Our movement enthusiast, Hali, encourages everyone to get active for good reason!
Movement is medicine in a few ways: it enhances mood, supports your lymphatic system, builds healthy bones, increases libido, and improves brain health. Each of these reasons should motivate you to engage in some form of activity. Moving your body is much more than just losing weight or reducing stress. The list of health benefits is much more appealing. This means you’ll want to find ways to incorporate some type of movement into your day-to-day.
Let’s look at the facts:
Data shows that moving your body daily enhances your mood not only for healthy individuals but also those diagnosed with emotional disorders. Exercise has been known to reduce stress in one’s body, and even reduces the way you react to stressors in your life. You may hear that it combats anxiety and depression. Do you feel this to be true for you? Do you feel good after you go for a walk, or even simply lay on the floor and engage in stretches?
The Lymphatic System
All throughout our body we have lymph nodes. These are a part of the lymphatic system which is a part of the immune system. The lymphatic system is responsible for releasing toxins and bacteria from the body through the lymph fluid. Though the lymphatic system does not have its own way to circulate. Moving our muscles is actually what moves the lymph fluid throughout the body to release those toxins or bacteria out. How cool is this system? What appreciation we should have towards for our body’s ability to heal itself, if given the right tools. Chiropractic care, anyone?
Building Bone Mass
To be resilient in our physical body we should regularly involve ourselves in activities that push our body beyond its comfort level. This assists the body in producing bone mass. Which occurs when muscles push/pull against the bone. Research suggests that weight-bearing exercises are most effective for building bone mass. This doesn’t mean you need weight to do so, you can use gravity to increase the mass through repetition. In other words, repetition of muscle can build bone mass. As we grow, studies say that in order to avoid bone loss we can be active in our increased age, it prevents injury down the road.
Movement and Sex Drive
Another bonus to movement is an increased libido, a natural bi-factor to exercise. A study has shown how for women and men when engaging in regular weight-bearing and interval training their hormone levels around sexual function rise making them feel “in the mood”. For men, not only does getting the blood flowing improve sex drive, it’s also linked to psychosocial factors like mood, stress and confidence! And for women, regularly exercising brings arousal from increased hormone production and endorphins. Couples, go on that hike together!
The Takeaway
Improved brain health is what all of the above lead to. Feeling better physically will lead to improved mental health. The brain performs as the body does! Take care of one to take care of the other!
How are you staying active these days? Do you need some pointers on things to do at home as we near the colder season? You don’t have to spend hours in the gym each day to get what YOUR body needs. Everyone is different. Listen and react to what your body is telling you!
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