Exercise increases lean muscle

#2 of 7 reasons why daily exercise is your best friend

It’s a well-known fact that exercise will increase the strength and size of lean muscles. This is not new information. But did you know that we have 3 different types of muscle in our body: skeletal muscle (voluntary), smooth muscle (involuntary), and cardiac muscle (heart). When we exercise, we affect skeletal and cardiac muscles. Skeletal muscles are the only ones we have complete control over (barring a neurological condition). When we choose to exercise, we’re focusing on strengthening our skeletal muscles by increasing the size of its cells. We don’t increase the number of cells, but we can strengthen them and increase their size.

UNLIMITED activities to choose from! There are so many different forms of exercise available, that we can expand our horizons and find new things to learn and enjoy. It’s also fun to spend some time remembering the kinds of activities we used to enjoyed in the past, and reengage in some of those as well.

Many exercises can be done in your own home. If you have enough room to put something like a stationary bike or a tread mill, this can be a very convenient way to get daily exercise. The out-of-doors provides unlimited places for walking, jogging, bicycling, hiking and etc. Most neighborhoods have recreational parks with tennis courts or baseball fields. There are easily accessible bowling alleys and local gyms in most cities. Water sports include canoeing, surfing, swimming, and scuba diving. Some sports are available only in wintertime — like skiing and outdoor ice skating. Other sports are played in teams. But most exercises can be done with a friend, or in a larger group, or simply by yourself.

Certainly, some forms of exercise are more vigorous and physically challenging. Whatever form of exercise you choose, you will be strengthening different areas of your body, and your muscles will get stronger.

FREE Exercise! Some exercise requires special equipment, but there are lots of fun activities that are very inexpensive or free. Think back to all the things you did when you were young, or watch your own children or a group of children playing outdoors or at your local park. Children are only limited by their own imaginations, and they naturally enjoy engaging in activities that require physical exertion. If exercising together as a family is an option for you in your current situation, this can be a great way to involve both children and adults.

Choose a time of day that works for YOU!  I know all too well that many people struggle with making time for regular exercise. Many feel that they are just too busy to exercise. Somehow they mistakenly think that if they’re busy all day, then they must be getting some form of exercise. However, that’s not necessarily the case. There needs to be a specific time period set aside for meeting your body’s physical needs. Morning time is best, if you’re interested in matching your body’s diurnal rhythm for cortisol production. But, if evening works better for your schedule, that can also work.

Choose activities that you ENJOY!  When figuring out how to implement a regular exercise schedule into your daily routine, there is one thing that you MUST do in order to be successful in reaching your goals – make sure that the exercises you choose to do are activities that you ENJOY doing! Exercise needs to be fun. 

As a healthcare provider, I am definitely a strong advocate for health, and I spend a lot of time talking with my patients about healthy lifestyles. If you are going to be healthy in this challenging 21st century, you need to be actively involved in creating your own plan for optimizing and maintaining your health.

COMMIT to daily exercise! The decision to exercise MUST be a priority. Once you’ve decided on the time that will work with your busy schedule, the next hurdle is sticking to your plan. For me, I know that the decision to exercise is made the evening before. That way, no matter what obstacles or feelings come up the next morning, it’s much easier to ignore those distracting, self-defeating thoughts and feelings. Commit to yourself that you’re going to stick to your plan, and then learn to trust yourself by consistently following through.

In my next post I’ll expand on 3) Exercise decreases fat – another reason why exercise is your best friend.

1)         Exercise promotes heart health

2)         Exercise increases lean muscle

3)         Exercise decreases fat

4)         Exercise improves your mood (creativity, motivation, enjoyment of life)

5)         Exercise helps you sleep better

6)         Exercise increases your energy

7)         Exercise makes you look better (complexion, move easier, toned)

8)         What benefits have you personally experienced from exercising?