If you look back a few decades from now, physical activity, healthy eating, and social connections were the way of life. And that’s why, even though life expectancy was way less than what it is today, people lived a much happier and prosperous life.
As we discussed in this blog, with the recent developments in technology, a lot has changed in the past few decades. Not all those changes have been for the good.
The level of physical activity we do daily has drastically reduced and the food we consume has become unhealthier.
People have always known the importance of physical activity in our daily lives. Charles Darwin, who gave us the theory of evolution, used to go for three 45-minute walks every day.
The inventor of the theory of relativity, Elbert Einstein, used to walk his way to and from Princeton University, following Darwin’s footsteps, and considered walking as an integral part of his daily routine.
Our ancestors lived a life very different from our own. They embraced a way of life that kept them active, healthy, and intimately connected to the world around them.
When they needed to get around, they walked or rode bikes. Outdoor activities like swimming, running, or playing outdoor sports were common forms of entertainment on their days off.
Now we live in a world where sitting for long hours, screens, and stress has become our daily routine. Our bodies were not meant for this lifestyle.
All this led to a reduced quality of life which has exposed us to a variety of physical and mental health problems.
The importance of physical activity, healthy eating, and a healthy social life cannot be overstressed in the digital world we’re living in today.
Physical activity is not just for making you look good so that your clothes fit nicely, it’s about the amazing things that happen inside your body when you exercise.
Physical activity is one of the key ingredients to a longer and healthier life. It enables us to have good physical and mental health that allows us to do more, be more, and experience life to its fullest.
Welcome to our blog where we are going on a journey into what happens inside your body when you exercise and are physically active.
We’ll learn how physical activity improves your quality of life. Let’s start this journey and understand how ordinary actions can lead to extraordinary results.
Table of Contents
The Science Behind Physical Activity
Without getting into too much detail, let’s take a look at what happens inside the body when you do any form of physical activity.
Oxygen and Energy Supply
When you start doing any form of physical activity, your body recognizes the increase in demand for energy to power your muscles.
Your heart rate and breathing rate rise to meet this demand and you start taking deeper and faster breaths. This oxygen-rich air moves to your bloodstream and attaches to the red blood cells.
These cells then carry this oxygen to your muscles and provide them with the fuel they need to keep working.
But what happens at a cellular level is really interesting. Your muscle cells engage in a process called cellular respiration where oxygen and nutrients are converted into energy.
This energy is what makes those physical movements possible. It not only powers your workout but also fuels your everyday life.
This energy fuels your daily activities and enables you to maintain a healthy weight. The more you exercise, the better your body becomes at this energy-making process and you feel more vibrant in your day-to-day life.
Muscle Engagement and Heart Rate
As you exercise, your muscles are working hard, contracting and relaxing to power your every step, stretch, or lift. These muscular contractions are fueled by the energy we discussed in the paragraphs above.
The more intense the exercise, the more muscle fibers are recruited to meet the demand.
Meanwhile, your heart is also playing its part in all this. To deliver that oxygen-rich blood to your muscles, your heart rate increases.
This is because your heart is pumping more blood with each beat to ensure your muscles receive a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients.
This cardiovascular workout not only increases your stamina but also fortifies the most important muscle in your body—the heart itself. When you exercise regularly, you can lower your resting heart rate, a sign that your cardiovascular health is improving.
When your muscles contract and relax, they produce heat which increases your body temperature. The body then cools off by sweating but this increase in body temperature improves blood flow and circulation.
Regular exercising lowers the levels of bad cholesterol, reduces inflammation, regulates blood pressure, and improves overall health.
All these factors collectively reduce the risk of plaque buildup in your arteries that can potentially lead to blockages and eventually cause heart attack.
Hormonal Changes
Another important aspect of physical activity is its influence on your hormones. When you exercise, your body produces several hormones that play different roles in the body.
Exercise, Endorphins, and Cortisol: A Winning Combination
One of the hormones that the body releases when you exercise is “Endorphins”, which is also known as the “feel-good” hormone.
