The Benefits of Regular Exercise - How Your Body Changes

Whether you’re a complete beginner or a “re-starter”, you must be wondering how physical activity will impact your health.

Well, I have some good news for you.

Exercising will not only change your lifestyle but will also have some interesting benefits on your body!

The next question is usually: how long does it take to see the results?

You might be surprised, but some of the benefits of working out will actually come from day one.

The longer and more consistently you exercise over time, the more changes you will experience.

​Let’s look at the timeline of how your body will change once you start exercising.

1 Day
Increased Brain Function
Exercising makes the body pump more blood to the muscles. This will increases the blood flow, which is beneficial for your brain.

The minute you start exercising, you brain cells will function at a higher level. The increased blood flow to your brain will make you more alert and awake during exercising and more focused after.
 
Lifted Mood
As we all know exercising often comes with pain.

Responding to this pain, your brain will start releasing certain types of chemicals that include endorphins.

They are often known as the source of euphoria and will not just kill your pain, but also make you feel more dedicated.

Once you’re finished exercising, your brain will release more endorphins, which will put you in a better mood for the day.
 
Body Fat Reduction
When you start moving, your body’s energy expenditure increases.

The energy it burns comes primarily from glucose, which is stored in the body as glycogen.

Glycogen is generated by your liver when it processes carbs.

With decreased glycogen levels, your body will then start turning fat and protein into glucose to help meet your rising energy demands.

Therefore, your fat storage will be better mobilised once you start exercising and your body fat will start to decrease.

Note, you’ll only maintain your body fat loss if your calories in don’t exceed your calories out.

So let’s put it this way, if you head to McDonalds straight after the gym, you will probably gain back what you’ve lost.

You need to create a 3500 calorie deficit or 500 calories per day in order to burn around 1lb of body fat each week.

1 Week
Improved Energy
It only takes a few cardio sessions to become fitter and improve your energy.

After a few workouts, mitochondria in your cells will increase rapidly.

Mitochondria are said to be the “power generators” of your cells, which turn oxygen and nutrients into adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

And ATP is basically what powers the metabolic activities of your cells.

In human language, your cells will have more mitochondria which will make your energy production more effective.

Physical activity will become start to get easier after this point.
 
Better Health
Mitochondria is not only good for pumping you up with energy.

It’s also beneficial for your health, as it protects your cells and makes them stronger.

So once mitochondria start to increase in your cells, your health will start to improve.

1 Month
Changes in Muscle Mass
After training for a month, your muscles will start to grow.

Changes in your muscle mass at this point will not only be felt but also visible.

Both slow and fast twitch muscle fibres in your muscle cells will start to grow and your muscles will get stronger.
 
Increased Metabolism
As a result of growing muscles and becoming fitter, your metabolic rate will also start to increase.

If your metabolism is faster, you burn more calories also at resting state.

This means that even when you’re sleeping, your calories burnt will be higher than before.

Your metabolism will work harder 24/7 from this point onwards and you’ll drop those pounds easier.
 
Better Fitness
After a month of exercising, you’ll already become fitter.

So welcome higher intensity, higher reps, heavier weights and longer cardio sessions.

As your workout levels shift, your brain will release more endorphins.

So ultimately, it won’t only affect your physique, but your mind as well.
 
Day-to-day Life Benefits
As you become fitter, your daily life will also become easier.

Let’s just think about a few basic examples.

You’ll be able to climb stairs easier without gasping after floor 2.

You’ll easily walk to the store that’s 10 minutes from home.

You won’t miss the bus if you have to run to catch it.

And you’ll not need your husband to carry your bags after grocery shopping.

Life will simply become easier.

6 Months
Muscle Growth & Efficiency
If you’re in the weight lifting department, after 6 months you’ll start to get those compliments from friends and family for sure.

Your muscle growth will be clearly visible with bare eyes at this point.

But what’s even better, you will feel more powerful as well.

You’ll have a greater endurance and won’t be afraid to challenge yourself.

Lifting heavier weights and increasing the difficulty of your training will not be a problem anymore.

However, to enjoy these benefits, you’ll also need to pay attention to the nutrition side.
 
Increased Heart Size
When you exercise, you need more oxygen.

Therefore, your heart rate increases to pump more blood and increase oxygen circulation.

After 6 months or so, your heart will grow in size from the more intense blood pumping. As a result of this process, it will also get stronger and become more efficient.

Additionally, your resting heart rate and your blood pressure will decrease, which lower the risk of heart attack.

1 Year
Improved Bone Health
Exercising and having a healthy weight can have major benefits on your bone health.

Weight-bearing exercises, in particular, have the greatest positive effects on your bones.

These include sprinting, skipping, stair climbing and skiing.

Additionally, according to the Medicine and science in sports and exercise’s study, resistance training can also improve bone density.

Changes in your skeleton will start to be measurable after half a year, and your bone density will increase after 12 months of exercising. The higher your bone density, the lower the chances of fracture.
 
Stabilised Mental Health
We usually don’t think about this, but exercising doesn’t only have physical, but also mental benefits.

First of all, exercising is an amazing way of relieving stress.

After a year of “gym-therapy”, your body will learn how to deal with mental stress effectively. And as we all know, less stress means better mental health.

Secondly, exercising can also reduce anxiety. According to the Society for Adolescent Medicine’s publication, physical activity raises self-esteem, which completely makes sense.

After a year of regular exercising, you’ll definitely feel better in your skin and become more confident.

Lastly, you’ll also experience better brain function and sharpened memory.

The surprising perks of exercising.
 
New Habit
Leaving the most important one as last, exercising will not feel like an obligation anymore.

After one year, you’ll finally enjoy your workouts and maybe even become a little bit addicted.

After experiencing all the benefits, you’ll suddenly feel like wanting to exercise.

But don’t worry, as long as it’s a healthy addiction, it’ll be for your own good!


So now that you know how your body changes from exercising, don’t wait anymore.

Get up, go to the gym and start enjoying all these health benefits after day one!

If you'd like help getting started with an exercise and nutrition plan, so you can experience the benefits to your health, then let me help you. 

What's stopping you right now from exercising regularly? 

Is it motivation? Time? 

Reach out to me now, I can help you with all those obstacles. 

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