Reap the Benefits of Physical Fitness

When it comes to your health, exercise is one of the best things you can do for yourself.

The two main categories of exercise are aerobic and anaerobic. Aerobic exercise is cardio-based, and includes everything from walking and jogging to stairs, ellipticals, long-distance running, and even playing sports. Anaerobic exercise, then, is in the form of strength training.

The health benefits that physical exercise provides our bodies and minds are many. When combined with a healthy diet, your fitness levels and overall physical health will undergo many positive changes. You’ll be able to fight off illness better, improve your mental health, and reduce your stress levels.

Exercise develops muscle, supports fat loss, and makes daily tasks easier

When you develop lean muscle you not only get stronger, but it will help burn excess fat too. Strength training with free weights or machines ignites the process of burning more calories than usual, even while resting, for hours after your workout. Over time, the more muscle you develop, the more calories you will burn.

Increased strength and lean muscle will help improve your balance, core strength, and ability to do everyday things better and easier. Strong muscles support ordinary tasks like doing housework, lifting heavy boxes, or reaching for things high on shelves and makes them much easier to handle.

Physical activity helps your mental health

Physical exercise releases endorphins and reduces stress levels. Aerobic exercises like walking, jogging, or biking are great “clear your mind” activities, but when you incorporate weight training, you’ll be giving yourself the full-rounded workout your entire body needs. This means that you’ll see and feel the positive results not only to your body, but to your mind as well.

Take charge of your diet from the ground up!

A healthy diet is important whether you exercise or not, but when combined with regular physical activity, eating well becomes an even bigger consideration. Eating a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables along with other foods high in protein are vital building blocks to maintaining your physical health. Your body needs proper vitamins and nutrients daily, especially before and after exercise. A great way to jumpstart a healthy diet like this is with the From the Ground UP project, which provides resources and tips for healthful local produce, meats, eggs and more.

For more information on ways to improve your physical fitness, visit www.bchealthdepartment.org, or call us at 815-872-5091.

Bureau, Putnam & Marshall County Health Departments

526 Bureau Valley Parkway

Princeton, IL 61356