In our busy, stressful, and often inactive world, exercise can seem like a daunting task that is hard to incorporate into our lives when you’re not “working out” at all, which is commonly associated with extreme workouts, “wow” transformations and/or spending hours in the gym to achieve these things. The power of exercise comes not only from its intensity but also from the consistency with which it is incorporated into your daily life. Appearing to get “stronger every day” does not just mean you’re making your muscles bigger; it means that you are nurturing a better and more resilient lifestyle.
What is Consistent Exercise?
Consistent exercise involves doing physical activity consistently throughout a period of time, rather than on a sporadic schedule or only when you’re feeling “motivated”. You don’t have to do high-intensity workouts every day to be successful at consistent exercise; you may include walking, stretching, resistance training, yoga, cycling, or any other action that keeps your body active as part of your consistent exercise routine. The key is creating a pattern that works for your time, goals and schedule — that you can maintain for the long term, and that you are committed to continuing to enhance.
When a person grows in strength daily due to consistent exercise, there is a slow development because of the sustained frequency of exercise. By continuing to engage in regular and steady (non-urgent) exercise, the body learns to respond to consistent exercise by making gradual adaptations, improving muscle strength, endurance, flexibility (joint mobility), and improving efficiency of the cardiovascular system. On the other hand, by engaging in short bursts of intensity followed by long periods of rest and/or inactivity, you will never create lasting changes in your body, and you will also increase the likelihood of sustaining injury or reaching a point of burnout from exercise.
Improved Physical Functionality: The Improvement of Physical Functionality
The most important benefit of exercising regularly on a regular basis is having a healthier body. Regular physical movement increases strength in muscles and bones, thus helping prevent muscle loss due to aging and decreasing the risk of developing Osteoporosis. Both weight-bearing exercises (those that utilize gravity, such as walking, running and cycling) and resistance-based exercises (those that use resistance to help the body develop muscle mass) help to create a stronger skeleton, which becomes increasingly important for older adults.
In addition to this, cardiovascular fitness is significantly increased through exercising on a regular basis. Many cardiovascular exercises (like running, walking or cycling) help increase cardiovascular fitness (vascular response). Therefore, by taking part in regular aerobic activity you will significantly reduce the chances of developing heart disease, stroke, and other heart-related diseases. It is important to note that although aerobic workouts can provide the perfect groundwork for developing cardiovascular fitness, they should always be performed safely and with proper consideration.
One other major benefit of regular exercise is the improvement in metabolism and weight maintenance. Regular physical activity improves insulin sensitivity and improves blood sugar control. Regular exercise will allow you to eat a balanced diet without the sole focus of losing weight or adding calories to your daily caloric intake.
In addition to improving metabolism and the ability to maintain a healthy weight, people who exercise regularly will also see an improvement in their flexibility, balance, and coordination. These benefits will decrease the chances of falls and injuries, and will allow for easier performance of everyday movements. Simple movements such as bending, lifting, and climbing all become less taxing on a regular basis with regular exercise training.
Mental health advantages: fortifying the mind
The mental health benefits of regular physical activity are just as significant as its physical health benefits. Multiple research studies have concluded that regular exercise is associated with lower levels of anxiety, depression, and stress. Exercise causes the release of endorphins (commonly known as “happy hormones”), which improve our mood and feelings of well-being.
The key to receiving these long-term mental health benefits from exercise is doing it consistently. A single workout may provide you with a short-term boost in mood; however, by regularly exercising, the brain’s chemical composition will change over time. Exercise causes the brain to produce more of the neurotransmitters, serotonin and dopamine, which both help regulate emotional stability and motivation.
In addition to improving your mood and overall mental wellbeing, exercise also improves your ability to think clearly (i.e., your cognitive function). The increased blood flow to your brain that results from exercise improves your ability to concentrate, improves your overall ability to store memories and enhances your ability to solve problems. For many individuals, the act of consistently moving their body leads to a clearer mind and an increased overall sense of well-being.
One of the most significant things about maintaining a regular exercise routine is the development of mental resilience. Sticking to a consistent routine, even on days when you have little motivation to do so, requires discipline, patience and self-confidence. Each completed workout reinforces the idea that challenges can be overcome both in fitness and in life.
