The Benefits of Exercise

Exercise helps to improve your cardiovascular health by strengthening your heart and lungs. It also helps to reduce your risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. It is also an important part of reaching and maintaining a healthy weight.

Mental Benefits of Exercise

Exercise can help to improve your mental health by reducing stress and anxiety, improving your mood, and boosting your self-esteem. It can also help to improve your sleep quality and cognitive function.

How Much Exercise Do You Need?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity each week. You can also do a combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity. Determining your level of intensity can be done by using a scale of 1-10. Moderate activity would be rated as a perceived exertion of about 3-4 with a noticeable increase in heart rate and breathing. Vigorous intensity would be a 5-6 subjective rating of exertion and talking would be difficult.

Children and adolescents should get at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day.

How to Get Started with Exercise

If you're not used to exercising, start slowly and gradually increase the amount of time you spend exercising. If you have any health concerns, talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program.

There are many different types of exercise, so find something that you enjoy and that fits into your lifestyle. You can exercise at home, at the gym, or outdoors.

Tips for Sticking to an Exercise Routine

Here are a few tips for sticking to an exercise routine:

* Find a workout buddy or join a fitness class.
* Make exercise a part of your daily routine.
* Set realistic goals and track your progress.
* Reward yourself for reaching your goals.

Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. It can help you improve your physical and mental health, reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and help you live a longer, healthier life.