4 Really Surprising Ways Exercise Makes You Feel Better

You may know that regular exercise can support your immune system and make you the best fat burner. But consistently working out provides many, many other benefits that you might not be aware of.

Most people go to the gym to get stronger and fitter. But have you ever noticed how much happier you feel after you work out?

That’s not just because you made good choices about your health! Exercise is key to building muscle and improving heart health, but there are some amazing advantages to working out that might surprise you.

From boosting your mood to helping with sleep, here are four ways that the right kind of exercise makes you feel better long after you’ve hit the showers.

Tossing and turning or can’t fall asleep? It happens to us all, and it’s never pleasant. Over the years, I’ve developed some simple hacks to get a great night’s sleep so I can be my best self every single day. I want to share those tips with you in my Best Rest Sleep Cheat Sheet. It’s FREE, so you’ve got nothing to lose… and a great night’s sleep to gain. Grab your guide here.

Exercise enhances your brain

If you want to increase your brain power, get moving!

Research proves that physical activity not only helps repair and protect your current brain cells, it also triggers the growth of new cells that play a crucial role in learning and memory. (1-3)

Exercise can relieve anxiety and depression

When it comes to beating the blues, exercise is an amazing ally.

By stimulating the release of feel-good chemicals and hormones in your brain, exercise helps improve your mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. (4-6) In fact, studies show that folks who work out at least two or three times a week experience significantly less depression, anger, and stress than folks who exercise less frequently or not at all. (7)

Those are all great reasons to incorporate burst training combined with weight resistance into your fitness routine!

Exercise can improve sleep

If you’re struggling to get your z’s, bursting on the Xiser can be a big help!

Scientific studies show that people who exercise regularly not only doze off faster once they hit the pillow, they also get higher quality sleep at night. (8-9)

(Just remember that evening sweat sessions can leave you wired before bed, so be sure to schedule your workouts in the morning or early afternoon hours…)

Trouble falling or staying asleep? It happens to the best of us! Sleep Candy™ combines science-studied nutrients including melatonin, inositol, and L-theanine (the same nutrient in calming green tea!) to help you safely fall and stay sleep… every single night! *

Exercise increases insulin sensitivity

The more insulin sensitive you are, the better your body can burn off fat.

To understand how that works, picture this:

Every day, you listen to music while you work. As the hours go by, the music starts to blend into the background noise, so you turn up the volume to compensate.
After several days, that higher volume seems normal. And inevitably, you find yourself amping it up even more so it’s clear.
Soon, without realizing it, you’ve got the volume so loud it damages your hearing – and you never even noticed!

Insulin sensitivity works the same way. Every time you eat something sweet, you need insulin to shuttle that sugar to your cells and bring your blood glucose levels back to normal.

The more sugar you eat, the more insulin you make and the less responsive your cells become to it. It takes increasing amounts of insulin to bring your blood sugar back down to normal levels, just as it took a higher volume for the music to stand out in the earlier example.

Over time, those chronically elevated blood sugar and insulin levels cause your body to store extra fat. They also put you at a greater risk for type 2 diabetes and other serious health issues. (10-12)

Exercise to the rescue! Studies show that just one single bout of exercise can improve your insulin sensitivity for up to 16 hours after your workout. (13) Translation: for balancing blood sugar and protecting your health, exercise is a fierce secret weapon.

Now that you recognize the many perks of working out, there’s only one thing left to do: lace up your tennis shoes and start moving today!

Just be sure to opt for burst training (a.k.a. high-intensity interval training) and resistance training, rather than endurance cardio. You don’t want to undo the numerous benefits of exercise by stressing your body with steady-state cardio sessions…

A loaded smoothie is my favorite way to break my fast… and I also have one after intense exercise! I've compiled over 50 of my favorite smoothies in this Smoothie Guide. All of them are fast, filling, delicious, take minutes to make but keep you full for hours! Get your FREE guide here.

The views in this blog by JJ Virgin should never be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. Please work with a healthcare practitioner concerning any medical problem or concern. The information here is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or condition. Statements contained here have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

References