Do you take vitamin supplements? Do you exercise every day? Many people do both to keep their bodies in tip-top shape. Because everyone knows that supplements and exercise are healthy for you.
But do you know exactly how healthy supplements and exercise are?
More That Just to Lose Weight
These days, many people focus on exercise to help them shave off an extra couple of inches. That’s a great reason to start exercising, but exercise give so many more amazing benefits than that.
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Exercise can make you happy.
Exercising triggers the brain to release endorphins. Endorphins are chemicals to combat pain and stress, which usually come after working out.
But the great thing about endorphins is that they also cause euphoria. This is the “feel good” or “feel great” sense you get after sweating down.
In fact, exercise has been proven to help relieve depression, stress, and anxiety.
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Exercise can make you glow.
Women might exercise to make their clothes fit, but exercise can improve your looks in more ways than that.
Regular moderate exercise encourages the body to produce antioxidants. This is because muscle activity causes oxidative stress. But another organ reacts particularly to oxidative stress: the skin.
Skin will look dull and textured because oxidation causes it to deteriorate. When you exercise, your body releases antioxidants, which rids of oxidation and helps give your skin that youthful glow.
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Exercise can boost memory and overall brain function.
Any moderate strenuous physical activity will get your heart to pump faster. This will increase blood and oxygen flow to all your organs, especially the brain.
That alone can improve brain function, but exercising also triggers the release of chemicals that enhance brain growth.
Keeping yourself active also keeps your brain active. In essence, exercising your body exercises your brain, too.
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Exercise can make you sleep better.
If you’ve ever had trouble sleeping, you’ll know that lying in bed forcing yourself to sleep does the opposite. It might even keep you more awake.
When you exercise, your muscles become sore and your energy gets depleted. Your brain will automatically send signals for your body to repair itself, which will make you sleepy.
The sleep benefits don’t stop there. Your body temperature rises during exercise. Once you rest and sleep, your body temperature cools down, which increases the quality of sleep.
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Exercise can improve your sex life.
Several studies have shown that regular exercise can improve sexual drive, activity, performance, and pleasure.
Even something as simple as a daily 10-minute walk has been proven to improve sex, and can even reduce symptoms of erectile dysfunction in men.
Women who have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) also experienced an increase in sex drive after exercising regularly.
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Exercise can slow down aging.
Cells in the human body divide themselves again and again. It’s a process of cell renewal. But as people age, this continuous process of cell renewal causes the cells to become shorter. Once they become so short, cell division happens at a slower rate, and you’ll start to see the first signs of aging.
But exercise has a positive effect of these cells. Exercise causes the production of a molecule that slows down the shortening of cells. Exercise slows down aging deep within.
Benefits of Supplements
First off, do you even need supplements?
If you can maintain eating a healthy, balanced diet, then you probably don’t them. The vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that the body needs come from food sources. If you eat a variety of them, you should be fine.
However, some people can’t eat varied, healthy meals either by choice or condition. For example, people with food allergies. Some people can have food allergies to a lot of foods, which can limit their choices.
Another example are people with food restrictions, such as vegans or vegetarians. People who are in a restrictive diet such as keto or low-carb can also experience vitamin deficiencies.
This is the major benefit of supplements. Before, vitamin deficiency is a major risk in developing countries with limited sources for food. Supplements are a great way to ensure you’re getting all the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients you need if you can’t get them directly from the source.
Safeguarding the People at Risk
Supplements are not only for people who might like an extra dose of vitamin C. They’re also highly beneficial for people who are more prone to developing diseases and conditions. For example, the young, the old, and pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Infants and babies are given vitamin A supplements because a deficiency in it can cause death. Pregnant women are given folic acid supplements to prevent defects in the baby. Older adults are given calcium to prevent bone density loss.
All of these vitamins and minerals can be taken from food, but these are people who might not be able to get them from natural food sources. Small babies can’t eat solid food. Pregnant women are known to have food aversions. And many older adults can’t tolerate food as much as they used to.
Long-term Benefits
Not only are supplements convenient, they might be useful for the future, too. A study found that older adults who took a couple of supplements for heart health experienced the benefits even after a decade of stopping.
The group took co-Q10 and selenium, supplements known to protect the heart, for four years. The research studied the effects after. But after 12 years, the researchers studied the group and found out that the benefits of the supplements were still active even though the group had stopped taking them.
This is an amazing discovery that opens many exciting questions. What if this potential long-term effect isn’t limited to heart health supplements?
One thing’s for sure: investing in supplements for your heart today will still give you benefits in the future.
Supplements and Exercise
Both exercise and supplements will give your body a wide range of benefits. Not just immediately, such as improved mood and sleep, but in the long run. And isn’t that what’s more important? To ensure your health for years to come.
Exercise and supplements by themselves are already beneficial. Imagine what they could do if you use them simultaneously!
