Why is exercise good for you?

woman in red pants doing pushups

Why is exercise good for you, you may ask. That’s a fair question. The most interesting answer came from the Sears Wellness Institute. And I will be sharing it with you.

One of my favorite exercises is the mini-trampoline or rebounder. I will be sharing with you how I got into it and its many benefits.

Physical activity needs to be something you enjoy in order to be done consistently.

As far as I remember, there was a lot of exercise growing up. I used to play outdoors, danced and enjoyed playing basketball the most.

The benefits of physical activity are numerous.

If you google about the importance of exercise you read that it strengthens your heart, improves circulation, helps lower blood pressure, and more.

That’s all good and right about exercise. But there’s something I learned at the Sears Wellness Institute that I never heard before.

The Importance of Exercise or Moving

Physical activity or exercise is the best way to open your internal pharmacy. Say what? Did you know your body makes its own medicine?

I learned at Dr. Sears Wellness Institute that my internal pharmacy is inside my blood vessels.

How is  that possible? When you exercise, your body releases nitric oxide. This chemical is key to the internal pharmacy in our bodies.

This is a concept I had never heard before.

Hear me out…

Exercise helps clear arteries clean. An image of a clean artery vs an artery with sticky stuff due unhealthy habits and no exercise

When someone sits a lot and eats junk food, their blood sticks together. A layer of sticky stuff blocks the glands or “medicine bottles” in the blood vessels.

Eating lots of unhealthy food and having no physical activity makes the sticky stuff pile up.

The glands in the blood vessels keep us healthy and strong. Moving, instead of sitting, is the best way to get the blood flowing to stay healthy.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1998  was shared by three doctors. They discovered nitric oxide (NO) as a signaling molecule they called EDRF.

Apparently, when you exercise, your body produces nitric oxide. This EDRF molecule protects the heart, stimulates the brain, kills bacteria, and more.

Nitric oxide is a natural vasodilator. It lowers blood pressure. And also increases blood flow to vital organs.

Why is exercise good for you?

I hope you are getting the sense of the importance of healthy eating and exercise.

Most of us know what is best for our health and often we choose to ignore.  A poor lifestyle does catch up and often there is no way back.

Just know that the best exercise is the one you do. Yeah! That’s right.

You don’t need to run a marathon or spend hours at the gym if that is not your style.

You just need to move. Think of movement as your daily medicine and consciously choose to move instead of sitting.

While watching TV, do 10 push ups. Or maybe do 10 squats. Or do some stretches.

Just get in the habit of moving. Everything is a habit. Even eating healthy or unhealthy is a habit.

What movement did you enjoy or do you enjoy right now?

If you don’t exercise right now, start slow and go slow.

I am not a doctor, so always consult your doctor before starting any physical exercise routine.

Exercising or moving for 20 minutes a day is a good goal. Put it on your calendar. Make it a habit. Keep it interesting with lots of variety.

Health Benefits Of Physical Activity  

People who move enjoy these benefits of physical activity:

  1. Much less risk of getting Alzheimer’s
  2. Improved vision and eye health
  3. Improved gum health
  4. Healthier skin
  5. A strong and healthier heart
  6. Good gut health
  7. Good joint health

Since 2017, I have been rebounding or jumping on a mini trampoline. I love it! It is so much fun!

My first rebounder costed $35. If I didn’t like it, I planned to give it away.

While researching rebounding, I found Angie Fitness TV. Her teaching and energy are good for me and she has lots of rebounding videos.

Angie is in physical therapy so I trust what she is doing. This is Angie’s 22 Minute beginners rebounding exercise if you want to check her out.

Rebounding gives you a chance to incorporate strength training or weight lifting.

You also get endurance which increases your heart rate. Walking, swimming and dancing are good examples of endurance exercises.

And finally, there are flexibility exercises. One of my favorites is doing balance exercises on the rebounder.

Rebounding: Benefits of Physical Exercise 

Your muscular, cardiovascular, lymphatic, circulatory, immune, digestive and skeletal system benefit from rebounding.

This exercise utilizes and distributes gravitational energy to your entire body better than anything else according to some experts.

Rebounding is excellent for the lymphatic system.

I practice Legs Up the Wall Pose yoga pose (or Viparita Karani) for 5 minutes after rebounding. It helps me to ground myself.  Even though it’s a passive yoga pose, its benefits are pretty amazing.

Below are 10 health benefits of rebounding to get you to try:

  1. Increase white blood cells
  2. Stimulate lymphatic system
  3. Detoxify
  4. Boost energy
  5. Improve digestion
  6. Improve varicose veins
  7. Weight loss
  8. Prevent cancer
  9. Build bone mass
  10. Reduce cellulite

I hope you get inspired to try rebounding.

Conclusion

Why is exercise good for you? I hope this post answered that question.

How does my pendulum help me with exercise? I go through a list of rebounding exercises I keep in My Favorites.

My pendulum moves to Yes (back and forth) or No (sideways) when going down a list of exercises. The Yes gets my attention.

Next time you are exercising or enjoying any physical activity, ask yourself: How do I feel? I bet I know the answer!

If you know someone who would benefit from reading “Why is exercise good for you” make sure you send them this post.

Thank you for taking the time to read Be Aware Choose Practice (BeACP) blog.

Hopefully, you learned something that you choose to put into practice.

If you like this post, you may also want to check out Eating Healthy Everyday Foods and Tips to Try.