Beyond Losing Weight: Why Everyone Should Exercise

Fitness Beyond Losing Weight
15 Dec

Last Updated on October 3, 2024 by Michael Brockbank

A common theme among many is how to lose weight without exercising. Whether this is because a lack of time, effort or drive, it just appears too many people are looking for the quickest way to slim. In reality, exercising does a lot for the body and goes beyond losing weight.

Defining Exercise

When some people hear the term, “exercise,” they often cringe. It’s an activity that many attribute to something like house chores. You don’t want to do it, but occasionally it doesn’t hurt to clean house.

What a lot of these people don’t put into consideration is “exercise” can mean a variety of different things. However, they all have one very specific goal: to keep the body active.

Exercise doesn’t have to be centered around how many push-ups you can do or how long you attend an aerobics class at the gym. In fact, a lot of the things you do on a regular basis are considered exercise.

For example, do you walk your dog around the block in the morning? How often do you clean your house? When you go to the grocery store, do you walk or ride a cart? Physical activity is all around you in many forms.

The trick to losing weight faster is keeping yourself moving in any way. The more often you move, the more calories you burn.

Taking the Body Beyond Losing Weight

So, why should people put more effort into exercising? Because it has potential to enhance your life in a vast number of ways. Fitness goes beyond losing weight as it promotes health and well-being both physically and mentally.

Enhancing Physical Strength

Dwayne JohnsonYou don’t have to be built like “The Rock” to benefit from a stronger body. Physical activity helps define and build muscles you use on a daily basis. This means you’re able to move objects much easier than you would before.

For instance, I impressed myself when I tossed a 50 pound bag of dog food into the shopping cart without realizing its weight. This was after I started using just 10 pound dumbbells for curls and military press workouts.

Another case of strength for myself is when I removed a wine bottle cork without using leverage. I simply inserted the corkscrew and pulled it right out of the bottle without much effort. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but the people I was with were semi-impressed.

Exercise goes beyond losing weight as it improves the way you handle daily activities. Carrying the groceries, lifting cat litter, changing a spare tire and more all center around your physical aptitude.

Improving You Mood and Mentality

Brain PowerA lot of research demonstrates how exercising benefits your mood. You’ve probably heard of the term, “runner’s high.” This is, in fact, a condition many people get after extremely intense workouts. It’s not just for those who run 20 mile marathons.

Studies suggest exercising causes the body to release hormones and other elements responsible for improving your mood. For example, endorphin is a common component the mind releases to alleviate pain and stress. Think of it like a “happy little hormone.”

The positive way exercise impacts the mind is one of the reasons why many therapists will prescribe a regular workout routine for depression and anxiety. It’s a way to trigger the release of these hormones.

Studies also suggest how regular intense workouts can also improve overall brain power. Things such as memory, rational thought and other cognitive abilities all benefit from exercise.

Better Adaptation to Emergencies

Zombie ApocalypseIf a wave of zombies were to attack your city right now, could you run from it? I know it’s unlikely you’ll face a zombie horde, but other natural disasters are quite common in today’s world. Wild fires, tornadoes, earthquakes and hurricanes constantly ravage the planet.

Being physically able to escape a disaster is only part of how exercise goes beyond losing weight. A strong body is also more resilient. This means you can absorb more damage while being able to heal at a much faster rate. You’ll also be less likely to get sick, which is beneficial when medical facilities are not readily accessible.

I suppose the counter-argument to fitness and disasters would involve adrenaline. Yes, this hormone can do much for boosting your physical attributes. But at some point, the “rush” will be over. This means you’ll definitely feel everything your body went through during that specific amount of time.

Improving Sleep Quality

Sleeping at WorkAccording to a sleep study, about 2.5 hours of moderate to vigorous exercise each week improves sleep quality by 65%. For those who don’t get much sleep as it is, such as myself, this is quite beneficial.

Personally, I look forward to putting this study to the test with my own. Thanks to my Fitbit, I can monitor my own levels of sleep throughout the night.

The quality of sleep you get plays a massive role in your overall health. Sleep contributes to everything from stress levels to the ability to think straight. In fact, some cities have laws against driving while “too tired” and will give you a ticket similar to that of a DUI. This is because you suffer similar impairing affects from a lack of sleep as you do from alcohol.

Improving Self-Confidence

Better HealthNow, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying overweight people don’t have confidence. On the contrary, I know a lot of obese people who are happy with themselves. What I’m talking about with improving self-confidence is the swell of pride you get for accomplishing a healthy goal.

Not only does exercise boost your mood, which will impact your confidence, but it also gives you something to work on. Here’s an example: I geeked out pretty hard when I broke my personal push-up record by 14 reps. It gave me a new sense of self-worth as I was able to accomplish my goal through hard work and determination.

Exercising goes beyond losing weight by giving you a goal that you have complete control over. For instance, no one can stop me from doing the occasional set of push-ups in my office. I can walk as often as I want. And I also choose whether to be more physical or not.

Achieving a higher level of health and fitness is more about survival than whether you’ll attract that cute bartender over the weekend. There’s more at stake, such as preventing diabetes or staving off Alzheimer’s disease.

Benefiting the Gamer

ARX DashboardLove to play online video games? Yes, fitness can help your performance in the realm of eSports as well. The foods you eat, physical activity and more all play a role in honing your ability to out-think your opponents. While something like an energy drink may give you a quick boost, it doesn’t support the same level of energy as eating well and toning your body.

Remember, exercise improves brain functionality…which is the primary organ in playing games. Whether you sit in the park and play chess or grind it out in League of Legends on your computer, the brain requires balance to properly operate.

This isn’t to mention how quality of sleep, emotional status and physical endurance benefits the online gamer.

Get More Out of Life

Health and fitness should be viewed more as a way to enhance your lifestyle, not hinder it. Keep your mind open to things that make exercise less boring, such as playing the Xbox Kinect. You’ll find many parts of your life are easier to manage when you start to feel healthier.

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