ‘exercising’.
The more active you are, the more likely you are to want to increase your activity levels. As your mood and wellbeing improves, you may well start looking for more activities and movement you can incorporate into your daily life. It is important to be realistic about your expectations. If you were particularly fit in your younger years, it’s not realistic to expect your body to be able to meet those same targets. Be kind to yourself and always remember that doing something is far, far better than being sedentary and doing nothing.
Exercise and physical activities provide the perfect excuse for social interaction. You might make new friends and you’ll always be more motivated to exercise regularly if you’re doing it with someone else. You wouldn’t want to let them down, would you?
