Lace up for a better life

Lace up for a better life

You're probably pretty familiar with the visible ways exercise does your body good—slimmer legs, firmer buttocks, flatter abs—but what about the benefits you can't see? Yes, it reduces your risk of heart disease and diabetes, but researchers have found that exercise can also improve everything from your mood to your memory. Check out all the other ways an afternoon kickboxing class or a walk with your dog can spice up your everyday routine - you won't be able to put your sneakers on fast enough.

1. MORE EXERCISE = FEWER SICK DAYS

Exercise for 30 minutes a day and you'll get half as many colds this year, according to a study in the American Journal of Medicine. That's because exercise causes more white blood cells to circulate throughout your body, where they kill disease-causing invaders. Physical activity also lowers your estrogen levels, which explains why women who exercise regularly have a 30 percent lower risk of breast cancer.

MAKE IT WORK FOR YOUIf you don't have time for a full sweat session, squeeze in three 10-minute bursts of activity throughout the day (try speed walking).

2. YOU GET BETTER ZZZ’S

"Increase your calorie burn during the day and sleep better at night," says Mark Stibich, Ph.D., health research consultant at Columbia University. “Your body shuts down quicker when you've exercised because it needs sleep to repair exercise-related muscle damage [that's how you get stronger] and re-energize.”

MAKE IT WORK FOR YOUExercise (this includes cardio and strength training) later in the day. Your body temperature will drop for up to six hours afterward, which many experts say can help you fall asleep. Going to the gym after work also blows off steam and sets the stage for a relaxing evening.

3. YOU WILL BE A SOCIAL BUTTERFLY

“When you take a group fitness class or run with a club, you connect with like-minded people,” says Timothy Church, MD, PhD, a researcher at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. "In fact, the women in our studies often stick with the exercise programs we give them after the research is complete because they have become friends with people in the group." Health clubs have also noticed that numbers are larger, and many of them now offer group programs such as adventure vacations and marathon training.

MAKE IT WORK FOR YOUIf you are a runner, you can find a club to train with at rrca.org. Interested in something more adventurous? Check out the trips and courses (everything from climbing in New Hampshire to cycling through Cambodia) at rei.com/adventures.

4. PUT ON WEIGHTS AND YOU WILL LOVE YOUR THIGHS

“Strength training improves your muscle tone, which of course increases your body confidence,” says Stibich. Researchers at the University of South Alabama found that women who completed a 12-week circuit strength training plan felt significantly better about their appearance than women who only did cardio training.

MAKE IT WORK FOR YOUPress the weights at least twice a week. Target your entire body with eight to ten strokes; Perform one set at a time without rest, then repeat once or twice.

5. “I FORGOT…” WILL DISAPPEAR FROM YOUR VOCABULARY

Your brain shrinks as you age, making your memory fuzzy. However, scientists at the University of Illinois found that exercise increases the volume of the hippocampus, the area of ​​the brain that helps sort and store new information.

MAKE IT WORK FOR YOUMake a move on the dance floor. “Doing something that keeps you physically, mentally, or socially engaged helps keep your brain healthy,” says Joe Verghese, MD, a researcher at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. “Dancing does all of these things at once, so it really is an ideal activity.”

6. YOU WILL BE HAPPIER

You know you feel better after a workout, but now there's evidence that the workout high is real. German scientists discovered that athletes experienced a surge in endorphins (mood-boosting hormones) in brain regions associated with pleasure after a two-hour run. And the elevator remains. Research shows that exercising three times a week is as effective as traditional prescription medications in relieving mild to moderate depression.

MAKE IT WORK FOR YOUIf your schedule allows, expand your cardio workouts (think weekend hikes and bike rides). We produce endorphins at different rates, but most mood-related research has been conducted in sessions lasting at least an hour.

7. STRESS WILL NOT CONFUSE YOU

When you feel anxious, your heart rate increases, you breathe faster, and you sweat more—and the same things happen when you exercise. Exercise regularly and your body will associate these reactions with something positive (like a good run) so it won't get so upset about it.

MAKE IT WORK FOR YOUTry this to reap the stress-relieving benefits of exercise in less time. Warm up and then alternate between increasing speed resistance for a minute and resting for a minute. Do eight work-rest intervals.

8. CUTTING BAD HABITS BECOMES EASY

Researchers at England's University of Exeter found that exercise significantly reduces the urge to smoke a cigarette. “We are hardwired to associate physical activity with reward because we used to have to exercise to get food,” says study author Adrian Taylor, Ph.D. As a result, exercise suppresses cravings for smoke — and even sweets — by triggering the pleasure you normally get from nicotine and sugar.

MAKE IT WORK FOR YOUTake a 10-minute walk every day to prevent the urge, whether that means lighting up or diving into a bag of M&Ms.

9. BACK PAIN BECOME A BAD MEMORY

A day a day keeps excruciating pain away, say researchers at Group Health Cooperative, a nonprofit health system in Seattle. They divided 100 people with chronic back pain into three groups who either practiced yoga daily, participated in physical therapy, or did an exercise pan. After 12 weeks, those who did yoga saw the greatest improvements in pain. "Yoga prevents back tension and pain and increases your posture awareness, so you're more likely to sit and stand in a way that doesn't put strain on your back," says Alison Trewhela, a yoga teacher involved in a clinical trial on yoga and back pain at the University of York in England.

MAKE IT WORK FOR YOUGo to the mat for an hour or more at least once a week.

10. YOUR PERFORMANCE IN THE OFFICE WILL IMPROVE

Exercise pumps more blood to your brain, which improves your concentration. “Just one sweat session is an instant boost,” says Sian Beilock, Ph.D., of the University of Chicago. Their research found that students who walked or ran for 30 minutes before completing "working memory" tasks such as reasoning performed better. “Working memory is your ability to focus while other things are vying for your attention,” says Beilock.

MAKE IT WORK FOR YOUTry Eastern exercises. According to researcher Ruth E. Taylor-Piliae, Ph.D., people who do tai chi, for example, perform better on attention tests than those who only do cardio and strength training. “Tai chi requires you to remember complex sequences and coordinate your movements,” she says. “Both require concentration.”

SELENE YEAGER is an author and certified personal trainer in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.