4 Odd Benefits to Working Out

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Many people know working out is good for you. You get stronger, faster, etc. Here are 4 reasons BYU-Idaho students might be encouraged to start working out. 

More likely to get pregnant

Most college students do not get excited about the idea of getting pregnant. Here at BYU/BYU-Idaho that is a very different story. Students here are getting married and many of them want to begin a family. I personally know couples that want to have their first child, but they can’t seem to get pregnant.


Now, I am now saying this will get you pregnant. I am saying that it does increase your chances by increasing your blood and strengthens your heart. This helps push blood to you and your baby and helps it grow. Regularly working out also helps you lose weight and tone your muscles. This is important because weight loss reduces your Body Mass Index (BMI) which increases your chances, plus toner muscles will help make the delivery easier. 


Experts agree that you should begin working out before you are pregnant. If you are not, do not worry, you can still begin to tone your muscles and make that delivery easier. They recommend this because you do not want to lose too much weight while you are pregnant. 


The benefits of exercising/being active when trying to conceive | Tommy's (tommys.org)


Exercise When You're Trying to Get Pregnant: Best Pre-Pregnancy Workouts (whattoexpect.com)


It strengthens the brain

This one every single college student will care about. Exercising regularly clears brain fog, helps your memory, and aids the release of hormones which provides growth to the brain. 


Here are a couple cool facts:

  1. Research from Stockholm shows that physical activity lowers your stress hormones, and is associated with cell growth in the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain where the memory and learning happen.

  2. Research from UCLA shows that exercise promotes brain growth which makes it easier to make new neuronal connections. 

Regular exercise will help with those final exams coming up. Next time you want to take a small break from studying, even going for a 10 minute brisk walk will help your brain think clearer.  


The antidepressant effect of running is associated with increased hippocampal cell proliferation - PubMed (nih.gov)



Insulin-like growth factor I interfaces with brain-derived neurotrophic factor-mediated synaptic plasticity to modulate aspects of exercise-induced cognitive function - ScienceDirect




Helps body image 

I know a lot of people already know this. It's pretty clear that as your body improves so does your body image. But I want to mention a few ways this actually happens. 


First, you will learn more about yourself. There are so many different types of workouts, some people like light weights and others like to lift heavy. Some run for 1000 miles and others do high intensity interval training. There is not one workout that is better than another, but finding what you like to do regularly will teach you about yourself. You will gain more awareness which impacts your emotional health. 


Second, it helps you build social connections with people. You always have the option to workout alone, but even if you are like me and always wear headphones, you will see the same people over time. If you do not workout at a gym or club, you will still find people who you can relate to because you both enjoy working out. It gives you a chance to improve your social skills which will improve your self image. 


Third, it makes you feel better, stronger, and accomplished. You feel better because it can help you break bad habits; such as poor diet and being sedentary. You also have more energy as you exercise. You feel strong because you build resistance or you literally can pick up more weight. You feel accomplished as you achieve your goals and build more stamina. 


Recover from major illness 

I know while we are in college we are not worried about major illnesses. We are not worried about strokes, old age, etc. But many of us are worried about back pain or asthma.


Back pain is a major problem for college students. We are sitting down for hours at a time and if we are completely honest, we are not always sitting with perfect (or even good) posture. 


As you Strengthen your core that pain will start to go away, and it will be easier to sit correctly. Your lower back is closely attached to your hamstrings on the back of your legs. Stretching and strengthening your hamstrings will help your back pain. 


According to the American College Health Association, almost 9% of college students report having asthma, and that it affects their self esteem as college performance. Aerobic exercises help to reduce the severity of asthma attacks and have cured them for many people. 


Even though we are young and not worried about major illnesses, regular exercise can help us with our health issues that we face today. Plus, they help prevent the ones we will have as we age. 


https://digital.library.txstate.edu/handle/10877/14491


https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise-and-chronic-disease/art-20046049



Conclusion


There are so many benefits to working out 3 times a week. I do not want you to think that you have to workout for 2 hours each day to have these. Most physical benefits can be earned from working out 75 minutes per week. Which would be going for a brisk walk for 11 minutes each day. 


Do as much as you can, but do not add on more stress than you already have.  



https://digital.library.txstate.edu/handle/10877/14491


https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise-and-chronic-disease/art-20046049

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