Benefits of physical activity and exercise on body and mind Activity is for Everyone Virtually everyone can get health benefits from activity. It is a proven fact that adding regular physical activity to one's daily routine will improve health and well-being. In addition, exercise is often more fun when done with friends or family. Being active with parents or grandparents is not just a great way to stay healthy, but it can be a time to bond with loved ones. Knowing that regular physical activity and exercise offer great benefits to aging adults is a good reason to make exercise a family affair. Most people have the impression that exercise is sweaty, strenuous work best reserved for the young, super-fit, and athletic. But benefits can be gained even from low-intensity activity, like gardening. So, Physical activity doesn't necessarily need to be strenuous for a person to enjoy benefits to health. One of the most important benefits of physical activity is that it actually lessens a person's risk of developing or dying from many of the most common causes of serious illness and death in Western Society. Increase Cardiovascular Fitness Cardiovascular exercise strengthens the heart as a pump, making it a larger, more efficient muscle. Even moderate activity can boost HDL ('good') cholesterol, aid the circulatory system, and lower blood pressure and blood fats. All these effects translate into reduced risk for heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. The risk of developing colon cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes is also quickly reduced through regular physical activity. Build better bones Being physically active has also been proven to help build stronger healthy bones, joints, strengthened muscles, and increased flexibility, which can help ward off the bone-thinning condition called osteoporosis. Improve Flexibility Activities and exercises that increase flexibility, such as gymnastics, martial arts, and yoga, are helpful in preventing injuries. The more flexible a person is, the less likely he or she is to suffer a sprain or strain a muscle while doing everyday things or while being active. Breathe easy As people grow older, their lung capacity (how much air the lungs hold) grows smaller. Cardiovascular activity and exercise can combat this because aerobic activities actually increase lung capacity. Boost Energy Physical activity and exercise require energy, as does everything. In addition to expending energy, however, physical activity also gives people increased energy throughout the entire day. The immune system, too, gets a big boost from regular physical activity. A healthy immune system helps fight colds, cancer, and other diseases, and speeds recovery from all kinds of injuries. Weight loss Exercise also has body-slimming effects. It builds muscle and displaces fat. A given volume of muscle weighs more than the same bulk of fat. So your bathroom scale may not record dramatic changes, but your clothes will be looser, and you'll have a trimmer body shape. Do strenuous exercise, and you'll burn calories in a hurry. But you can burn the same number of calories with gentler activity: You just have to do it longer and/or more often. This is precisely the kind of gradual approach that experts recommend for long-term weight management. The more active you are, the more calories you'll burn, which can help with weight loss. And exercise also promotes fat loss and builds muscle. This, in turn, increases your body's metabolic rate, the rate at which you burn calories, even after you've finished exercising. Weight loss by reducing your calorie intake without activity can have just the opposite effect: It can cause your body to break down muscle, which ultimately lowers your metabolic rate and makes losing weight even harder. The problem of reducing your calorie intake without exercise is compounded when people go off their diets. Because they've lost muscle, they tend to regain their weight quickly and then some. A better approach is to increase activity, which builds muscle, at the same time that you're cutting back on excess calories from food. Physical activity can also reduce stress and regulate your appetite, making it easier to curb the urge to overeat. Benefits for the mind Physical activity and exercise are beneficial to the mind as well as the body. They help improve a person's health and overall outlook on life. Specifically, a person will experience a natural high and develop the ability to better handle emotions and changes in life. Endorphins When a person is physically active or exercises for a certain period of time—about 20 minutes or longer—the body releases endorphins, proteins in the brain that act as the body's natural pain reliever. When endorphins are released, a person may experience a feeling of euphoria. Many people enjoy this feeling and look forward to the natural high they get from keeping physically fit. Improved concetrationWeight loss Being physically active and exercising can help This means that a person will be able to be more focused and perform better in class or during other activities. Staying physically fit has also been found to help people maintain memory longer in their lives. Lift the Blues and Lower Anxiety Many people suffer from depression and anxiety. Researchers have found that physical activity and exercise can help relieve feelings of depression and lower a person's anxiety. Handle Stress Better Stress is a normal part of every person's life. However, too much stress can cause many health problems. Some symptoms of stress include anxiety, high blood pressure, irritability, tense muscles, headaches, stomachaches, and lower resistance to illness. Physical activity and exercise, especially noncompetitive activity, help to manage stress. They give a person the opportunity to feel calmer and more alert, which can help work through the things that are causing the stress. They also boost the immune system, so resistance to illness will increase. Build Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem Low self-confidence and self-esteem can cause a person to engage in harmful behaviors, such as self-mutilation, drug addiction, or disordered eating. They may also seek acceptance from others in destructive ways, such as having sex before they're ready or drinking alcohol to excess. People with high self-confidence and self-esteem are usually happy with themselves, outgoing, and positive. They take pride in accomplishments and are able to stand up for themselves. They are not afraid of taking on new challenges and are not afraid of failure. Researchers have found that physical activity and exercise can increase self-confidence and self-esteem. ACCORDING TO THE WOMEN'S SPORTS FOUNDATION, TEENS THAT PLAY SPORTS USUALLY DO NOT ENGAGE IN SEXUAL ACTIVITY UNTIL LATER IN LIFE AND ARE LESS LIKELY TO USE DRUGS OR BE INVOLVED IN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS THAN TEENS WHO DO NOT PLAY SPORTS. THOSE STUDENTS WHO PLAY SPORTS ARE ALSO MORE LIKELY TO GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE. Feel Calmer and Sleep Soundly While physical activity and exercise can make people feel more alert during the day, they also allow people to feel calmer and sleep more soundly. When people are active, their body temperature rises and warms their insides. This soothes the body, like a warm bath, and causes a person to feel calmer. This feeling, along with the lower anxiety and stress and physical benefits of physical activity and exercise, helps a person to sleep soundly at night. Furthermore, regular physical activity reduces the overall risk of dying prematurely from any cause. In fact, it is estimated that five times as many people die from being inactive than from losing their lives in car accidents.