Feel Better Naturally: Exercise

First of all, why should we try to live naturally? 

Well, as we've heard from many sources and have sometimes figured out on our own, it's healthier! Reducing or eliminating the chemicals included in many types of food and products have been shown time and time again to help reach and maintain a more healthy lifestyle. It can also be beneficial, and cheaper, to use natural remedies and home-made products from simple things around the house. For example, many people have taken to making their own laundry detergents, soap, pet-care products, and even insect repellents, in order to save money and avoid allergies or other unintended effects of the mass-produced, available in-store options. There are also several ways that with subtle lifestyle changes we can improve our fitness and health, with small or no impact on our regular routines. 

"Feel Better Naturally" will be a series of tips and information on several areas where living naturally can help improve the body and overall health. I'll try to make contributions to this series at least once a month so we can look at the many different areas where we can improve our health through small changes in our lifestyle. This first entry will be regarding exercise. 

Exercise and The Body

How can exercise help the body? Obviously, if you work out regularly, exercise can help with maintaining a healthy weight and physique, but what other benefits does it have? Exercise can help improve your mood! Increasing physical activity and raising the heart rate activates a part of the brain called the ventral prefrontal cortex, which involves decision making and emotional processing. It is also beneficial by increasing the neurotransmitter serotonin, which can improve your mood and decrease stress. Memory, cognition, and satisfaction levels are also improved with regular exercise. 

Now that we've talked about the brain benefits, what about the rest of the body? People who are physically active greatly reduce the risk of developing heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and many types of cancer. It has also been shown that cancer patients who regularly exercise after having undergone chemotherapy have a much lower chance of recurrence. Regular exercise can also improve muscle and bone strength, regulate blood pressure, increase your energy levels through improved cardiovascular levels, and help with skin health. 

What type of exercise do I have to do to get these benefits? 

Any kind of regular exercise can help! Regular exercise can be anything from short walks a few times a week, to playing sports in a club or with friends, or rigorous workouts in a gym-like setting. All of these can help with the benefits listed above. If you are simply trying to increase your overall health and body functions, then try adding a twenty or thirty minute period of increased activity three days a week. Go on a walk or run with your family or dog, or do some stretching and push-ups or sit-ups, yoga, Pilates, any one of the many available forms of activity available that can be done from home! Exercise can be a fun way to spend some quality family time, bonding with each other, while also imparting on your kids a habit of a healthy lifestyle. 

If you're looking for more effects than an increase in the health of the body, such as weight loss or muscle gain, then you may need to do more than walking. Strength training, cardio, and aerobic exercises can help with these goals. While doing the physical training and exercise is important, it is also important to note that eating better and cutting out some of the overly fattening foods in your diet might be necessary to achieve your goals.