When people hear the umbrella term “staying active” most think of bodily activity, such as going to the gym, running, or exercise class, but “staying active” isn’t exclusive to bodily health.
Some people do feel best when they physically work out at a gym every day or take their dog for a walk however, others feel best when they stay socially or mentally active. This can look like regularly catching up with friends at a coffee shop, taking an art class together, or visiting a new restaurant. Staying active doesn’t exclusively apply to bodily health as it refers to mental and social health as well.
It can be hard to make time in your day for other activities besides work and taking care of yourself or your family but making time for you and your own health by staying active, no matter what form of activity you choose is essential to a healthy lifestyle. The list of benefits includes a boosted energy level, increased serotonin levels, reduced stress, and increased happiness and that’s just the beginning.
Activity Goals
Having goals to accomplish is always a fantastic motivator to improve your well-being. Those goals look different for every person because each individual has different priorities and needs. Those goals can look like walking or running for a certain amount of time or distance, losing a certain amount of weight, or going to a coffee shop and making a new friend. Staying active is more about being active in the sense of activities. Those activities can be exercise related like biking, swimming, or basketball, or social related such as making a new friend, trying a new restaurant, or visiting a new place.
Staying Active Health Impacts
- Extended lifespan: staying active and exercising regularly will increase your lifespan, especially for those over the age of 50.
- Boosted energy and serotonin levels: Staying active has been proven over and over again to increase overall happiness.
- Anti-inflammatory: Exercise can strengthen the cells that fight off inflammation.
- Improved digestive tract
- Reduced stress: staying active has proven to reduce stress as it is a healthy stress outlet.
- Better brain and memory health
- Better sleep quality: exercise helps reset your circadian rhythm, reduce stress, and balances mood, making quality sleep easier to obtain.
- Weight loss: Regular movement and exercise activities can reduce your fat percentage.
- Increased muscle mass: when exercising regularly the movement will increase either increase muscle mass or reduce fat.
- Coordination improvement: Staying active especially with recreational sports activates can lead to improved coordination.
- Meeting new people: gaining new hobbies or getting out and talking to new people can lead to beautiful friendships.