Why Exercise Every day? [10 Reasons]


Why Exercise Every day

There are lots of reasons why I might not get exercise during the week and exercising every day might seem impractical. Yet, it doesn’t take much to get into a daily workout. It could be walking or doing a couple of minute cardio routine. There are benefits from doing exercise each day, even if it’s just a little. 

We should exercise regularly to stay healthy; about 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week. Exercising every day is also beneficial when done in moderation. It helps body mechanisms work effectively which benefits our short and long-term health.

In this article, I will discuss some of the benefits of daily exercise and how to do it without stressing the body. I think of our bodies as machines sometimes and they need constant maintenance to perform at their best. One of the best ways to perform that maintenance is exercise. 



What is Too Much Exercise?

What is Too Much Exercise

Exercising hard can be very healthy. You can get more health benefits and increase muscles and bone strength. Yet, you shouldn’t go beyond your own capacity and you need to rest your muscle before doing the same exercises again.  

In the past, I have done exercise every day for several weeks in a row without any problems because I let my body rest and my exercise was low impact walking on the days I didn’t work out. I felt better when I exercised, even if I was only able to do it for a short time. 

Sometimes when we exercise we push our bodies too much and it causes stress. If we push too much we can get an injury. If we don’t give our bodies time to recover we can also get an injury.

So, what is too much exercise? It’s when we work out the same muscles several days in a row or push too hard too fast. It’s important to give your muscles a day off ( about 48 hours) to recover after your workout. That’s why some people schedule spaced exercises of specific muscle groups for only 2 or 3 times a week. 

If I run Monday through Friday each week, I will likely start to injury myself fairly soon, unless my run is very short. On the other hand, if I run Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I can let my leg rest in-between days and continues to run for months without a problem if I don’t push my run too hard or too long.


How To Exercise Every Day?

How To Exercise Every Day_

It’s helpful to make a schedule of your weekly exercise so you can work out alternating muscle groups such as lower body and upper body workouts. That way you give your muscles a day off to rest before their next workout. People who do the same exercise day after day tend to injury themselves eventually.   

I think a good strategy is to work out 5 days a week for 30 minutes. A schedule might look like this: 

  • Monday: Lower Body – Run/Swim/Bike and then do a leg muscle workout. (30 minutes)
  • Tuesday: Upper Body – Core and upper body workout. (30 minutes)  
  • Wednesday: Lower Body – Run/Swim/Bike and then do a leg muscle workout. (30 minutes)
  • Thursday: Upper Body – Core and upper body workout. (30 minutes)
  • Friday: Lower Body – Run/Swim/Bike and then do a leg muscle workout. (30 minutes)
  • Saturday: Walk
  • Sunday: Walk 

Some people would suggest not running and doing a leg workout on the same day. That’s true if you are putting a lot of effort into your leg workout and running. You should decide how much time and effort you will put into running and leg exercises to not overdo it. 

Most workout sessions are going to take more than 30 minutes when you go to the gym or take breaks between sets, especially if you include running, swimming, or biking for 10-30 minutes. The goal is to make your workout balanced so you get the right amount without pushing too far. 

You can also decide which days will be heavy or light exercise days. Sometimes we need to take it slow for a couple of days if we notice our bodies need a rest or if we have sore muscles from a previous injury.

The key is to have a balanced approach that allows you to exercise consistently without stressing your body. 

Another approach is to do light exercise every day. This helpful for those with injuries, seniors, those with mild colds, those with depression, or people with other issues that prevent more vigorous exercise.

A daily schedule of walking or other light exercises can really be helpful for those who aren’t getting any exercise each week. These are the people who likely need exercise the most. 

Giving sedentary individuals a chance to exercise to get their heart beating faster and their bodies operating more efficiently can speed recovery and invigorate less active individuals.     


10 Reason To Exercise Every Day

When we are busy and don’t seem to have time to exercise because our schedule is full or we are too tired are the times we most likely need to exercise the most. 

Stress is very harmful and letting it go too long can be deadly. Exercise can help relieve the stress we have and lower blood pressure. 

Exercise is helpful for those who lack energy. I know that when I exercise consistently I can tell a difference in the evenings, I have more energy and feel fine working or playing close to bedtime.

Here are 10 reasons daily exercise can help you in your life.  


1. Daily Exercise Help With Sleep

Daily Exercise Help With Sleep

 You not going to sleep better right away on your first day of exercise, unless you exhaust yourself. Yet, with consistent daily exercise, your body can improve the quality and time that you sleep. 

Your body regulates a lot of chemicals and these can help us stay awake or fall asleep. According to sleepfoundation.org, “moderate-to-vigorous exercise can increase sleep quality for adults by reducing sleep onset.”

In another study, they found that after 3-4 months of exercising regularly, people started to have better sleep quality.  

If you are inconsistent, your results could start to change, while if you are consistent, you are much more likely to eventually get much better sleep. 

