Want to know the actual reasons why exercise is beneficial to you? The post outlines all of the most powerful reasons why exercise is so important in your 20’s.
In this post, I will cover all of the crucial ways exercise is valuable and should be incorporated into your daily routine. For myself, I think having an understanding of why I am doing something helps incentivise me to continue the process.
Don’t delay your fitness journey any longer! Here are the most powerful reasons why exercise is so important (even in your 20’s)!
Why Exercise is So Important in your 20’s
1.) Exercise and Disease Prevention
Right now, you probably are pretty healthy, with or without doing exercise. Why exercise is so important now has more to do with your future.
In your 20’s, incorporating movement and exercise into your day can be crucial to combating certain health conditions and disease later in life. Even if you are at risk for certain conditions such as Type 2 Diabetes or High Blood Pressure, exercising regularly can help reduce the threat of developing these conditions, or delaying their onset.
Also, you may already be showing signs of some health conditions related to poor diet and exercise in your 20s. I want to remind you that there is no shame in this. In America especially, we are conditioned to believe that sedentary lifestyles and excessive, non-nutrient dense food consumption is the norm. You still have an amazing opportunity to mitigate the impact of some of these conditions or delay their onset with regular movement in your day!
Regular movement can help decrease the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 58%!
Also, another powerful anecdote that helps answer the question of why exercise is so important is that individuals who don’t regularly exercise are more likely to develop high blood pressure, which could lead to a stroke or heart attack.
Regular movement or exercise is linked to preventing the following diseases:
- Obesity
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Heart Disease
- Dementia
- Some Types of Cancer!
2.) Exercise Improves Your Mood
Exercise or regular movement can also assist with improving your mood. Directly after a workout, I feel less stressed and more centered.
Regular movement gives me the tools to tackle any stressful situation that may come at me in a given day. In an indirect way, regular exercise has made me better equipped to navigate my personal relationships!
When I am able to correctly manage my own emotions, I can be better equipped to handle situations within my relationship with my fiancé. Things that would normally become a fight or overwhelm me to the point of a breakdown, feel way more manageable when I’ve worked out that day.
Science tells us that exercises that increase our heart rate can increase neurotransmitters such as Noepineprhine. Noepinephrine helps us regulate stress! And increased blood flow to the brain increase brain power to handle stressful situations more effectively.
Working out can impact your mood for the better, which can help your relationship with yourself and the people around you!
3.) Start Now or Regret it Later
Start working out and incorporating movement into your lifestyle as soon as you can! I think the trap of our 20s sometimes is the weird lull after high school where we were probably involved in organized sports or activities and now we have to make the switch to taking charge of our own exercise.
The best advice I can give you is to not wait to start this process.
People are creatures of habit. If we adopt a sedentary lifestyle in our 20s, it will be even harder to begin a workout journey in our 30s or 40s. I also assume that the responsibility of children or the threat of life threatening health conditions has not crossed a lot of our minds. Start making good habits now, before life gets more complicated (as it always does). There is never going to be a better time than right now.
A sedentary lifestyle can lead to a ton of health complications, as I’ve already explained. But on an even simpler note, if we don’t regularly train our body and strengthen it, simple tasks will be difficult as we age. Activities of daily living, such as getting out of bed independently, brushing our teeth, getting dressed, making breakfast, all require some level of muscle behind them.
In summary, it’s important to start strength training now to prevent functional limitations in older age.
4.) Exercise Can Help You Sleep Better
In college, I could regularly pull all nighters cramming for an exam. As I approach my mid to late 20s, this has become a nearly impossible feat! As we age, the importance of sleep becomes more and more important.
If you are sitting in the office all day, then get home and sit on the couch all day, then get into bed and go onto your phone, you may experience some trouble sleeping through the night. Another reason why exercise is so important in our 20s is getting better sleep. More restful nights have tons of benefits, such as more productive days, disease prevention, and weight management.
Making sleep a priority in my 20s has been really beneficial for me. Exercise is an amazing way to boost your Zzz’s!
5.) Exercise and Weight Management
Physical exercise and a healthy diet work together to influence weight loss. On a basic level, weight gain is related to consuming more calories than you are burning on a regular basis. While weight loss is related to burning more calories than you are consuming.
To maintain a healthy weight, regular exercise is crucial to incorporate into your daily routine. The amount of exercise needed is different for everybody. Obviously, your ability level and weight may influence what is needed to maintain your current weight. Play around with what feels right to you!
I like to incorporate both cardio and strength training throughout the week to improve different areas of my physical health!
6.) Exercise and Better Sex!
Now I know this point would get some people’s attention! Who doesn’t want to have better sex?
Regular exercise improves blood flow, which in turn helps when things get hot and heavy. Sensitivity and stamina can also improve from exercise and daily movement.
Obviously, a healthy and positive sex life depends on a lot of factors, but this is an added benefit of exercise that surprised me!
Share this fun fact with your partner too! This may be the motivation needed for them to finally adopt a healthier lifestyle.
Women’s libidios are influenced by work stress, self confidence, and many other factors. Regular exercise can be incorporated to manage these libido killers in a healthy way.
7.) Exercise Strengthens Bones and Muscles
Okay, moving on, I know this topic is not as sexy as the last one, but boy is it important! So, here me out, Osteoporosis is no JOKE as we get older.
Osteoporosis is a disease that breaks down bone density and weakens your bones. This can lead to fractures and injuries. This is another reason why it is important to exercise now! We are still on the side of prevention with so many of these conditions.
Regular weight bearing or resistance exercise throughout your life, can strengthen your bones and prevent conditions such as osteoporosis.
Also, regular calcium intake can be helpful in increasing bone health!
8.) Exercise and Mental Illness
One thing that is sadly familiar to most of us in our 20s is mental illness. Depression and anxiety are some of the most common conditions amongst people in our generation. Regular exercise can increase mental health and lower rates of mental illness.
Even if you are diagnosed with depression or anxiety, the benefits of exercise are still there! Exercise can increase emotional well-being, decrease stress, and boost mood.
Mental wellness is connected strongly to regular exercise. Overall, your quality of life is somewhat dependent on adopting an active lifestyle!
9.) Exercise Gives you an Energy Boost
Lastly, to drive home the point of awesome benefits of working out. One powerful reason why exercise is so important in our 20s is the immediate feelings we get after we workout! After a workout, your energy levels increase throughout the day! Who doesn’t want more energy throughout the day?
Sometimes, I workout after work, when I am feeling the most lethargic and tired. A quick cardio workout can immediately change my afternoon from laying on the couch and watching tv to actually getting the laundry done and being a productive human.
All these benefits are great but how do you start working out right?
Now that you know why exercise is so important, more than just a surface level understanding of something you know you should be doing, you need an action plan.
Check out my post on how to get into a workout routine again!
How to Start a Workout Routine Again: 13 Realistic and Helpful Tips
Here are some creative ways to incorporate more movement into your daily routine:
- Instead of watching TV right after dinner, take a 20 minute walk
- Walk to the mailbox instead of drive
- Get your friends and family involved and sign up for a workout class
- Walk the dog
- Search Youtube for a quick workout video (there are so many accessible and easy workout options on youtube that are free to anyone)
- Don’t stay sedentary for too long! Set a reminder at work to get up and walk around at least once an hour.
Now you have all the essential knowledge on the powerful reasons exercise is so important!
