Benefits of Daily Exercise

Although there are many benefits to exercise, there are many more benefits of DAILY exercise. Why?

For a few reasons...

First, there isn't even a "super vitamin" that can claim all of the benefits of physical exercise. And, when we DON'T have the benefit of consistent, regular exercise, we are putting ourselves at a higher risk for the diseases and the disorders that a daily workout may prevent.

Common physical benefits of exercise...

• pain reduction
• improved muscle tone
• better posture and spinal alignment
• lower blood pressure
• decrease in cholesterol
• reduced risk of cancer and type 2 diabetes
• osteoporosis prevention
• increased mobility and flexibility

Common mental benefits of exercise...

• anxiety relief and stress reduction
• increased alertness and memory
• greater energy with reduced fatigue
• decrease in depression

Second, typically our body and mind work better when there is a daily cycle or rhythm to our activities. Having routines or habits makes it easier to perform many tasks, especially ones that we do not look forward to, or that we feel are unnecessary.

And thirdly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provide specific guidelines for how much exercise we should get over the course of a week - cdc.gov (Physical Activity for Everyone). Skipping exercise for more than a couple of days during the week can make it very difficult to meet the recommendations of the CDC.

Additionally, our bodies are less prone to injury if our exercise routines are distributed evenly over a period of time.

Benefits of Daily Exercise Routines

One of the best ways to get into a habit of exercising on a daily basis is to either exercise at the same time each day, or when that is not possible, try to set up a scheduled time, well in advance.

For instance...

Every Sunday you may want to take a few minutes to review your schedule for the upcoming week and make a notation as to what time you plan to exercise each day.

On the exercise schedule you can also plan the type of exercise, or exercises, you will do on a particular day, such as aerobic exercise, muscle strengthening, weight bearing, or stretching exercise.

Or...

If you use a gym you may want to list your daily exercise by the type of machine you'll be using, such as a treadmill, an elliptical trainer, an exercise bicycle, or a rowing machine, etc.

When we have a schedule in hand we are less likely to let other "more important" things take the place of exercise.

You may also be interested in:
Benefits to Exercise, Exercise Log Sheet, Motivation to Exercise

Record Your Benefits of Daily Exercise

Maintaining an exercise log sheet is another great way to ensure that you stick to a daily exercise schedule. The log sheet does not need to be elaborate - a very simple one like the free printable exercise log that I have put together can work well.

On the exercise log you can make indications not only of the type of exercise that you did, and for how long, and at what intensity, but you can also make notations as to the exercise health benefits you feel you received.

Don't get discouraged...
Although the benefits of daily exercise outweigh those of more infrequent exercise, there can still benefits from ALL types of physical activity.