Consider These Benefits of Exercise

Exercise has a positive impact on nearly every system in your body. It’s recommended that you get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week. You gain even more benefits for exercising 300 minutes a week. 

If you’re looking to get active, consider an individualized exercise plan. Our team of medical professionals at Nova Physician Wellness Center offer customized exercise programs. Whether your goal is to build lean muscle, lose weight, or build strength, exercise can help you reach your wellness goals. 

We’ve pulled together a list of the many benefits of exercise. 

Shrinks fat cells and promotes healthy weight maintenance

Your body uses both carbohydrates and fats as sources of fuel. Regular exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, improves how well your body uses energy and burns fat for fuel. 

When you make exercise a habit, your cardiovascular system gets stronger and more efficiently delivers oxygen, which your body uses to break down fat. This shrinks your fat cells and helps you to maintain a healthy weight. 

Boosts brain power

Getting regular exercise is linked to many brain health benefits. Exercise not only boosts memory, it also protects against cognitive decline as you age. 

Scientists haven’t pinned down exactly how exercise helps keep your brain strong as you get older, but it is known that exercise improves blood flow to the brain. This may play a role in how exercise protects brain cells from age-related breakdown. 

Improves mood and mental well-being

Whether you choose to walk, cycle, or go swimming, many types of exercise boost mood and overall feelings of well-being. Exercise promotes the release of several brain chemicals involved in mood, including serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins. Getting enough exercise on most days reduces the risk of mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. 

If you’re dealing with a low mood, adding regular exercise to your lifestyle can ease symptoms and help you feel better. 

Slows the aging process

Scientists have yet to find a fountain of youth, but there are habits you can adopt that slow the aging of your cells, and exercise is one of them. As you age, protective caps of DNA at the end of your chromosomes -- called telomeres -- get shorter. As they wear down, they can no longer protect the cell. The length of your telomeres is a biomarker for aging. 

Exercise has been shown to slow how quickly your telomeres shorten as you age. This means that getting regular exercise slows aging at the cellular level. 

Improves skin’s appearance

Exercise boosts blood flow to the skin, delivering oxygen and nutrients that help your skin look healthy and bright. Good blood flow helps the skin repair itself and replace worn out cells with new, healthy cells. It also helps the skin heal from sun damage. 

By getting enough exercise, you’re helping to keep your skin looking great. 

Relieves stress and helps you feel more relaxed

Exercise reduces levels of stress hormones, including cortisol and adrenaline. Stress hormones help your body cope with brief, temporary stressors. However, the hectic nature of today’s lifestyle often causes prolonged elevations in stress hormones, which has a negative impact on your health. 

By engaging in regular stress-busting exercises like yoga and tai chi, you can combat everyday stress so that you feel better and more at ease. 

Take advantage of an individualized exercise program

When you’re ready to transform the way you feel and function through an individualized fitness plan, we can help. To get started, contact Nova Physician Wellness Center to schedule a consultation with Dr. Suri, Dr Chaudhary, or one of our nurse practitioners. 

If you live in or around our Virginia offices in Fairfax, Ashburn, and Vienna, call us or book your visit online.