Benefit of Regular Exercise

Most people want to be healthy and in shape. Even if their eating and exercise habits belie this, most people would rather be fit than otherwise. Pop culture tends to place a large emphasis on the benefits of healthy eating, and many people when they don't like what they see in the mirror immediately think of dieting. Weight is often something people worry about, and there are many fad diets that claim to "shed the pounds". However, weight is not necessarily an accurate indicator of health, and diet is not necessarily the only or even most effective way to get in shape.

A more accurate indicator of physical health is body mass index (BMI). BMI is a ratio of height and weight. The scale alone cannot determine if a person needs to lose weight because someone who is tall should weigh more than someone who's short. Measuring BMI does have its drawbacks however. It cannot distinguish between muscle and fat (but neither can a scale). Also, muscle weighs more than fat, so someone who is "too heavy" for their weight because they have a lot of muscle mass and little body fat could actually be quite healthy.

Exercise is the key to overall health. Although it's very important to eat a healthy diet, the body was designed to move around. Even if you get a perfect diet (and most people do not), you won't feel as good if you don't exercise.

One benefit of regular exercise is the feeling of well-being it produces. If you exercise at a high level of intensity, your body will react by producing endorphins. These are hormones that are designed to kill pain and make you feel good. Exercise also reduces the stress hormones in your body. This is often listed as one of the top ten reasons to exercise.

Another benefit of regular exercise is lowering your risk for several conditions including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and cancer. Exercise essentially stresses your body, but the body reacts to stress by bolstering that area. If you train with weights, your muscles suffer microscopic tears and when they heal, the muscle grows bigger to better deal with the stress next time. Becoming resistant to stress can only be a good thing. Be careful when starting out -- the stress exercise puts on your body can put you at greater risk for getting sick. If you find this happening, slow down.

A final benefit of regular exercise is that it enables you to "cheat" in your diet a little. The body needs fuel to run, but a sedentary lifestyle simply doesn't require much fuel. However, if you start exercising regularly, you'll lose wight unless you start eating more. At the other end of the scale from your average couch potato, competitive athletes generally look for efficient ways to introduce more calories into their diets.