They are natural mood boosters that create a sense of euphoria and reduce pain perception. That’s why many people experience a post-workout high and an improved mood that makes them feel better equipped to take on the day.
Cortisol, on the other hand, is the ‘stress hormone’ that increases in the body during stressful situations. So, when you are stressed or feeling a little low, your cortisol levels are high.
But when you exercise, the cortisol levels drop significantly. Exercising acts as a natural stress buster, and when you do it consistently for a longer period of time, you are equipped to fight stress more effectively.
When you exercise regularly, you create a unique combination in your body where your endorphin levels are high and cortisol levels are low.
This improves your mood and makes you feel happier and relaxed. The reduced cortisol levels mean less stress and anxiety. It’s a winning combination!
Growth Hormone
One of the key hormones released in the body when you exercise is the growth hormone which is responsible for repair and growth in the body.
As you exercise, you put physical stress on the body and it recognizes the need for repair, growth, and recovery. As a result, it releases growth hormone in the bloodstream.
Growth hormone promotes muscle growth by increasing protein synthesis. It increases bone density which strengthens your bones. It repairs and regenerates tissues in the body.
There are a number of benefits of growth hormone in the body but in summary, it acts as your body’s repair and growth supervisor.
Insulin
The role of insulin in the body is to regulate the blood sugar levels. Insulin helps your cells to take up the glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream and use it to produce energy.
Exercising increases the level of insulin in the body so that it can meet the higher energy requirements by using up the glucose from the bloodstream.
It also helps in regulating blood sugar levels, so exercising is a very powerful tool in fighting diabetes where the body becomes insulin resistant. It increases the production of insulin as well as uses up glucose or sugar from the bloodstream.
Adrenaline
The other hormone that your body releases when you challenge yourself with more intense exercise is adrenaline, which is also known as the ‘fight or flight’ hormone.
This mighty hormone prepares your body for action by accelerating your heart rate, widening your airways, and directing blood flow toward your muscles which enables you to push your limits.
Hormones play a very important role in the body, and these hormonal changes during exercise not only make your workouts more enjoyable but also improve your overall health.
They improve your mood and your body’s ability to take on physical challenges.
The Benefits of Exercise on Physical Health
Let’s explore the different ways in which exercising can improve your physical health.
1. Stronger Heart and Cardiovascular Health
As we discussed in the previous section, when you exercise, your heart also exercises. Understand that your heart is also a muscle, so when you exercise regularly, you are also exercising your heart by making it work more.
And in the process, just like every other muscle in the body, it becomes bigger and stronger.
It becomes more efficient at pumping blood which means it doesn’t have to work as hard as it would normally. An efficient heart means a low risk of heart-related problems like heart attacks or strokes.
Regular exercising helps in clearing any blockages in your veins and arteries and also helps in regulating your blood pressure so that it doesn’t put any extra pressure on your heart and blood vessels.
2. Weight Management
Your body burns calories for energy and when you engage in any form of physical activity, it burns calories at a much faster rate to meet the higher energy requirements.
When the cells in your body break down the ATP molecules into ADP and inorganic phosphate, energy is produced in the process. The more intense you exercise, the more calories your body will burn to produce energy.
But let’s talk about something interesting, the “afterburn effect”. As you know when you exercise, your heart rate and breathing rate increase to provide your muscles with the oxygen they need.
This increased heart rate and oxygen consumption continue even after you’ve finished your workout.
Once your workout is finished, your body needs to restore the energy used during the workout, so it produces adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules that require oxygen, and this process increases your metabolic rate and burns extra calories.
Your body temperature rises while exercising and when you’re done, it needs to cool down and return to its normal temperature. This cooling process also burns additional calories.
Your muscles experience tears while exercising so your body spends energy to repair and rebuild those muscles.
The afterburn effect is a combination of all these factors where your body continues to burn calories hours after you’ve exercised.
