Three benefits of exercise - physiotherapy heidelberg

PhysiotherapyExerciseHealth
Written By Benjamin Butler-Bonnice

This blog series will be focusing on the benefits of exercise. In this part will be covering three easy to understand benefits of exercise and how that relates to physiotherapy, pain and function.

Exercise is defined by any activity that is deliberate and requires your muscle to do work and your body to burn calories. Exercise could be walking, running, weight lifting, sports, fitness classes and anything that makes your body exert energy.

This blog is aimed at educating participants for physiotherapy classes in Ivanhoe, at our Bell Street clinic.

A couple running

Here is three easy to understand benefits of exercise:  

1.     Exercise can reduce pain (1)

  • Chronic pain management: Chronic pain can be reduced by engaging in exercise, this is very important to recognise in physiotherapy practice, as of course, patients come to see us for pain or injury.

  • Combining exercise with a recovery or chronic management plan is an important part of your treatment. If you are in pain, it is important to recognise exercise can be very beneficial.

  • Exercise can reduce pain in many chronic and acute musculoskeletal disorders such as chronic lower back pain, fibromyalgia and other chronic or acute soft tissue disorders (2)

  • We also know exercise can increase your tolerance for pain, which can help you cope with and aid in improving your quality of life (3)

2.     Exercise will build and maintain strong muscles and bones (4)

  • Activities that stress your muscles such as resistance training or weight lifting stimulate the release of muscle building hormones which leads to muscle growth and maintenance of bone mineral density (4)

  • Strong muscles aid in maintaining important functions in daily life, such as walking up and down stairs or getting in and out of a chair, which become increasingly important as we age (5)

  • Exercise and regular physical activity are essential in maintaining a quality of life and healthy function as we age (5)

  • If you have conditions such as osteopenia, rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis, exercise may be vital to maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle.

3.     Exercise can improve relaxation and sleep quality (6)

  • The energy expenditure during exercise helps in regulation of sleep patterns and aids in the restorative processes during sleep (7)

  • Exercise aids in the regulation of body temperature in the circadian rhythm which can improve sleep quality through that natural cycle of thermoregulation (8)

  • Exercise can help manage chronic insomnia and reduce anxiety (9), it can reduce sleep latency (10), and is particularly helpful in improving sleep quality for older adults (11)

  • Exercise also has many neuro-protective benefits for things such as mood and energy!

Check out this talk for the amazing brain-changing benefits of exercise!

These are only 3 of the benefits of exercise all of which can have massive benefits on your quality of life, energy levels, weight loss or maintenance, mental health and mood. We will cover these topics and more in our coming blogs. If you are looking for exercise classes in Ivanhoe, we have classes running multiple times during the day! 

In our next article we will be looking at how exercise can improve your joint health and aid in the prevention and maintenance of Osteoarthritis!

Stay tuned!

 
Benjamin Butler-Bonnice
Previous

Physiotherapist in ivanhoe for knee and hip osteoarthritis: Exercise and joint health
Next

The benefits of exercise - Ivanhoe physiotherapy