As we get older, staying fit and healthy becomes increasingly difficult. With all the responsibilities that you have around your home and family, dealing with your physical health might be the last thing on your mind.
However, physical health can affect just about every aspect of your life. Improving it will only bolster everything else that you do. This is especially true for women of a certain age, where hormones and aging normally take a heavy toll on the body. Proper fitness can offset these changes and understanding how it works is an important first step.
1. It provides a boost in physical strength
One of the most abrupt and common signs of aging is loss of strength. At some point, you’re just not as strong as you used to be. This can make a lot of everyday activities a lot harder than they should be. There’s nothing more demoralizing than the realization that you can’t move a chair around your own home. However, the physical risks of lacking strength are also apparent.
A lack of strength can even prove to be dangerous in certain situations. A lot of the muscles in our body act as a support for our frame, bones, and joints. When they are too weak to do their job, these elements will suffer and deteriorate. A lack of leg muscle strength very quickly leads to knee problems, even among younger demographics.
Back muscles are especially important for things like posture and proper lifting form. With age, back injuries and chronic problems aren’t uncommon in women that do not exercise these muscles.
2. It helps maintain bone density
Our bones get weaker as we get older. It’s a fact of life and there’s no getting around it. Around age thirty, a woman’s bones have reached the absolute peak of their density and mass, assuming they’ve been physically active to this point. After hitting forty, the bones slowly start to deteriorate and eventually they start losing their shape and strength.
However, there’s no reason to let your bones go without a fight. One of the key aspects of bone tissue is that it’s constantly reinforcing itself. This reinforcement is accelerated and improved when accompanied by physical activity. The more consistent and gradual pressure you apply to bones, the stronger they get. This is why those who are physically active can go through life without worrying about their bones fracturing often.
Women are especially vulnerable at a certain age. Once menopause hits, the disbalance of hormones leads to a disproportionate loss of bone density and that can easily cause fractured and misshapen bones. Offsetting this with exercise is crucial if you want to avoid significant injuries.
3. It influences mental health
Physical and mental health are two sides of the same coin. They are both influenced by a variety of factors, but more importantly, they are influenced by each other. You can’t have a discussion on mental health without also mentioning physical health.
Exercising and maintaining physical health has been shown to significantly improve mental health and fortitude in women of all ages. You might be wondering how this happens. To start with, giving yourself something that keeps you busy is vital for keeping a clear head. If you are able to achieve a consistent focus during your workout, you are effectively training your mind, as it is very much involved in these activities.
Exercise can give you a sense of pride and purpose. Working out releases various endorphins which reduce pain and make you feel good about yourself and what you’ve achieved with your body. Its part of the reason exercising can become addictive. You start to enjoy the health and feel-good benefits of working out and repeat it indefinitely.
4. It improves the overall health
Regular exercise is hailed as one of the most important changes you can introduce into your daily routine in order to improve your health. This is why nearly every piece of advice you might get from a doctor will also be accompanied by a mention of physical activity. The hype isn’t unjustified, either, considering the multitude of benefits that you gain from exercising.
Most notably, cardio exercise does wonder for improving cardiovascular health. Combined with fresh air, exercises like bike riding can greatly benefit heart and lung health. In fact, doctors often stress the importance of doing these kinds of exercises in an outdoor environment. This is why so many people turn to retailers like Bikes Online to find bicycles to ride instead of spending time in a stuffy gym.
Unsurprisingly, the increased blood flow that exercise provides also affects skin health, reducing symptoms of dry skin and cellulite. This happens because muscles have a crucial role in blood circulation. When they contract, they also cause the contraction of various blood vessels around them, keeping them active.
5. It reduces memory retention problems
Speaking of blood flow to critical areas of the body, the brain is one part of your body that has an extreme reliance on proper blood flow. It’s no exception when it comes to the health benefits of exercising. The human brain depends on a constant flow of oxygen and sugar, which is supplied by the carotid arteries. However, the blood flow isn’t always equal in intensity, and variations can lead to physiological changes. Exercising can significantly increase the speed at which blood courses through the brain, keeping nerve centers well-supplied and more active in critical moments, such as memory retention.
Memory loss is a well-known consequence of getting older. Slowing it down this form of mental deterioration is crucial for those who want to live a more comfortable and fulfilling life. Working out has been linked to better memory retention, meaning that fitness keeps your mind just as strong as your body.
Conclusion
Exercise has proven itself to be the best anti-aging method. All of the negative consequences of aging are slowed when you incorporate regular exercise into your day-to-day life. As long as you keep your body healthy, it’s going to return the favor and make everything in your life easier.
