Importance of Exercise
When we were kids, we would move our body all day while playing and running around the house. We did not think about doing exercise then, because we enjoyed playing and running without any worry. As a grown up in today’s virtual world, with supposedly busy calendars, we have long sitting hours with lot of stress acting as a double-edged sword in our degrading health levels.
Try this today: Are you able to climb the stairs up to at least 2 floors without going out of breath? If the answer is no – you need to assess your health and start working towards improving it. I used to be that person 2 years ago, but then I decided to change and become a better version of myself.
As Joe Rogan puts it – It is silly if you are not working out and there will be days when you don’t feel like exercising. On those days just force yourself because you will feel energetic and happy post the session. Like you brush your teeth, you must exercise daily. It is more about discipline.
When it comes to holistic health, physical exercise is an ancient concept where it is crucial for realization of one’s complete health. World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on physical activity mentions that all adults should undertake at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise weekly. This has been advised as an urgent need to increase priority and promote physical activity within health and other key sectors.
Quoting from the book ‘Ikigai: The Japanese secret to Long and Happy Life’:
“You don’t need to go to the gym for an hour everyday or run marathons. As Japanese centenarians show us, all you need to do is to add movement to your day.”
The weight loss industry has only grown over the past years with multiple gyms, fitness centres, yoga centres providing various forms of interesting exercise routines for all age groups. COVID-19 has severely impacted the fitness industry with shutting down of gyms for prolonged periods of time. The bigger question is: Do we really need the promotion of these fitness centres and gyms as a must for weight loss? The answer is NO. Joining a gym for the sole aim of losing weight is an inaccurate approach.
What we don’t realise is that there are bigger benefits of exercise that do not just end at weight loss. Exercise has become a big hurdle for people who want to lose weight but do not like exercising. If there is more awareness about the larger benefits of exercise, people will be more welcoming to the idea rather than being fixated on just weight loss as a benefit out of it.
Let’s talk about these benefits in details:
1. Anti-ageing formula
There is a loss of muscle mass and strength with ageing which is called ‘Sarcopenia’ and regular exercise helps to slow it down. Aerobic exercises like brisk walk, running, swimming, cycling and resistance training helps a great deal in preventing Sarcopenia and stopping premature ageing. It is important to encourage our parents and grandparents to include aerobic exercises in their routine if not done already.
One of the most important benefits of including high intensity movements in short intervals (called anaerobic exercises) in your routine is increasing growth hormone. Human growth hormone (HGH) is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland and plays a key role in growth, body composition, cell repair and metabolism.
Moderate exercise every day is a healthy practice that helps in releasing antioxidants and preventing free radical damage. Free radicals are unstable atoms that can damage cells, causing illness and aging.
2. Stay young at heart
Exercise has been shown to increase the efficiency of oxygen transport within the body. We generally associate exercise with making our muscles stronger however, the truth is that along with muscles, it also makes our lungs and heart stronger. Putting stress on our heart with exercise improves cardiovascular functions and strengthens the heart. The valves close better and greatly improves blood pumping from the heart.
3. Stress coping mechanism
When oxygen increases in the body, there is an increased blood flow which helps to reduce stress from the body. The body feels stressed all the time if we don’t move our body throughout the day. Low intensity exercises help relieve stress.
4. Sleep like a baby
If you are not sleeping well due to stress or digestive issues, then you must consider including some sort of exercise starting with low intensity exercise like long walks and yoga and move on to high intensity exercise once your stress is managed. Exercise will enhance sleep by reducing stress and ensuring good recovery.
5. Flexibility not just at work
Exercise will increase body flexibility and reduce stiffness in muscles. Yoga – originally from India, now very popular in all parts of the world, seeks to create harmony between a person’s body and mind giving them strength, joy, and serenity.
6. Become smarter
There is a very important benefit of exercise, often ignored – Enhance the cognitive function and mood. Aerobic exercises have proven to improve brain health because it increases a person’s heart rate which means the body pumps more blood to the brain. Some studies have shown that people who exercise regularly have greater volume in their prefrontal cortex. This is the area of the brain responsible for higher levels of thinking such as decision making and complex cognitive behaviour.
7. Did someone say fat burning?
Exercise helps stabilize blood sugar levels. This is true especially if we work out in the morning when we observe high blood sugars even if we don’t eat Carbohydrates. So, exercise helps to burn off that stored sugar.
Burning fat is more important than weight loss. Body weight might not be the best measure of someone’s good health. We should strive for our body to burn fat naturally and we will never gain weight. Anaerobic exercises like high intensity interval training and strength training ensures the body burns fat after the exercise throughout the day and while sleeping. Aerobic exercises like long walks puts body into fat burning during the exercise after a specified time. Exercise becomes essential for the body to burn fat and not just burn calories.
So, do not exercise for weight loss but exercise to feel good, improve your mood, become stronger, feel younger, reduce stress and be the healthiest version of yourself.
The key is starting slow and keep doing it unless it becomes a habit. Aren’t we figuring out new ways to live longer and stronger as we age? Well, here is the magic recipe: Being active. Feel free to choose an exercise routine that you love and makes you move. If you have a job which requires sitting at the desk for long hours, it is imperative for you to start moving every hour.
Building a healthier nation requires all of us to take small steps towards it by keeping ourselves active along with our friends and family. This will help reform a nation that thrives on Happiness, Hope and Social connection.
-Himani Aggarwal
