In the United States alone, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates 75% of men and 60% of women are overweight; 32.2% of those men and 35.5% of the women in that group are classified as obese. The surprising part is many of these people are malnourished even though they are overweight! This happens because they eat too much fast and processed foods that are high in saturated fat, sodium and calories, but lacking in the minerals and nutrients necessary for good health.
Just being overweight (let alone obese) increases one’s risk of developing several health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, certain types of cancers, sleep apnea, and in the end, a shorter life.
The good news is losing just 10 to 20 pounds greatly reduces the risk of developing these health problems. In this report, we look at 10 of the top health benefits derived from improving your fitness level.
1 – Quality of Life
This is number one. Just losing weight alone will improve your quality of life… especially if obese. Losing weight in theory is easy; just burn more calories per day than you take in. In reality though it can be a little different because of other factors at play, like age, gender, hormones, etc.
One thing to stay away from when trying to lose weight are diet pills or diets that severely restrict certain foods. Instead, focus on eating healthy and nourishing food coupled with a sensible exercise program.
2 – Reduced Stress on Muscles and Bones
For every 1 pound of overweight, 5 additional pounds of stress are put on the lower body joints – in particular the hips, knees and ankles. It is easy to see why losing just 20 pounds would be good for muscles and joints as this takes off up to 100 pounds of stress on these joints.
And because there is less stress on the joints, there is less pain meaning an increase in the quality of life. Also, improving fitness helps build bone density which can stave off osteoporosis later in life.
3 – Increased Energy
One would think that exercising would make a person tired, but it actually has the opposite effect. The main reason is the body’s response to the increase of energy expenditure. When we start exercising, the energy expended outpaces the amount available. So the body responds by producing more energy through producers in the cells called mitochondria. This then allows them to produce more energy to keep up with the demands.
And exercising boosts energy in part by making one feel better through the release of endorphins. With an uplifted mood, one naturally has more energy. This is especially encouraging for those people that suffer from diagnosed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or ones who are tired all the time. The tough part is first getting started on a fitness program and then staying with it.
4 – Lowered Risk of Diabetes
The primary cause of many chronic diseases is the lack of physical activity. One example is diabetes. Regular physical activity has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity. When we eat, there is an increase of sugar in the blood. The pancreas is supposed to sense this and release insulin to take sugar out of the blood and get it to the cells where is can be used for energy.
With a decrease in sensitivity, the pancreas doesn’t recognize the increase in blood sugar. This can cause a toxic level of blood sugar which can over time causes other health problems associated with diabetes, such as blindness, neuropathy, lower extremity amputation and even death.
5 – Lowered Risk of Heart Disease
Increasing one’s fitness level is the best way to lower the risk of having a “cardiovascular event” such as a heart attack. From high blood pressure (hypertension) to atherosclerosis (clogged arteries), to arrhythmia (abnormal heart rate) to heart valve problems and even heart failure (the heart doesn’t pump enough blood), all can be attributed to a lack of fitness over time in many people. But by making the heart work harder through physical activity, many of these heart-related conditions can be avoided.
6 – Increased Self-esteem
Increasing one’s fitness level not only has physical effects, but mental ones too. By losing weight and toning muscle mass, the view of one’s self increases. As self-confidence soars, so does the infectious feeling of pride and sense of accomplishment. This leads to even more of a desire to keep improving one’s fitness level through exercise, nutrition and weight management.
7 – Boost in Cognitive Capability
One of the biggest benefits of improving one’s fitness level is the increase of blood flow. When you make the heart work harder, it responds by becoming stronger so that it can handle the additional workload placed upon it. This in turn results in more blood flowing to all parts of the body including the head and in particular, the brain.
An increase of blood means more oxygen is getting to the brain which results in more clarity and functionality. This is because oxygen is the main catalyst needed for many of the processes in the brain. The better these processes happen, the more responsive the brain becomes.
Also improving one’s fitness level through exercising improves brain function by the release of serotonin which also help improve the brain’s function.
8 – Improved Sleep
As mentioned earlier, overweight and obesity are the major causes of sleep apnea. With this condition, sleep quality is greatly reduced by the interruption of breathing during the night. So improving one’s fitness level reduces the level of sleep apnea and can even cure it.
But in addition, exercising helps you relax and sleep better. In one study, 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise showed a sleep improvement of 65%. Another study showed that exercising helped people with insomnia sleep better and longer.
9 – Strengthens the Immune System
While scientists aren’t sure how this works, one theory is that exercising flushes bacteria from the lungs, thus reducing the chances of contracting a cold or the flu or other airborne illness. While exercising, you must breath harder thus moving more air in and out of your lungs than when breathing normally.
Another theory suggest that cancer-causing cells are excreted out of the body better through sweating and more urination.
Still another theory is that the increase of blood flow may get antibodies and the white blood cells through the body faster where they can detect and fight off illnesses faster than when not exercising.
However, one thing scientists know for sure is that exercising reduces the release of stress-related hormones that can reduce immunity and cause illness or disease.
While scientists are still working on figuring out the exercise-immunity boosting relationship, they are sure of one thing – it works.
10 – Improved Sex Life
Multiple study results have all shown that exercising boosts the sex drive in both genders. This happens in a couple of different ways. First, by losing weight and getting fit, one has more energy, stamina and flexibility so they can enjoy sex more than before. This increase in enjoyment leads to an increase of desire to have sex more frequently.
The second way is by improving blood flow. As mentioned earlier, improved fitness helps increase blood flow – to all parts of the body including the sex organs. Often times, just increasing blood flow helps correct erectile dysfunction experienced by many men.
For women suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome, an increase in exercising can improve their sex drive. For all women, getting toned and fit increases their confidence and self-esteem, which increases their sexual appeal to men. And the same thing happens to men; they become more desirable to women when they are at the correct weight and in shape.
How to Improve Fitness
Improving one’s fitness level comes down to eating a healthy diet and exercising. As mentioned before, one must burn more calories that taken in to lose weight. As a matter-of-fact a deficit of 3,500 calories per week on average results in a decrease of one pound of weight. Do the math and you’ll see it breaks down into a daily deficit of 500 calories per day.
But there are a couple of ways to get the daily deficit. One is to reduce the number of calories taken in by 500. The second is to keep the calories the same but increase the number of calories burned by an additional 500 calories. Both methods work, but the best way by far is to do a combination of both: reduce calories taken in by 250 and increase the calories burned by 250.
Reduce Calories Taken In
It is relatively easy to reduce the number of calories taken in each day by 250, but to do that, you must know how many calories are being consumed in the first place. So knowing how many calories you are ingesting in the first place is necessary so you have a baseline to start from.
First, focus on cutting out fast and processed foods. They are loaded with empty calories. Next, increase the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables you eat as many of these are low in calories, but due to the fiber keep you feeling fuller longer, thus reducing your desire to snack on unhealthy foods. Supplement with lean protein, fish, nuts and whole grains.
Increase Calories Burned
While still on the topic of meals, one way to increase the number of calories burned is to break your meals down into five smaller meals instead of three big ones. This will help speed up your metabolism, so it burns more calories by always having food available to burn.
The second way is to exercise. However, most people think the only way to increase the number of calories burned through exercising is to exercise more. Intensity, or the level at which you exercise, also affects the number of calories burn. So, you can either exercise longer at your normal intensity or increase the intensity and go for the same amount of time.
As shown in this report, fitness can truly be used as a medicine, but without the undesirable side effects of most medicines. Improve your fitness level by starting slow and working up as you become more fit by getting stronger and leaner. Regardless of your current fitness level, it is never too late to start improving your fitness level.
