Exercise does a lot more than help us burn calories to lose weight.
What really happens when you don’t exercise enough?
You crave unhealthy food
Many people who exercise regularly also eat very healthy diets.
This is great if you’re trying to build multiple healthy habits, like exercising and eating healthy.
The problem is, I’ve seen it work in the reverse for some of my clients as well.
Your body stops craving highly nutritious foods because it no longer needs the extra sustenance.
Instead, nutritionally-poor-but-delicious foods like potato chips and chocolate cake become quite enticing.
If you’re someone who is experiencing sleep problems, you may not be exercising regularly enough.
Regular exercise has been shown toincrease total sleep timeand leave people feeling more alert and well-rested throughout the day.
It may be time to start exercising regularly!
Without regular exercise, your body is not as efficient at absorbing oxygen when it is under strain.
This is why you may get light-headed if it’s possible for you to’t catch your breath.
We can all agree that getting enough oxygen to the brain is important, right?
Why does RMR matter?
Think of it this way.
This means that even though your habits stay exactly the same, you could start gaining weight.
When you don’t exercise, though,your muscles become deconditioned.
One consequence of these losses in physical fitness can be injury.
Have you ever sprinted for the bus after weeks of inactivity only to strain a muscle?
That’s deconditioning at work.
You guessed it, deconditioning.
Maybe you didn’t get injured, but are you starting to have more aches and pains?
Deconditioning has also been associated withchronic low back pain.
When it comes to your mood, regular exercise can be a huge factor.
For those individuals with clinically diagnosed depression, exercise canlead to a reduction in symptoms.
You don’t need a diagnosed mental illness to reap the benefits of exercise on mood though.
Research has shown that people with non-clinical levels of depression and anxietyalso benefit from regular exercise.
Those who exercise regularly and then stop or significantly decrease their exercise also see a difference in mood.
A positive mood is quite a powerful thing.
Bothinflammation and oxidative stresshave been shown to be important in the development of psychological stress and anxiety.
Regular exercise serves as an anti-inflammatory that can help reduce this oxidative stress, thereby reducing psychological stress.
In this case, the amount of exercise matters somewhat.
Before being exposed to the stressor, the groups of women did not vary in terms of stress level.
As we age, our bones get weaker.
Individuals who have less bone mass to begin with are at ahigher risk of developing osteoporosis.
So what does this have to do with exercise?
Research has consistently shown that resistance training has apositive effect on bone mineral density in women.
Don’t you want to live a long life anyway?
Leading a sedentary lifestyle has been linked withdiabetes, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality.
You don’t have to go whole hog all at once.
Start small and ease your way in so you might truly make exercise part of your lifestyle long-term.
The last thing you want to do is get burned out.
For your mind, body, and longevity, it’s time to get up and move.
