10 science-based reasons to play sports

It should be noted that regular exercise improves the cardiovascular system and provide excellent prevention of heart disease and vessels, reduces the risk of diabetes type 2 and even cancer, helps control weight, strengthens muscles and bones, improve flexibility, reduce the risk of injury and even help for a long time to maintain a satisfactory physical state (that is, to a great age, if lucky).

And more training provides not only health and longevity, but also in a good mood!

1. Exercise helps you think more clearly and make good decisions

Physical activity involves the ventral prefrontal cortex of your brain, that is the part that plays a major role in the process decision making and emotional processing of events.

2. Exercise improves mood

Ventral prefrontal cortex also handles our negative emotions such as fear, and helps to assess the riskiness of a situation or action. High physical activity allows it to better perform its functions, resulting in a productive and we remain in good spirits.

3. Exercise helps fight stress

Sports change the part of the brain - the dorsal raphe nucleus - which is responsible for mood regulation, producing serotonin, and tells us about the presence of stress via R. substance

Substance P or substance P, - a neuropeptide of the tachykinin family. It has a wide spectrum of biological activity: vasodilating action exerts influences on arterial blood pressure, increases capillary permeability, activates synthesis and release of inflammatory mediators, causes smooth muscle contraction action has secretogenic, stimulates the release of prolactin and digestive hormones. The substance P is responsible for the transmission of pain impulses in the central nervous system.

4. Exercise reduces stress and anxiety

Exercise increases levels of serotonin, resulting in a better mood, and negative emotions fade. True, it happens immediately, but after about 40 minutes after the beginning of the exercise, so that, if before work or an important meeting, you decided to visit the gym or go for a run, a positive attitude you provided.

5. Exercise improves memory

This was written a lot of articles, but we still recall: exercise increase the activity of the hippocampus - the part of the brain that plays a key role in the formation of new memories and restore old ones.

6. Exercise improves cognitive function

Studies have shown that even short intense workouts (HIIT so loved us, and Tabata) increase the efficiency and productivity during the working day. Of course, not necessarily to engage up a sweat, but poprisedat or push-ups a few times as possible. ;)

7. Exercise can help reduce the pain

Those who engage in sports, most likely aware of the phenomenon of "Runner". Is a condition where during prolonged strenuous exercise decreases the feeling of pain (usually it happens at marathons). However, in order to feel the euphoria, it is not necessary to run marathons. Studies show that even exercise at low intensity, such as water aerobics, reduce pain.

8. Exercise increases satisfaction with their body

As a rule, people who are constantly trained, a sense of satisfaction in relation to the body immediately after exercise. If we take the average, then the people who are constantly performing physical exercise, much more satisfied with the state of his own body, than those who only occasionally trains.

9. People who exercise regularly are more successful in a romantic relationship

However, researchers are not quite sure of the cause of this phenomenon. It is possible that those who train constantly, satisfied with their appearance and, as a consequence, have more confidence in themselves (see. paragraph 8). Maybe, exercise increases the quality of sexual life. And maybe those who regularly trains are almost always in a good mood (see. paragraphs 2, 3 and 4), and it helps not to get upset over nothing and not venturing petty quarrel.

10. Exercise makes you happy

Studies continue to prove that people who exercise regularly are happier than those who neglect training. This is not surprising, if look back at previous 9 points.