The actual time depends on the intensity and duration of your workout but this process can last from several minutes to several hours in which your body continuously burns calories.
This plays a very important role in fat loss as your body uses stored fat as an energy source during the post-workout recovery period.
So if losing weight is one of the items on your to-do list, then exercising along with healthy eating is the best way to do so.
3. Stronger Bones
When you engage in any form of exercise, be it walking, jogging, hiking, dancing, or resistance training like lifting weights, your body works against gravity.
When you lift heavy weights, you put a lot of mechanical load on your bones that triggers a response in your bones. They adapt to this stress by increasing their density and strength.
The muscles in your body are connected to bones from both sides. When you contract these muscles during exercise, they pull the bones to which they are attached. This puts a lot of stress on your bones, which in turn stimulates bone growth.
Exercises that require you to jump or high-impact sports like basketball and running generate a force on your bones that encourages your body to produce new bone tissues, which results in denser and stronger bones.
Additionally, the absorption of calcium in the intestine increases which is an essential mineral for bone health and a major component of bone tissue. So when you absorb more calcium, your body has the raw materials it needs to build and repair bones.
Regular exercising also slows down the rate at which bone density decreases with age. Your bones naturally lose density as you grow older, and regular exercise can mitigate this loss and reduce the risk of fractures.
So, regular exercising results in stronger bones through a combination of all these factors.
4. Stronger Muscles
Everything from holding a coffee mug to lifting heavy weights requires your muscles to coordinate and work together. Your brain sends signals to your muscles to contract and generate force.
The more you challenge your muscles, the more muscle fibers you recruit. When you do this for a longer period of time, the size and strength of your muscles increase.
It might seem counterintuitive, but exercising causes microtears in muscle fibers, especially during resistance and strength training. But it’s a key part of muscle growth.
Once you’re done with your workout, your body repairs those microtears, making those muscle fibers bigger and stronger than before.
Also, your body increases protein synthesis, the process by which new proteins are created that make your muscles bigger and stronger. Your blood vessels expand to deliver more oxygen and nutrients to your muscles.
The combination of all these factors leads to stronger and bigger muscles.
5. Stronger Joints
The joints in the body are surrounded by different muscles that act as a natural support system for those joints. They help support and protect your joints.
As we discussed above, the muscles in the body become stronger when you exercise regularly. The stronger they are, the less pressure and stress your joints have to handle. This means your joints stay healthier for longer.
Exercise also helps with weight management so when you’re at a healthy weight, there’s less strain on the joints and less wear and tear.
Joints rely on a certain kind of fluid that acts as a lubricant to reduce friction between the joint surfaces and provides essential nutrients to the cartilage, the protective tissue covering your joint ends.
Regular exercising stimulates the production of this fluid ensuring proper health of the cartilage.
You also enhance your joint’s flexibility through a combination of movement, stretching, and flexibility exercises. This prevents joints from becoming stiff so that they remain functional and free from limitations.
The Benefits of Exercise on Mental Health
Physical and mental health go hand in hand, if the physical health is good then it will have a positive impact on the mental health, and vice-versa.
But there are some direct benefits of exercising on your mental health as well. It’s a very powerful way to boost your mental well-being.
We’ve learned about how exercising benefits your physical health, now let’s take a closer look at the benefits it brings to your mental health.
Improved Mood and Reduced Stress
As we discussed in the sections above, the body releases ‘endorphins’ which are your brain’s natural mood lifters.
They make you feel happier and more positive. High levels of endorphins combined with reduced cortisol levels are a winning combination for better mental health.
Along with endorphins, exercising also stimulates the release of other happy brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine.
These chemicals also play a very important role in improving your mood and reducing the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Improved Sleep
You would have experienced this yourself when you haven’t had a good night’s sleep, you feel irritated and frustrated the next day for no particular reason. So sleep has a very significant impact on your mood and your ability to handle stress.
Exercising improves your quality of sleep. Since you’re all tired after exercising, you fall asleep faster and enjoy a deeper and more restful sleep.
