The Benefits of Fitness

It’s that time of year again where everyone is making resolutions for how the new year will go for them, what they want to do, or be, what changes to their lifestyle they want to make. Get fit, lose weight, and live healthy are some of the top resolutions across the board – and why not, with all the wonderful benefits of fitness?

Daily physical activity helps strengthen your heart muscle, which lowers your blood pressure, raises good cholesterol levels (high-density lipoprotein), and lowers levels of bad cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein). This helps decrease the risk of cardiovascular diseases. If you have noninsulin-dependent diabetes, reducing body fat helps control it, or can help prevent it.  Exercising increases muscle strength and endurance, as well as improves flexibility and posture, all of which helps reduce back pain.

Regular weight-bearing exercises helps bone formation and can prevent bone loss associated with aging and osteoporosis. Running and aerobic exercise have been shown to postpone the development of disability in older adults. Exercising, especially between the ages of 25 and 45,  boosts the chemicals in the brain that support and prevent degeneration of the hippocampus, which is important for memory and learning.

Oxygen and nutrients are sent to your tissues while exercising, and help your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. As your health improves, you’ll have more energy for daily activities. Regular physical activity can also help you fall asleep faster and deepen your sleep cycles, as long as you don’t exercise too close to bedtime (too much energy to sleep). Even for people with insomnia, a moderate workout can be the equivalent of a sleeping pill. Your body receiving enough quality sleep has its own host of benefits.

Exercising releases endorphins, a natural body chemical that makes you feel happy. Regular physical activity can improve your mood, reducing depression and anxiety. Despite the comfort of a bubble bath, exercising increases norepinephrine which helps manage stress and can help calm down from an anxiety attack. Regardless of weight loss or muscle toning, exercise helps boost self-esteem and improve self-image.

Dopamine is nicknamed the “reward chemical” and is a response to any form of pleasure. People often run into problems with drugs and alcohol being their dopamine releaser. Not only can exercise release dopamine, but with that it can help addiction recovery since it distracts from and de-prioritizes bad cravings.

Here at Parks & Recreation, we have a wide variety of activities to peak your fitness interest. We have our fitness center which is filled with fitness tools including ellipticals, free weights, treadmill, leg press and many more. A fitness membership only costs $3/day or $15/month – you can also purchase a 10 visit punch card for $20, or receive discounts for purchasing multiple months at a time. If a machine based workout routine isn’t for you, we also have Aikido martial arts classes! Zumba is also available for the less-physically inclined. During the summer, we have a 5K at 10K program where you can walk, sprint, or run our planned route. Our park is beautiful for short walks, our BMX track and skate park are available in the warm months, and our brand new basketball court. We have an outdoor archery range as well, which has an outdoor hunt feel, and can provide its own exercise in addition to training. We have a variety of seasonal youth & adult sports as well, see the website for options!

www.ccparksandrecreation.com

-Kristen