Growth Emotionally & Psychologically
While exercise is beneficial for both physical and mental health, it also has a positive effect on emotional health and increases self-esteem. With continued physical improvement in strength, endurance and energy levels, people typically have an increased level of self confidence. Although improvements may initially occur at a sub-microscopic level, this increased confidence builds with time and contributes to a greater positive image of oneself.
Exercise can also serve as a outlet for your emotions. When people feel stressed, frustrated or tense, their bodies respond physically by storing those feelings. When a person engages in physical activity, they release those feelings in a healthy manner. Movement is an excellent outlet for people to have an entire day to get things off their mind and allow themselves to either relax during the day or utilize the energy from their daily activities through an intense exercise.
Having a consistent exercise routine provides people with an organized and positioned lifestyle. During difficult times in people’s lives, a typical exercise routine offers an opportunity for a person to have a stable point of their life (routine) that offers comfort to them and allows them to feel like they can manage and be in control of what happens in their lives.
Prevention of Long-Term Illnesses is Possible With Physical Activity
The most important long-term health and wellness benefit of consistent exercise is its ability to prevent the onset of chronic illnesses. Regular physical activity has been associated with reducing the risk of developing many chronic diseases including type II Diabetes, Heart Disease, Obesity, certain cancers, and Arthritis.
Another major benefit of exercising regularly is the support of a healthy Immune System. Moderate, consistent physical activity has been shown to increase the body’s ability to prevent infections and recover from illnesses faster. Instead of weakening the body, regular movement improves its ability to defend itself against infections when combined with adequate amounts of rest and proper nutrition.
As people age, it is increasingly critical to continue with consistent exercise. Exercise allows an individual to remain independent by maintaining adequate strength, mobility, and cognitive abilities. For older adults, exercising daily provides a greater chance of staying ‘flexible’, engaged, healthy, active, and independent, helping maintain an improved quality of life.
The Effectiveness of Small Daily Actions
One of the most common misunderstandings concerning exercise is that it needs to be high in intensity or require large amounts of time in order to be effective. The truth is that regular, short periods of physical activity tend to create the best results. For example, performing ten minutes of physical activity on a daily basis is more effective than doing a one-hour workout only once per week.
The compounding effect of these small habits is great! A short daily walk will positively affect your cardiovascular system, your mental health, and your overall energy level. Similarly, spending just a few minutes stretching each morning will help eliminate stiffness in your muscles and improve your overall body alignments. The combination of consistency combined with the simplicity associated with each of these types of movements creates a very effective mechanism for transformation.
By focusing on the “progress” you make through your workout routines instead of the pursuit of perfection, exercise becomes much more enjoyable and sustainable. When you do not get to exercise one day, or when you have a set-back, it is no longer a reason to quit, but rather a time to return back to your routine and recommit.
The Road to Every-Day-A Little-Stronger
Consistency in exercise is the key to realising progress. Even though we know the benefits of exercising regularly, it isn’t uncommon to face challenges to achieve our goals related to exercise. The most common barriers, including not having enough time or motivation, or lacking confidence, are just a few of the many obstacles that can potentially hinder our ability to exercise regularly.
Flexibility and self-compassion are important tools for overcoming these barriers. Customising your exercise programme to include activities that are fun and enjoyable for you will help ensure that you will continue to do them on a regular basis. Exercise doesn’t have to only consist of going to the gym; there are many ways to incorporate movement into your everyday life, such as dancing, hiking, playing sports, or even doing housework. When we find a way to move our bodies in a way that we enjoy, the activity becomes a rewarding experience rather than a chore.
Additionally, setting reasonable and attainable goals is critical to growing in your fitness journey. When you start with small, easily attainable goals and then increase the intensity and/or duration of your workouts as you progress, you can prevent injury or burnout. You will be able to sustain your consistency by focusing on attainable goals rather than setting unrealistic expectations.
Conclusion: Make Progress Every Day
Exercising on a consistent basis is one of the best investments a person can make in his/her health and well-being. Consistent exercise is not only beneficial for physical appearance. The benefits of exercise are not limited to the body; they also include emotional resilience, mental clarity, and long-term health and independence.
Being a little stronger every day is more than just making dramatic lifestyle changes or being perfect in your efforts. Being stronger every day means that you are proving to yourself and to the world that you are committed to taking time each day to work out and that you respect the journey of being stronger! Each time you move, stretch, or lift something, you are becoming stronger!
