Exercise Helps you Live Longer

Exercise Helps you Live Longer

There are a number of reasons to exercise regularly. However, the best one could just be the fact that exercise helps you live longer. It’s true! A study published in PLoS Medicine found that 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week can add an extra 3.4 years to your life. Even 75 minutes of exercise a week can extend your life by 1.8 years. That’s just over 10 minutes each day!

There are a number of ways that regular exercise leads to a longer, healthier life.

Exercise Reduces your Risk of Heart Disease

When it’s exercised, your heart is able to pump blood through your body more effectively and operate with less strain. This helps it stay healthy for longer. In addition, exercising regularly helps keep your arteries flexible, which helps control your blood pressure.

Exercise Helps Control Weight

Exercising regularly is an important part of maintaining a healthy body weight. Those who carry excess belly fat, in particular, are more likely to develop heart disease and diabetes. Exercising regularly, along with eating a healthy diet, can help you lose weight and keep it off.

Exercise May Help Fight Cancer

Studies show that exercising regularly could help reduce your risk of cancer. A study published in the journal “Cell Metabolism” found that mice with cancer were able to shrink tumors more effectively if those mice spent their free time running. Other studies show that exercise can reduce your overall risk of cancer and lower your odds of getting cancer.

Exercise Boosts Your Mood

When you exercise regularly, you feel better physically and emotionally. These positive feelings improve every aspect of your life. In fact, studies have shown that those with a more positive outlook on life may actually live longer. Those who are happier tend to have lower levels of stress, lower heart rates and a better immune response, which reduces their likelihood of getting sick and the duration of the sickness.

As you can see, there are a number of real benefits to exercising regularly. Not only will you look and feel better, but you can also add years to your life!

If you don’t currently get enough regular exercise, start small. As shown above, even 10 minutes of exercise a day can be beneficial and some exercise is certainly better than none at all.