7 Surprising Benefits of Staying Fit as You Age

7 Surprising Benefits of Staying Fit as You Age

As aging takes over our bodies, despite all reasonable efforts, gravity seems to take its toll, even with the best of efforts. Exercising as we age makes a huge difference as you will see below.

Hold on to Your Memories

Having a regular exercise routine helps deliver oxygen to your muscles and get rid of the waste from your organs and muscles. There is one area especially that benefits more than anywhere else, and that is your brain. If you can keep a good flow of blood to your brain, the body will remove the harmful waste products. Those harmful waste products can delay your memory; the brain’s processing, and the ability to solve problems that will ultimately lead to dementia.

Stronger Bone Health

If you can focus on muscle-strengthening exercises and weight training (this will require the bones to do more work), it will reduce the worrisome risk of osteopenia and osteoporosis. When the muscles are faced with higher demand, our bones will respond. They will work to create and build up more bone.

Staying on Your Feet

Falling can be one of the most negative, harmful accidents to incur as we get older. Other complications of a fall are head trauma, fractures, and loss of function or mobility can all be caused by a tragic fall. You should engage in more flexibility exercises and balance-centric as you increase in age like Pilates or yoga.

Finding Balance

Exercising helps to improve your strength, your posture, your flexibility and therefore, in turn, will help you with coordination, balance, and will reduce the risk of falls. Strength training will also help reduce the symptoms of chronic conditions like arthritis. There are four phases of degeneration that will progress as we get older and exercise is one of the major interventions to slow the process down.

Fitness Isn’t Just Weight

Exercising is a significant benefit for seniors as it releases endorphins into your brain and in turn, reduces depression. The result is mood elevation. As we grow older, it is standard to encounter some form of depression because of changing schedules or after retiring feeling like you have lost your purpose in life. If you exercise, your body will release natural chemicals and lighten your mood while giving you a sense of happiness.

Improved Skin Healing

If it is your driving force to get in shape, because of vanity, then let’s add glowing skin to your list of benefits. Exercise increases blood flow to your skin. Studies show that exercise will improve your acne by controlling the production of the testosterone hormones that are acne-inducing like DHT and DHEA. The sweating you will do while exercising will help clear up your breakouts and unclog pores – ultimately detoxify the dirt and oils of your skin. With all the improved blood flow your skin will become more supple and become quicker to heal if it should encounter any injury.

Holding onto Your Muscles

As we grow older, our bodies do not build muscle as efficiently, and the muscle we have will break down quicker if we do not exercise. It makes regular exercise that much more important for healthy aging. Exercise will not just help us maintain muscle mass; it can increase it. It will keep your metabolism high, give you endurance and strength so you can complete the tasks you must complete in your everyday life. It will help you prevent falls too.