When it comes to getting into shape, people are generally motivated by one of two things. They either want to look better or they need better health. Regardless of the reason, getting physical is all about building a better, healthier you. The tough part about getting physical and getting in better shape is that you can’t really see the results right away. It takes some time.
Most people’s desire to get in shape will only give them two to three weeks of willpower. Often times this willpower runs out before they see any results, so they tend to quit. Visual results can take quite a few months to see, but what we don’t see happening is equally important. Those biological changes happening within our bodies that are awesome, but not apparent. This is why we need to understand the physical effects of exercise and what we can expect to get from our efforts.
So I found a great video on YouTube about the physical effects of exercise and snagged what I thought was important and provided it to you in this list of four key points:
1. Increased Energy, Metabolism, and Mitochondria
A few weeks after a cardio routine, you will start to have increased energy due to a rise in metabolism and mitochondria. Metabolism is the chemical reaction that turns food into energy. Since your metabolism increases, you quickly turn fuel into useful energy.
Mitochondria are the powerhouses of your cells. They turn carbohydrates, fat, and protein into the fuel your muscles need to do their job. People tend to think that exercise causes weight loss. But that’s not quite right. Exercise doesn’t cause weight loss. It causes muscle gain. And since muscles have mitochondria and mitochondria burn energy, there tends to be weight loss.
2. Mitochondria Can Increase Up to 50%
After six to eight weeks of exercise, we can increase our mitochondria up to 50%. With more mitochondria in our cells, we’ll be in better shape. That short jog, horsing around with the kids, and climbing those stairs will be much easier now. After a month or so, your muscles will grow and get stronger. You may not actually see a difference, but you can definitely feel the difference.
3. Your Heart is Strengthened
“You’ve got a big heart” doesn’t just apply to how much someone loves. It also applies to the actual size of a person’s heart. Consistent and regular exercise increases the size of your heart and strengthens it. This reduces the chance of a heart attack and helps keep your ticker ticking. This strengthening begins to happen after about six months of regularly working out. It is usually around this time where you will begin to see the visual effects of your exercise too!!!
4. Miscellaneous Effects
There are a handful of other miscellaneous effects that may not be so apparent but compounded with the other effects, make for a stronger, healthier you. Here’s a short list:
– increase of blood supply to the brain, which leads to better focus when performing activities;
– the development of new brain cells which will improve learning and memory;
– increased release of endorphins, the “feel-good hormones”, which combat any stress you’re experiencing; and
– improved sleep due to decreased anxiety and depression.
The Takeaway
There are tons of benefits to regular and consistent exercise. It’s true that you don’t typically see the visual effects of your efforts for quite a few months, but the biological effects of your consistent workouts is building a stronger, healthier you from the inside out. And once you’ve made exercise a habit, you’ll feel better about yourself, which will boost your confidence and sense of worth. You’ll not only be healthier, but happier too. And did I mention the money you could save? That’s right, being healthier can save you mucho dinero when it comes to medical costs.
So if you want all the benefits exercise can give you, then start today, and stick with it. You won’t see the results immediately, but if you stick with it, the biological results start immediately and the visual results are soon to follow. It only takes about three hours a week to make all this happen. Could you spare three hours a week to improve your health and happiness???
This post was inspired by Practical Wisdom – Interesting Ideas’ video located here: