Staying in shape comes with many obvious benefits, although much of the upside has nothing to do with physical appearance.
Keeping off unwanted pounds is always helpful for your long-term health outlook, especially for those in their 40s and 50s. Yet, there is a long list of other benefits that go hand-in-hand with keeping fit.
From improvements in work and social life to having the stamina to stay energized, maintaining a workout routine can have a strong impact no matter your lifestyle.
In fact, here are some of the huge true rewards of staying in shape today for tomorrow!
Regular exercise leads to improved sleep patterns
Tossing and turning at night can create a vicious cycle that leads to a drop in energy with increased irritability.
It also can make it harder to mentally prepare for a workout. Bad habits could form that would prevent a person from getting in shape.
The good news is, successfully implementing a workout regimen can easily turn the tide, resulting in longer and better sleep.
In fact, many researchers see regular exercise as an essential part of setting your circadian rhythm and ensuring that you have the type of fulfilling sleep that can push you through the lulls of the average day.
Though there are no bad times to squeeze in a workout, different times of the day offer different advantages. While working out early in the morning can have a very positive impact on sleep, a good workout in the evening can be the best way to help you sleep soundly throughout the night.
But even if you can’t workout during these times for greater results, any consistent physical activity will do. You’ll experience improved sleep along with the correlating benefits.
With options to workout from anywhere you choose thanks to the Team Beachbody program, you can pop in a DVD or stream a workout video even on the go. In other words, you’ll always have the availability to keep the ball rolling.
The key is to put together a realistic workout routine that you can envision sticking with for at least a few months, as that’s the tipping point when even novice exercisers start to experience significant improvements in sleep.
Increased focus and energy
Aligning with improved sleep patterns, anyone who stays in shape with consistent exercise can elevate energy levels and retain a high level of focus.
Thanks to the brain’s ability to improve performance with enhanced blood flow, working out can provide an improvement in mental acuity, particularly in the first two or three hours after a workout.
This can pay major dividends. Whether as a parent who needs a mental boost or you’re preparing for a major work presentation, exercise provides that focus you need.
In today’s age, it’s common to pound caffeinated beverages to ramp up energy levels. Yet, getting the blood flowing through exercise is a more natural and effective way to improve your everyday performance.
These benefits also encourage social activity many of us might skip in favor of a comfortable spot on the couch.
A natural way to manage certain conditions
The physical advantages of working out are well-established when it comes to improving health conditions. These include lowering the risk of stroke, cancer and diabetes, and other ailments.
That’s reason alone to workout! However, there are many mental health benefits that can also be a game-changer.
The Mayo Clinic singles out depression as a very common condition that can be countered by consistently sliding in a 30-minute workout into a daily routine.
The release of endorphins and other brain chemicals also act as a natural mood-enhancer. The help to blunt the impact of stress while having a positive influence on your libido.
You may not intend for exercising to be a therapeutic experience, but the benefits easily spill into a healthier, mental lifestyle.
Improves memory and learning
Improved blood flow to your brain has a short-term impact on focus and energy. But the bigger impact is an enhanced ability to learn!
A workout routine can encourage brain cells to forge new connections, which is a foundation for how we learn new things. The type of workout you do also make a big difference. The more complicated your routines, the more positive effects it has on your internal learning mechanisms.
Mixing in more mentally demanding workouts that require coordination (e.g. dance class, basketball), forces your brain to be more alert. This can lead to improved cerebral performance at any age.
There have also been plenty of links found between staying in shape and memory, a connection that gets more and more important as we age past our physical and mental peaks.
Staying in shape boosts your immune system
Anyone with a busy schedule knows one thing above all else: there is no time for a sick day.
One of the less talked about benefits of staying in shape is the increase in levels of immunoglobulins, which are vital antibodies that help stave off illnesses like colds and flus.
Paired with clear improvements in sleep and energy, a jolt to the immune system can help you overcome these viruses. You’re better apt to recover, taking less sick days and simply feeling better…sooner.
So, while an improvement in immunoglobulins isn’t a good reason to forego a flu shot, it’s another health advantage linked to your workout routine.
Conclusion
Thanks to the wide-ranging enhancements associated with staying in shape, it’s always a good time to restart a workout regimen.
With a wave of internal benefits that run parallel to the physical impact, keeping fit tends to create a trickle-down effect that can positively impact nearly all aspects of your life.