Just remember, don’t exercise right before bed. Finish your exercise at least an hour before bedtime.  


2. Daily Exercise Prevents Clogged Arteries

Daily Exercise Prevents Clogged Arteries

Our arteries are constantly moving nutrients around, including cholesterol. The low-density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol can lead to build-up in your arteries. 

Look at labels for trans fats. These trans fats are the cholesterol that can stick in the arteries. When we exercise we can help keep cholesterol moving instead of sticking in our arteries. 

It’s also important to watch our diet because no amount of exercise can stop the fatty build-up in our arteries if we are always eating food high in trans fats.   

If you are like me, you may have had a long workday and when you get home the last thing you want to do is exercise. I would sit in front of the TV and tell myself I was relaxing and destressing. 

The truth is I was being sedentary. I wasn’t giving my body the exercise is needed to prevent the build-up of fatty deposits in my arteries.  

Even though everyone thought of me as being skinny or in fairly good shape, I wasn’t exercising much. I loved sweets and the TV because they made me feel better after a long day. 

Then, I finally started to exercise more regularly and slowly started to see the benefits. Although I haven’t seen what my arteries look like, I know that I am now helping to prevent my arteries from clogging.   


3. Daily Exercise Helps Our Mood

Our Mood

If you’re feeling down, an exercise session can turn your mood around for a while. The body sends out feel-good chemicals when we exercise.

The good moderate-intensity 30-minute exercise session should help you chase away that negative mood that’s been lingering with you. 

Exercise can only help you feel better for so long, so you’ll need to take advantage of the time your feeling good to focus on areas that will help you continue to feel good throughout the day. 

Long term, exercise can help you change the overall chemical balance you have in your body. 

You can feel less stressed and more positive when engaged in long-term exercise. Your daily exercise will help you feel better more often and will have lasting effects as you exercise over the course of months rather than days.

As you exercise daily, it can become easier to make it a habit and enjoy a better mood a bit quicker and with more frequency.   


4. Daily Exercise Improves Cell Function

Cell Function

Our bodies are meant to move. Yet, in modern society, we can easily sit most of the day. We sit at work and we sit to relax when we are home. The body can’t function at full operating capacity without movement.

Our bodies are one of the most complex machines in this world. Scientists are still struggling to find out why and how our body works. 

What we do know is that exercise helps our bodies and it activates many mechanisms in our bodies. These mechanisms help us stay healthy.

For example, muscle cells tend to become more youthful if we exercise with some intensity. Exercise pumps more blood and nutrients to the cells in our body giving them opportunities to get their needs meet better. 

Also, we remember things better. We can have an improvement in learning and memory when we make exercise a daily activity.

Lots of processes in the body benefit from daily exercise. as long we don’t overdo it.  


5. Daily Exercise Helps With Weight Loss

Weight Loss

Exercise alone may not be enough to provide the weight loss we need to maintain a healthy weight. But it can help a lot. 

People tend to lose weight when they exercise consistently. The daily habit creates a strong motivation to continue to exercise regularly. As our body gets used to daily exercise, it will become easier.

When exercise becomes easier you can focus on other things such as your maintaining a healthy diet. This may be a very difficult process for many people and developing a habit of exercise, you can better tackle eating healthier foods.

As we talked about earlier, you will start to have more energy when you exercise daily. This will also help you get more done and burn more calories. 


6. Daily Exercise Helps Your Joints

Joint Health

Our joints can be smooth and healthy or stiff and inflamed. When we exercise we are helping our joints to maintain healthy function.   

We have synovial fluid in our knee and most of the joints of the body. This fluid and surround structure “allow for smooth movements between the adjacent bones.” (open.oregonstate.education

When we exercise, we are helping to clean out the old fluid that may have particles in it and maintain healthy fluid. This fluid helps reduce the wear on our joints. 

As we exercise blood flow increases and help bring need supplies for our joints. This can help speed up an injury and help with recovery after intense exercise. 

Also, we are helping the body repair itself because “joint movement activates genes associated with rebuilding cartilage.” (blog.arthritis.org)


7. Daily Exercise Helps Your Confidence

Helps Your Confidence

We might not think we are judging ourselves if we have some extra pounds, but most people do. We consciously or unconsciously see the weight as something undesirable. 

We may want to look thinner and fit. Sometimes we learn to accept the extra weight and live with it. We may think that others are judging us unless we are truly accepting of ourselves and our bodies. If we feel judged our confidence can suffer. 

Exercise can help you build up confidence in yourself. Every time that you go through your daily exercise routine you are affirming that your health is important. You feel good about accomplishing a goal and you will eventually start to see a difference in how your body looks and feels. 

Improvement in your confidence can manifest quickly or it may take some time. It depends on your perspective and how positively you normally think about yourself.

