Easter Sunday Schedule, 3/31/24

How Exercise Changes Your Body

The internet is rife with pictures and stories of people who are in the process of transforming their bodies. People turn to dieting, changing how they dress, and exercising to alter the way they look. There’s more to what exercise does to your body than just making it look better, though, including the following!

Strengthens Bone and Muscle Density

Arguably the most common known way that exercise changes the body is through building and strengthening muscle. Exercise damages muscles on a microscopic level, prompting your body to build it back, increasing it in both mass and size. Muscle isn’t the only thing that gets stronger through exercise, though. Your bones respond to the loads placed on them by increasing their density in the direction of the load. That’s part of why it’s so beneficial to perform load-bearing exercises. According to UpToDate, it’s an important part of reducing your risk of osteoporosis later in life.

Boosts Your Testosterone Levels

According to Andro400, men slow their testosterone production at around the age of 20. If that sounds concerning, try not to fret—for most men, that slowing happens quite gradually. The good news here is that regular and consistent exercise can help boost testosterone levels. The key is for it to be both regular and consistent. The boost is temporary, lasting for several minutes to an hour. It’s likely to be the greatest when performing strength training exercises in the evening.

Improves the Efficiency of Your Cardiovascular System

Having a healthy cardiovascular system that is able to function efficiently is a crucial component to living a healthy life (though certainly not the only component). Exercising stimulates your heart and strengthens it. That makes it possible for your heart to pump blood with more efficiency, lowering your heart rate. When your heart is able to function more efficiently, it is able to supply the rest of your body with oxygen more effectively too. According to Sciencing, oxygen is crucial to energy production, which means that the more efficient your cardiovascular system is able to work, the more energy you’ll have while working out and throughout the rest of your day.

Exercise benefits your body in so many ways. In addition to strengthening it and increasing its efficiency, exercise also gives mental health benefits. So, anyone who wants to both look and feel their best should definitely be including regular exercise in their daily routine. Find ways to exercise that are fun for you to increase your willingness to do it on the daily.

Read this next: Why Everyone Should Be Lifting Weights