And when you are well rested, your mind is clear and better equipped to handle stress and emotional challenges.
Build Mental Resilience
If you’ve ever participated in any form of competitive sports in your school or college, or if you have worked out in the gym lifting heavy weights, then you would experienced the mental strength that comes from such activities.
You push your body beyond its boundaries and make it do things you once thought were impossible.
We are capable of doing extraordinary things but our mind is designed to keep us in the safe zone so that we don’t harm ourselves in any way.
It has defined a threshold for everything after which everything starts to feel difficult and impossible. But our capabilities are much more than that and keeping us in the safe zone is our mind’s way of protecting us.
When we exercise or play sports that we enjoy, we challenge our mind’s preconceived notions and do the things we once thought were difficult or impossible.
And this act of pushing our boundaries makes us mentally strong. It helps us build mental resilience.
Emotional Release
You would have noticed that different people have different ways of dealing with their emotions. Some might break things when they’re angry, some prefer keeping to themselves when they’re sad.
If you are carrying any sort of emotional tension, your body responds physically.
When you’re stressed, anxious, or carrying emotional tension, you may feel that your muscles have tightened up, or you are feeling physically wounded.
Exercises like running, cycling, or swimming are excellent ways to let go of that emotional tension. It’s why you’ll find some people like to go for a run when they’re stressed or feeling really mad.
Exercise gives you a way to release all that built-up emotional stress, almost like you’re letting out a big sigh of relief. It’s called “catharsis.”
Catharsis means finding a way to release your emotional stress and tension through physical activity. It’s a simple and healthy way to channel your emotions, making you feel better both in body and mind.
So, exercise is one of the best ways to improve your mental health because of the factors we discussed above. It’s a holistic approach that not only improves your mood in the short term but ensures mental well-being and emotional resilience for the long term.
The Role of Nutrition
If you want to lead an active and healthy life, then exercise is just one piece of the puzzle. The other important aspect is nutrition. The fuel that powers your body and keeps it running smoothly. A well-balanced diet is required to keep your body in its best shape.
Proteins are the building blocks of the body that help repair and grow muscles. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy that powers every movement of the body.
Fats are essential for the body’s overall health. They keep your skin, hair, and cells healthy. Fats also provide a backup source of energy when carbs are depleted.
Vitamins and minerals help in the proper functioning of the body, from keeping your immune system healthy to proper secretion of hormones and helping your muscles function properly.
Another very crucial element is water, as our body is approx. 70% water. It keeps you hydrated, helps every part of your body work properly, and keeps the body temperature just right.
A healthy and balanced diet means you are getting all these nutrients in a clean form and in the right amount. If you’re not nourishing your body with the right nutrients, then all your exercise efforts can go to waste. You’ll feel tired, weak, or unwell.
Wrapping up!
In this modern world of technology and convenience, we are far away from the way our ancestors lived. They thrived on a lifestyle that celebrated physical activity, wholesome food, and strong social connections.
We, on the other hand, have daily routines that involve longer periods of sitting, fast food, and screen time, and this shift has come at a cost.
Our ancestors understood the basics of a healthy life. They knew that our bodies weren’t built for a sedentary lifestyle. Now, this understanding is more crucial than ever as we are dealing with rising physical and mental health problems.
Physical activity is an integral part of being human, and it has a number of benefits for our bodies and minds. It’s not just about looking good, but about feeling good, staying healthy, and making sure our bodies work well.
We’ve explored the wonderful things that happen in your body when you exercise, how it makes your bones, muscles, and joints stronger, and how it boosts your mental well-being by reducing stress and improving your mood.
Also read: Journaling Prompts for Mental Health to Calm Your Mind
As we wrap up, let’s remember that physical activity isn’t a choice, it’s a must. It’s a return to the simple wisdom of our ancestors who knew that humans thrive when they move, eat well, and connect with others.
We hope this blog encouraged you to bring regular exercise back into your life so that you achieve your best physical and mental health. Namaste!
Leave a Reply