Sports and exercise are long known to benefit our physcial and mental health. Both of which will be needed in the coming months as we tackle this uncertain time with COVID-19 epidemic that is sweeping the country currently and the ramifications that go with. So, what are the benefits? We will go through some of the main points here in this blog post.
1. Fitness:
Depending on how high your current fitness level is you could see huge increases in basic fitness from excerising even just 2-3 times weekly. Red blood cell count will increase in the blood increasing oxygen and thus energy levels in the body. Body fat percentage will also reduce with increased exercise. Flexibility and range of movement will also be drastically improved.
2. Cardivascular Health:
Exercise is scientifically proven to increase circulation in the body. It also helps to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol issues over time. Decreasing the likelihood of heart disease and stroke later in life.
3. Endorphins:
When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain. Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of morphine. These post excercise endophins increse the feeling of wellbeing in the body helping to improve mental health.
4. Immune System:
Physical activity may help flush bacteria out of the lungs and airways. This may reduce your chance of getting a cold, flu, or other illness. Exercise causes change in antibodies and white blood cells (WBC). WBCs are the body's immune system cells that fight disease. These antibodies or WBCs circulate more rapidly, so they could detect illnesses earlier than they might have before. The brief rise in body temperature during and right after exercise may prevent bacteria from growing. This temperature rise may help the body fight infection better, similar to what happens when you have a fever. Exercise slows down the release of stress hormones. Some stress increases the chance of illness. Lower stress hormones may protect against illness.