1 . Everyone benefits from exercise, no matter their age, sex or physical ability. Here are a few ways that exercise can lead to a happier, healthier you.

Exercise controls weight. When you take part in physical activity, you burn calories. Regular trips to the gym are great, but don’t worry if you can’t find lots of time to exercise every day.     1     Just get more active throughout your day. For example, take the stairs instead of the elevator.

Worried about heart diseases? Expecting to prevent high blood pressure?     2     Being active increases the “good” cholesterol (胆固醇) and decreases unhealthy triglycerides (甘油三酯). This keeps your blood flowing smoothly, reducing your risk of suffering from heart and blood diseases.

Needing an emotional lift?     3     A visit to the gym or a brief walk can help. Physical activity stimulates (刺激) many brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier, more relaxed and less anxious.

Struggling to fall into sleep? Regular physical activity can help you fall asleep faster, get better sleep and deepen your sleep.     4     Or you may be too energized to go to sleep.

    5     They give you a chance to enjoy the outdoors or simply do activities that make you happy. Physical activity can also help you connect with family or friends in a fun social setting. Find a physical activity you enjoy, and just do it. Bored? Try something new, or do something with friends or family.

2 . Walking might seem simple. “But it’s not,” explains Peggy Cawthon, a professor at Harvard Medical School. “It’s an amazingly complex behavior when we try to understand how to improve our lives as we age.”     1    ? Here are a few ideas.

Don’t stop exercising

Cawthon agrees that the worst thing a person can do is to stop exercising. “You’ll feel the effects almost immediately,” says Cawthon. Sitting for hours leaves her uncomfortable, and it’s the days when she types that her arthritis (关节炎) doesn’t cause much pain.     2    .

Train yourself to walk with skill

To truly improve your walking, you need to think like an athlete. Imagine you want to play tennis, but you have a bad backhand. Playing lots of tennis won’t fix the problem, Cawthon says.     3    . It’s the same thing with walking.

Give your brain a boost (激励)

    4    . So don’t forget that when working out your fitness plan. Cawthon has been studying an area of the brain related to motivation (动机) and executive function. Subjects with a boost walk more steps on average than the control group, and they have been maintaining that even several months later.

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So when should we face the music about our mobility? There is no final answer for when walking problems begin to come up. “You should be as active as you can at any age,” Cawthon says, noting that people who are healthy in their 20s and 30s are best equipped to deal with future age-related challenges. “The best time to start is now. Next best is tomorrow,” she says.

7 . Spending time outdoors has long been linked (联系) to better health. Gardening goes beyond just beautifying outdoor spaces—it can have a deep effect on our physical and mental (身心上的) health.

Gardening involves physical activity that works all the main muscle (肌肉) groups, which is helpful for overall health. “Activities such as digging, planting, weeding and harvesting require movement and can help to improve strength,” said Clayton, CEO of an online lawn care company. “Performing these activities regularly can help burn calories, and keep a healthy weight.”

Beyond burning calories and building muscle, lots of studies have shown that gardening can improve the immune system (免疫系统). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people get at least 150 minutes of exercise each week, and gardening is listed as a suitable activity. Doing garden work for that time each week can reduce the risk of obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease. Additionally, spending time outdoors makes us get close to natural sunlight, which is important for vitamin D synth.

Gardening provides a chance for social connection, too. It can be a shared activity among family members, friends or neighbors, building relationships and a sense of belonging.

Gardening also offers cognitive (认知的) benefits. It excites the senses, improves focus and encourages problem-solving and creativity. It provides a chance to learn about plants, ecosystems and the environment, developing a deeper understanding and appreciation for nature.

9 . If you hope to improve your health, exercise is obviously a good way. But do you know that it has great effects on the mind too? We often pay little attention to the great mental benefits that exercising regularly can have. It will allow you to stay active and healthy for a long time, allowing you to have both the physical and mental (身心的) benefits.    1    

Improve your mood (心情) . Exercise is just what you need if you’re looking for some positive feelings. It is possible that you have experienced a happy time after exercise. While you are exercising, “happiness hormones (荷尔蒙)” are released.     2    

Reduce stress. If you’re feeling stressed, this feeling will disappear after exercise.    3    Because it helps reduce the level of the “stress hormone” which leaves you feeling tired and stressed.

    4    If you take regular exercise, you’ll find the results last longer too. So over time, you’ll have a higher ability to stay focused while completing tasks if you exercise regularly.

Improve your memory. According to a study by the University of British Columbia, regular exercise increases the size of the hippocampus (a part of the brain).    5    

So, it is clear to see that there are many different benefits regular exercise can have. With these benefits for the mind, there now shouldn’t be any excuse not to start and lead an active, balanced life.