During the pandemic of COVID-19 you either embraced exercise as something you could do to stay busy and active, or you deleted exercise from your list of things to do. So why does this matter? Countless times you have heard about the benefits of exercise, so how does that change?

As you march ahead, and yes march ahead, you need to remember that exercising is more valuable than just one round of exercise. Especially now with the COVID-19 variant on the rise, you need to keep healthy and exercise for physical and mental health.

Yes, exercise wards off disease and illness, but it offers many more rewards that will help you deal with the continued rise in COVID-19. We have compiled a list of benefits of exercise to help you stay fit and healthy through the rise in COVID-19.

6 Benefits of Exercise : More than Physical Health

Helps Alleviate Depression

Physical activity and movement is an amazing and usually a free activity to help alleviate or minimize depression among aging adults. A study shared that the brain chemicals glutamate and GABA are increased, which is great, since the study by the Journal of Neuroscience shared that people with depression were deficient in both those brain chemicals. In addition, Yoga is another way to exercise and move and also gain positive mental health and confidence.

Promotes Learning and Good Mental Health

Let’s Go Team or Friends or Family! Group exercise that involves thinking or strategy or games with exercise are the best for you and your brain. You want to do your best to avoid dementia concerns with mom or dad, so start exercise games! You gain physical activity for your heart, social activity for your mind, and you learn something! It is a great release and so much fun to move, especially when you have to think about what you are doing without realizing how much you are helping your mind too!

Promotes Happiness and a Great Recharge

Again, exercise cannot go under-valued. It matters, and especially for older adults. Three to five sessions of 45 minutes can boost the brain and the body. Not to mention the social value if you exercise with a friend or family member. You reconnect and exercise, and it is all good for the brain to have fun and give life purpose. Studies show adults over 18 benefit from exercise and seem to have a more positive outlook on life. 30 minutes can recharge your body, mind and spirit. So grab a friend and take a walk!

Build Confidence

Just taking a 15 minute walk can build amazing confidence and help you with your mental and physical health. You don’t have to be a marathon runner or lift weights to reap the confidence of positive body image that comes from exercise. Keeping active, especially as you age, is a game changer to confidence and healthy living.

Clears the Mind and Keeps the Brain Fit

Everyone gets caught up in the multi-task life and some even think it is a badge of honor to have several things going at once. However, with all the family obligations, COVID-19 resurgence, and other basic life needs, our brains and bodies can become overloaded. With just a little exercise and movement, you can free your mind of stress and live a bit freer and still experience fulfillment. 

Furthermore, evidence indicates, there are many benefits of exercise for your mind. As mentioned before, a small, causal walk can benefit the brain and help ward off mental illness. A recent study showed that aging adults, 65 and over who routinely exercised made great strides with physical exercise and improved mental health much over the individual who did nothing at all.

Gives You Emotional Strength

The last year and a half has been stressful and hard to process all that we are feeling at times. Also, we all experienced forced alone time that could also cause anxiety and stress. It was a lot to process and determine how you should feel, move or step forward in your life. Exercise gives you that outlet to move and let your mind and body relax. It helps you decompress from the information overload of illness and especially COVID-19 issues. 
We provided a brief list about the benefits of exercise for your body at any age in the above points. However, as you are growing older or your parents are struggling with aging issues, get moving! Exercise is a lifesaver to many aging issues for your body, mind, and spirit. If you need more guidance for senior care, contact Ann at Senior Living Options and she will help guide you through the many hoops of aging.

Author: Ann Jamison

Ann Jamison is an experienced senior advisor who has successfully worked with hundreds of families to help them find the best care and home-like environment for themselves or their loved ones. Prior to launching Senior Living Options, Ann was an eldercare advisor for a national placement agency and served as sales director at a senior living community. Thanks to her 25-year career in advertising sales and marketing, Ann is able to discern between hype and reality for her clients. Ann recognizes that there are objective factors that need to be weighed when making a life-changing decision, but she can also assess the important softer attributes by getting to know her clients and by using the gut instincts that can only come through extended experience.