19 Surprising Benefits of Regular Exercise You May Not Know About

Everyone knows about the normal benefits of regular exercise–you get into shape, build muscle tone, and lose unnecessary fat. But what about the surprising, maybe unexpected, benefits of working out? Here are 19 benefits you never heard of before to get you extra motivated for new workout routines.

Improved Sleep

Exercise is scientifically proven to aid your circadian rhythm–the body’s natural sleep and wake cycle. In doing so, once you exercise and raise your heart rate, your body can see it’s hitting its peak fitness levels and knows it will need to take time to heal and recoup. Studies have shown that the average person who exercises regularly gets an average of 15 more minutes of deep sleep than those who do not.

Boosts Brain Power

As you exercise, your heart gets pumping, and your blood flow increases. This isn’t only beneficial for your muscles but your brain, too! As this flow increases, it feeds the brain more rapidly, giving it even more beneficial nutrients. This is why a healthy diet, along with exercise, is so vital.

Reduce Anxiety and Depression

When you do a home workout or hit the gym, your body releases endorphins or the ‘feel-good’ hormones as you exercise. This boosts your mood and gives you a feeling of happiness–even if the workout was more challenging than you thought.

Improves Skin

Watch out expensive skin care regimen! Did you know that working out has surprising benefits for your skin? Regular exercise can lead to increased collagen production, giving a more youthful bounce. Because of your heightened circulation, this tends to help the skin by reducing inflammation and blemishes for a flawless look.

Sharper Memory

One of the surprising benefits of regular exercise is how it can assist in improving your memory. It has been proven that walking and doing short aerobic exercises can greatly enhance memory performance.

Increase Energy Levels

Are you tired of feeling tired? Regular exercise can lead to increased energy levels, which means you can finally get over that afternoon slump. Exercising sends oxygen to your muscles and tissues, which helps your entire cardiovascular system work more efficiently. It is better than that extra espresso shot–cheaper too.

Reduce Pain

Wait, doesn’t working out cause sore muscles? With intensive workouts, this can happen, but it is because you are strengthening the muscles. While doing this, your body is better equipped to protect your joints and skeletal system. After building up some extra muscle, those aches and pains can sometimes disappear completely.

Improve Immune System

This surprising benefit of regular exercise is one many people can benefit from. Daily exercise can significantly boost your immune system. This doesn’t mean running until you are exhausted. Rather, short cardio exercises paired with a healthy diet keep more white cells flowing to fight off any pesky bug.

Prevent Diseases

Regular exercising habits are proven to cut your risk of stroke, heart attack, type 2 diabetes, and even certain cancers. By keeping your weight and muscle tone at healthy levels, your body will be able to function optimally and keep these harmful diseases at bay.

Increased Lifespan

Did you know one of the benefits of regular exercise is an increased life expectancy? It’s true! Getting in a workout daily can expand your life from anywhere to 30 to 35 percent. This is because staying at a healthy weight and keeping your body in motion reduces your risk of heart disease, stroke, and even certain cancers.

Improves Circulation

Improved circulation is more than what it sounds like. All your organs benefit from better circulation–your brain, skin, and heart. This is why working out can give you a glow–no, it’s not just the sweat. Better circulation even helps prevent things like high blood pressure and glucose issues. This way, you can look and feel your best.

Improves Posture

Nothing radiates confidence like a beautiful posture. In our techy world, where most of our days are spent working on a computer, or the same goes if you have a more labor-intensive job, our postures can go by the wayside. By doing regular exercise, you benefit from strengthing muscles that can lead to a better posture, relieving you from any pain in the future.

Gives You Balance (Mental and Physical)

We touched on before how exercise can give you a fantastic mood boost. But it can also make you feel a sense of balance in your daily life. Not to mention it helps with actual physical balance. You’ll greatly benefit mentally from regular exercise as it gives you a schedule to follow, a release of serotonin, and a more confident, happy you.

Helps Control Addictions

We all have bad habits, some worse than others, but nonetheless, habits we would like to break. Exercise can ease you back into a healthier lifestyle. It can also bring a sense of accomplishment and a serotonin boost that commonly comes with your habit of choice.

Builds Confidence

We know this is a benefit of regular exercise, but what can this really do? Feeling more confident in your daily life will open up more opportunities that may not have come your way if you were feeling differently. Meeting up with new friends, going for that promotion, or even just the way you hold yourself, knowing you’re being the best you can be.

Anti-Aging Effects

Aging is a normal process in our lives, and no one should desire to stop the aging process completely. However, regular exercise can help you on a cellular level. This is because your cells have a chance to adjust or make changes instead of fighting off another sickness due to a lack of exercise or physical activity.

Improves Concentration

All physical activity causes blood to flow quickly to the brain. This leads to amplified cell growth, particularly in the hippocampus the ‘learning’ part of your brain. With just 20 minutes of exercise, you can take in more information and feel a stronger sense of concentration.

Increase Daily Activity

With regular exercise, you’ll notice you can start doing more and more throughout the day than you remember doing before. Calling all moms! You may need this life hack. Exercise boosts mood, makes your sleep better, and, in turn, gives you an energy boost like no other. So skip the Red Bull and get in some cardio instead!

Improves Overall Quality of Life

What are the best benefits of regular exercise? All the above. Finding time to get in some physical activity in your day is beneficial in all aspects of your life. I know times may seem crazy, and you cannot imagine adding anything else to that ever-growing to-do list, but trust me, even a 15-minute YouTube workout will improve your mood and health if you stick with it! You may even find yourself wanting that gym membership after all.