Have you ever wondered what happens to your body when you start exercising? The
changes to your body physique, muscles, the mind and the heart? well in this
video we are going to explore just that. They say exercise is like taking a
magical pill for your brain, and if there were ever a drug that could do for your
health everything that exercise can it would likely be the most valuable
pharmaceutical ever developed. So why is exercise so good for us? One of the core
habits practiced by the most successful people is well you guessed it exercising.
Have you ever wondered why? In his book "The Power of Habit" Charles Duhigg talks
about what are known as Keystone habits. These are the habits that if practiced,
developed and applied influence change in every aspect of our lives. Exercising
is a keystone habit, which is why anyone looking to develop self-discipline
regularly goes to the gym or does some form of exercise. So we all know the
physical benefits of exercise right, you look better, you lose weight, you become
lean, you gain muscle and generally you become fit. These changes are easily
observable by the naked eye. However, the benefits of exercising aren't just skin deep.
Most people who exercise will observe
that they are happier, more motivated and less depressed. This is why exercise has
been described as the miracle drug and has been recommended as a treatment for
depression, insomnia, memory loss, alzheimer's and parkinson's disease
among others. The reason for this is that the body naturally produces hormones
while exercising and these hormones are serotonin, endorphins and a protein known
as Brain-Derived-Neurotropic-Factor (BDNF). Each of these hormones in their own way helps
reduce stress levels, lift someone's mood, aids in better sleep, improves learning
and also leads to increase confidence. When you start exercising especially for
the first time or after a long break, you'll feel more alert and energized.
Because ramping up your heart rate means a boost in overall flow and oxygen to
the brain. This releases a special brain cell called Dopamine which is
responsible for motivation. If you've ever felt tired or lazy and don't feel
like doing anything, that's because your experiencing
a dopamine deficit. Dopamine is responsible for our motivation and
attention and it's responsible for the feeling of satisfaction when we
accomplish something, it makes you want to do things and it reassures you that
the thing was worth doing. So if you're experiencing a dopamine deficit you can
find it hard to get things done because you're not getting enough fulfillments
to justify doing them. But whenever you exercise you directly increase the
amount of dopamine in your blood, and instead of feeling tired and worn out
you suddenly feel motivated and energized. We'll talk more about this
later but first let's look at the physical effects of exercise.
The physical effects of exercise may not be observed within a few weeks of working
out, chances are even after a month of working out there will be little visible
results. However, throughout the period of time you are working out and exercising,
biological changes take place whether you can see them or not. For a start,
a few weeks after starting a cardio routine, you will notice that you have
increased energy due to a rise in metabolism and mitochondria. One of the
biggest misconceptions of exercise is that exercise causes weight loss, no
exercise doesn't cause weight loss, it causes muscle gain. And since muscle have
mitochondria and mitochondria burn energy. Mitochondria are parts of your
cells that convert carbs, fats, and proteins into fuel that your muscles uses
to do their job. After six to eight weeks, research has shown that people can
increase their mitochondria by up to 50% With more mitochondria in your cells, you
will notice a change in your fitness. For instance, you can easily climb flights of
stairs that would have previously left you feeling like you just ran a half
marathon. After a month or so your muscles will start to grow and get
stronger. While this might not be obviously visible you will feel the
strength in your muscles when you workout. Here the increase in metabolism
is even higher, Muscle cells need a lot of energy, which means they burn a lot of
calories, in fact they burn more calories than fat cells even when you're not
exercising. So the time you spend working out, reaps benefits long after you stop
working out. This means you can literally slouch on your couch watching TV or
Netflix and still be burning fat, although take this with a grain of salt.
According to the u.s. national science of medicine, if you consistently keep
exercise after a period of six months, mainly
concentrating on cardio. You can expect a 20% increase in your overall VO2 max.
VO2 max is often used as a fitness indicator, it measures the rate at which your body
can transport oxygen to your muscles for fuel. So basically a higher VO2 max means,
you should be able to run faster and longer in a shorter time span. So a 20%
increase in your VO2 max, should mean that you can run about 20% further in
the same amount of time. So this means that if you can run a mile in 10 minutes,
a 20% increase in your VO2 max should mean that you can now run 1.2 miles in a
10-minute period or 1 mile in about 8 minutes.
Finally regular exercise increases the size of your heart, and eventually
strengthens it. When exercising your heart rate increases and pumps more
blood than it normally would, in the process the muscles in your heart are
strengthened, which reduces the chance of getting a heart attack. This usually
happens after about six months of regularly working out, right about the
same time the physical effects of exercise are easily visible. Some of the
physical effects that might not be visible include an increase in blood
supply to the brain. The brain thus works more efficiently, and this leads to
better focus when doing activities. Furthermore, exercising promotes the
development of new brain cells, which improves learning and memory. Also during
exercise, endorphins are released to counter any stress you might be feeling.
Though inaccurate, endorphins are famously known as "feel-good hormones", and
so when they are released into your body, your mood is lifted and you get a sense
of happiness. Ultimately any stress you may be experiencing prior to exercise is
alleviated, and so when you consistently workout, your body gets a regular supply
of endorphins and dopamine, hence leaving you supercharged and
energized to take on the day. Another positive effect of exercising on your
brain is that you get better sleep. The path leading to better sleep and reduced
insomnia through exercise cannot be accurately traced.
However, restlessness and sleep is usually caused by depression and anxiety.
Exercising serves to reduce depressive symptoms and anxiety through the release
of endorphins and dopamine. These result in the symptoms of insomnia being
negated, and hence you should get better sleep. Additionally, when one works out
just before going to bed, the temperature drop experienced after exercise could
help one fall asleep. Also exercising in the afternoon or
early evenings can result in better sleep as well. Our bodies operate on a
biological clock called a circadian rhythm, and since insomnia is caused by a
skewed circadian rhythm, exercise can help fix our biological clock resulting
in better sleep as well. In the short run, exercising lifts your mood because of
the release of endorphins and moderate levels of serotonin. The constant release
of these hormones makes you feel good about yourself and happy, which amazingly
also increases your confidence. How amazing is that?! This is because as you
exercise, even without seeing any physical results at the beginning, you
get a better body feel of yourself. By making the decision to get healthier and
proactively trying to get fit and in shape you become proud and feel great
and awesome about yourself, and hence resulting in the confidence boost.
Ultimately, when physical changes can be seen, your confidence explodes! and in
fact some people have attested exercise to single-handedly changing their life
and mentality towards life in general. Exercise gives you a renewed sense of
worth, it makes you feel great and happy about yourself, it improves your
confidence to the level that you will finally have the courage to ask out that
girl you always liked. It can and will improve your grades, it can also save you
money by cutting down on trips to the hospital every now and then. And also on
money spent buying prescription drugs. So exercising is clearly good for our
physical and mental health, and by exercising for just three hours a week
consistently, in all probability you're going to live longer than you otherwise
would. And that longer life will likely feel more happy and fulfilling. Thank you
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