To improve your level of confidence faster, try keeping a daily exercise chart. Check off every day that you exercise on your visual chart, even if it’s just showing up to try. Give yourself credit for the work you have done. Whether that’s verbal praise or talking about what you’ve done with someone in your support system (family & friends, etc.).  

Celebrate your major accomplishments. This could mean a week of exercise or one month. This doesn’t mean getting yourself something or eating a treat, but recognizing how much time and effort you put into exercise and allowing yourself and others to complement and give you credit. 


8. Daily Exercise Can Help You Start A New Lifestyle

A New Lifestyle

Once you exercise daily for about 3 months in a row, you’ve created a habit that can last the rest of your life. Your life, in some ways, will change because you’ve made exercise an integral part of each day.

You will be more focused on healthy choices when you exercise daily. Your daily exercise reminds you frequently that a healthy lifestyle is how you are maintaining your health and some of the happiness in your life.  

You will be more likely to engage in sports and outdoor activities. Your exercise will help you feel more like getting out and trying new activities that you may not have done before. You might try tennis, basketball, softball, hiking, biking, running, skiing, surfing, kayaking, camping, and other outdoor activities you normally wouldn’t engage in.

You will likely start watching what you are eating more often. You will choose food that has more nutritional value and ones that help you maintain a healthy weight. You might start substituting one food for another to help you achieve your health goals. 

You may hang out with new people who are interested in an active lifestyle. You may begin to create new friendships and hang out less with friends that are not engaged with your healthier lifestyle.

Your choosing to be more active each day and there is likely a small percentage of the population that is this committed to a daily exercise routine. This may make it a bit lonely if you don’t live in a big city, but you should be able to find a least one person with the same goals with whom you can partner up to exercise or talk about fitness and health.


9. Daily Exercise Prevents Disease

Prevent Disease

If you are worried about your health your not alone. Many people are dealing with more stress and more weight gain between 2018 – 2019. (americashealthrankings.org)

There are a lot of factors involved with our health. Poverty, environment, genetics, stress, food availability, and social influence are just a few. We might seem to be stuck in a situation that we can’t get out of, but little choices today add up to bigger gains in the future. 

There no way around the fact that moving increases the likelihood that our bodies can maintain healthy functionality. We keep the body working well by moving it. 

We can start slow if we need to. We can exercise in a way that helps us to stay motivated to exercise again tomorrow. Then we can start to get the most out of the exercise routine we have established because the body will be able to fight many of the chronic diseases that plague Americans. 

When you establish a daily exercise routine, you: 

  • Keeps your heart functioning better and may stop heart disease. 
  • Help prevent your arteries from clogging and may stop a stroke.
  • Help yourself stay away from addictive substances that can harm you, such as lung disease caused by smoking.
  • Keep your organs functioning better, like your kidneys.
  • May stop eating so much sugar and unhealthy fats and your body starts to heal slowly over time. Your diabetes may get better depending on the kind you have. 
  • Give your immune system can get a boost.
  • Help lower your risk of some types of cancers.
  • Lower your risk of dementia and depression.

Of course, we also need to do our part by limiting the levels of unhealthy foods and substances we consume. Our bodies need time to rest and recover. If too much unhealthy food or drugs enter our bodies, we can get overwhelmed quickly. 


10. Daily Exercise Helps Your Relationship

Helps Your Relationship

While this may not always be true for every relationship, it may work for most. When you exercise, you are saying that you are willing to take care of yourself. This is a responsible behavior that most people find attractive. 

You may find that you feel better about yourself and more confident. Most people find this an attractive quality as well. You are getting healthier over time and you may be able to see changes in the way you feel and look.

Your relationship may benefit from an increase of attention from your significant other as they find that you are more attractive and look healthier. People tend to gravitate towards others they find are happy and doing things they want in their life, such as having a healthy lifestyle. 

When you’re stressed or mad, exercise can be like a therapy session helping you deal with the stress and anger. You may be able to calm down your emotions and let go of the small stuff that doesn’t matter. 

Relationships can be very complex. Daily exercise can be one tool on your tool belt to help you take care of yourself and help your relationship stay healthy.        


Final Thoughts

Exercise is an important way we can stay healthy. When we take the time to exercise each day we are helping our bodies operate at their best. Exercise is a necessary condition for all the benefits that a healthy body can give you.

Whether we get exercise naturally from the jobs we do or we exercise at the gym, we will see benefit from a daily routine of exercise throughout our life. As long as we are careful to rest when needed and not to over-exercise, we can obtain a body that functions great and gives us positive experiences long into the future.

References

bhf.org.uk

sleepfoundation.org

health.harvard.edu  

webmd.com

mayoclinic.org

mindbodygreen.com

healthline.com

engineersrising.com

cancer.gov

CHRIS TOOLEY

I enjoy many types of outdoor activities including running, hiking, and walking. I was a former elementary school teacher for 17 years and now enjoy writing and sharing my love of the outdoors.

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