Benefits of exercise
Now if you are anything like me the first thing you do once college basketball season is over, is look at the calendar to see when football seasons starts. Well, your wait is over.
As of Thursday, Sept 10th, the NFL season will begin and the college season is already underway. For many Americans this means long Saturdays and/or Sundays on the couch watching multiple games and tracking how each of their fantasy football players are performing.
We all know that it can be easy to lose yourself for many hours in a game hoping or trying to will the Vikings to a win while at the same time hoping the Packers lose. But don’t let those hours become so endless that you forget to accomplish the task of moving. By spending so much time and energy on the couch, however, you miss out on one thing that can make you feel better regardless of the outcome of the game: EXERCISE.
Regular exercise can play a positive role in your life and provide positive life changes that might even help the heart break of another loss by your favorite teams. Benefits of exercises have been well documented. I will point out 6 benefits of regular exercises as stated by the Mayo Clinic (mayoclinic.org).
The first is weight control. Regular exercise helps your body burn calories which then helps your body regulate its weight or maintain weight loss.
Secondly, regular exercise can help combat health conditions such has high cholesterol. By exercising regularly, you can increase the level of HDL (the good cholesterol) in your system which can then help offset high levels of LDL (bad cholesterol) and, thus, reduce risk of possible heart attack or stroke.
When I was a kid nothing got me more down in the dumps than a Vikings loss. But, another benefit of regular exercise is that it can release the “feel good” chemicals in your brain, thus, putting you in a better mood. Not to mention with the weight control you might experience an improved body image and feel better about yourself. So, why not go for a brisk walk to blow off steam after BYU completes a Hail Mary pass to beat your beloved Cornhuskers of Nebraska? The exercises will make you feel better, right?
Ever feel sluggish at the end of the day after watching too much football? Well, exercises can help boost your energy by delivering increase oxygen and nutrient delivery to your heart, lungs, muscle tissues and brain. This increase in energy can then help get something accomplished after an afternoon of TV watching before those prime time games start.
After that energy is all used up then the next benefit of exercise comes into play: improved sleeping. By improving your ability to sleep and sleeping restfully, you will become recharged to do it all over the next day. The benefits of quality sleep have already been outlined in a previous blog Counting sheep.
Finally, exercise (believe it or not) can be FUN!!! Exercise can help families bond and can be done by all ages. Exercise, such as riding a bike, playing catch, jumping rope or simply going for a brisk walk, can be beneficial and fun for the whole family.
In closing, exercise does not only benefit those who watch football. Exercise can provide these same benefits for each and everyone. A general rule for exercises is moderate intensity for 30 min per day. This can be broken up into smaller 10 min segments if need be. Prior to starting an exercise program is it always smart to check with your family physician or health professional, especially, if you have not exercised in awhile, have a history of heart disease, chronic health problems, diabetes or arthritis.
Joel DeMaris, PT, DPT, CMTPT
Isanti Physical Therapy
PTC_therapy September 9th, 2015
Posted In: General