5 reasons why exercising is everything.
The first thing you ever did was move, you probably kicked! Exercise is so fundamental to our human experience, because it’s not only crucial for our physical health, but is also proven to improve our mental wellbeing. In a nutshell, exercise helps us to live better quality lives.
However, today, more and more people are leading sedentary lifestyles – we’re sitting too long and spending too much time in front of screens. We can undo this though, because the amount of exercise we need to do to stay healthy is totally achievable! Experts say we should be doing at least 150-300 minutes a week (that’s an average of 30 minutes every day) of moderate aerobic physical activity or at least 75-150 minutes a week (that’s an average of 15 minutes every day) of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity.
And with Virgin Active’s Premier Youth Memberships, with special rates available for ages up to 25 years old, you’ll get access to 130 clubs nationwide so you can swim, run cycle, box, dance, stretch and train whenever you like.
Here are the 5 top reasons you’ll want to get moving:
Weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight
Exercise burns calories because you expend energy with every movement. You also increase your metabolic rate with consistent physical aerobic activity, and it remains elevated even when you’re resting, which means you’ll continue to burn calories even when you’re inactive. Remember to combine exercise with a healthy eating plan.
Exercise boosts your mood, beats depression and reduces stress
When you exercise, your body produces endorphins (‘feel-good’ chemicals) and lowers cortisol (stress hormone) levels. This is why after exercising you feel so good. And endorphins are just one of the many neurotransmitters released through exercise, the others are dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. These brain chemicals play an important part in regulating your mood.
Exercise also boosts your brain power
The same endorphins that are released when you exercise that lift your mood and make you feel lekker, are also good for improving memory and concentration. Studies have shown that exercise also stimulates the growth of new brain cells and helps prevent age-related decline.
Keeps you physically fit, strong and healthy
Regular aerobic exercise is not only good for the waistline, it literally makes you healthier too. As you increase your fitness levels, you also boost your immune system so you can fight off illnesses.
Important for overall, long-term health
Our bodies have to last us a long time, so exercise is a must to prevent chronic illnesses. And regular exercise which increases the heart rate has been proven to decrease the risk of developing life-threatening conditions such as heart disease, strokes, diabetes and cancer by up to 50%.
There are so many good reasons to live summer active: get fit, have fun and be the best version of yourself.
Join today and get 50% off your February membership fees, simply train 4 times in your first 30 days.
