Let’s Get Moving — The Importance of Daily Exercise

Most of us are confined to a desk for at least eight hours a day for work. Short walks around the yard or even quicker walks around your apartment are brief reprieves from the endless sitting in our new work-from-home lifestyles. Especially now, exercise allows us to get up, get moving, and feel better! The importance of daily exercise influences almost all parts of our lives, from mental health to chronic disease prevention. "Physical exercise is not just one aspect of your healthy lifestyle," says Dr. Justin Lewis of Get Adjusted Chiropractic. "It's a time to focus on you and enhance your body overall."

Here are the many ways that routine exercise can improve your short and long term health!

Improved Mental Health and Energy
One hour of exercise each day has proven to boost moods and energy levels. It is vital to care for your body by staying active, particularly when exercise can also affect your mental stability. "Physical exercise is essential for your mental health," states Dr. Justin Lewis. "Get your body moving in whatever capacity, whether that's an extra-long walk around your neighborhood or an online workout class. With regular exercise, you can see improvements to your physical health and moods." Exercise helps regulate the areas in our brain that control stress and anxiety while improving sensitivity to hormones that can relieve symptoms of depression.

Physical activity has shown to help with these feelings — regardless of the length and intensity of the workout. With our increasingly busy lives and surrounding, stressful situations, giving yourself the time and space to focus on self-improvement can bleed into many aspects of our health.

Increased Weight Loss and Muscle Strength
It can be easy to fall into a routine when transitioning to time spent at home that eliminates most physical activity. It is crucial to find ways to motivate yourself to stay active and seek out exercises that work for your goals! By incorporating at least one hour of exercise into your daily routine, you can work towards any weight loss targets or increased muscle strength. It's important to remember that everyone starts somewhere, as Dr. Justin Lewis says: "Just because you don't have a set of dumbells at your home doesn't mean that you can't get stronger! The most efficient exercises to strengthen your body use just your body weight." Exercise can also improve metabolism rates and help you burn calories. By finding a one-hour workout plan that is conducive to your fitness goals, help your body stay healthy while maintaining muscle mass. Muscle definition and bone density can diminish over time, particularly as we age. Exercise can help us build foundational strength to prevent conditions, such as osteoporosis, later in life.

Disease Prevention and Overall Health
With the introduction of regular physical activity, you can be helping yourself long term! Exercise has been linked to improved cardiovascular health and body condition while preparing your body against the onset of chronic disease. At least one hour of physical exercise a day will keep your mind and body healthy for now and over time. The largest organ – your skin! — can also see benefits with regular exercise. Oxidative stress is your body's natural reaction when antioxidant defense cannot wholly repair damage caused to cells, leading to deteriorating skin cells.

"With the introduction of exercise into your routine, you can protect yourself from chronic disease and early signs of aging," states Dr. Justin Lewis. "This amount of exercise, whether moderate or intense, can regulate your body's production of the necessary antioxidants and stimulate blood flow to maintain smooth skin."

Relax and Get Some Sleep
Everyday stress and other factors in our lives can lead to poor sleep quality. Regular exercise promotes relaxation and can help you fall asleep faster while staying asleep longer. The energy used to exercise improves recuperative processes while you sleep, making it easier to achieve a deeper REM cycle. "Physical activity will help your body expend necessary levels of energy that it needs to relax later on in the day," explains Dr. Justin Lewis. "Regardless of the types of exercise you choose, whether it's aerobic or anaerobic movement, it's vital just to get moving."

Prevent long term pain with Get Adjusted Chiropractic! Book an appointment online today or call our office at 845-809-8300 to schedule a visit with Dr. Justin Lewis.