When it comes to reasons for exercising, most will stem about either losing weight or wanting to get stronger to help improve their quality of life, especially as they get into the senior years.
There are other great benefits, however, that you might not think about, but once you do, they can provide additional motivation to keep you moving down the right fitness path.
Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing has a look at five of these great additional reasons to exercise.
- Delay the Aging Process
Along with benefitting your general health, studies have shown that people who exercise regularly have longer segments on their DNA called telomeres. Shorter telomeres are linked to the aging of human cells and can lead to more general disease.
- Improve Your Sleep
Quality of sleep is just as important as quantity, and exercising between 30 and 45 minutes a day has shown that even people dealing with insomnia (officially defined as having trouble falling asleep or getting back to sleep) can enjoy better and longer sleep.
- Better Body Image
Just exercising, regardless of how you feel about your weight or fitness level, brings out more positive feelings about your body image. Studies show that this is the case not only because those who workout regularly tend to have fitter bodies, but it’s also due to the release of hormones during and after a workout that are natural mood enhancers.
- Good for Your Eyes and Teeth
You might not think that exercising can benefit your eyes and teeth, but research suggests that it does. It’s believed that lowering inflammation levels due to exercise is the reason that adults who do 30 minutes or more of moderate activity five days a week are 42% less likely to have gum disease. A British study also found that regular exercise can cut your risk of macular degeneration, the most common cause of blindness after age 60, by up to 70%.
To learn more about Bronx Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing and all of the services they offer, visit http://bronx-center.facilities.centershealthcare.org.
