Once you start exercising, there will be some changes in your life. For example, you need to add regular exercise to your agenda, adjust the exercise motivation and find an effective way to stick to it. Your body will change too, but they are not as simple as you think. There are some wonderful changes in your body when you start exercising.

Muscle soreness

Your body will feel sore not long after the first exercise. This is completely normal. Exercise causes tearing of the muscle fibers, and then the body has to repair and rebuild the muscles. That’s how muscle growth happens.

It will be sore at the beginning. However, the more you exercise, the better your body can recover from the exercise. Therefore, follow-up exercise will not bring you so much pain, but this does not mean that exercise has no effect. When the body is used to repairing muscles, the actual damage experienced during training is reduced. So, even if you limping away when leave the gym, don't give up easily, exercise will only get easier.

More energy

Even with only one exercise, the energy level is likely to increase. This seems to violate the intuition because you are consuming energy through exercise. However, in fact, exercise can make you feel more energetic. Researchers at the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands assessed the energy levels of about 100 students who feel exhausted.

Half of the students started running 3 times a week, while the others kept their living habits. The results showed that the energy level of the runners was greatly improved during the three-month study.

Muscle growth

When you exercise, muscle fibers produce small tears. These tears are then repaired and reconstructed to form stronger connective tissue and muscles, and the diameter of the muscle fibers increases. Certain types of exercise (especially strength training) cause an increase in muscle mass, a process known as muscle hypertrophy, a single muscle cell expansion.

Feel happier

Chemicals in the brain affect many physiological functions, including mood and cognitive abilities. When you exercise, the chemicals in your brain actually change a lot. First, the brain releases serotonin, a neurotransmitter associated with happiness and well-being that reduces the risk of depression.

Studies have found that compounds released during exercise (insulin-like growth factor 1 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor) make it easier for the brain to form connections between neurons. Other chemical changes can also occur, some of which are thought to be able to help prevent mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression.

Regulate hormone levels

A good workout actually changes the hormone function in the right direction. Some of these hormones make people feel good, such as "happy hormones" - endorphins and dopamine. Some women have increased testosterone levels, which helps to build muscle.

Sometimes, the "combat or escape" stress response triggers during exercise, leading to the release of stress hormones such as cortisol. Mild yoga does not release large amounts of stress hormones like HIIT, so it is more suitable for people with stress.

Growing more mitochondria

Mitochondria are called the motility chamber of cells. They are used to convert compounds in food into energy that is then used by muscles. When you exercise, mitochondria need to generate more energy in less time.

As you begin to move regularly, more mitochondria grow in the cells. After only 6-8 weeks of regular exercise, the number of mitochondria produced in the human body increased by 50%. This allows the body to generate energy faster and better, making it easier to exercise.

Better sleep

If you have a hard time getting a good night's sleep, regular physical exercise will help. Exercise can prolong sleep duration and improve sleep quality. The schedule of exercise has a certain influence.

For some people, exercise is too close to bedtime will cause energy bursts that prevent sleep. According to the American Sleep Foundation, this situation does not happen to everyone. If you can fall asleep after exercising at night, go ahead and do it!

Better brain function

Exercise can make people smarter. Studies have found that running is associated with increased cell growth in areas of the brain that are associated with learning and memory. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, exercise enhances the activity of a brain-derived nerve growth factor (BNDF).

This compound helps improve brain function and cell-to-cell communication, and it also helps prevent cognitive decline as it ages. This is why doctors recommend exercise as the first choice for preventing Alzheimer's disease.

Slow heart rate

The more often you do aerobic exercise, the stronger your heart and lung function. As time goes by, the left ventricle actually becomes larger. As a result, the heart can deliver blood more efficiently to various parts of the body, which means it can provide the same amount of blood supply with less contraction.

Therefore, the resting heart rate will decrease. As the number of heartbeats decreases, the heart does not have to endure so much stress. This is part of the reason why aerobic exercise is good for cardiovascular health in the long run.

Lower blood pressure

Slow heart rate is just one of many ways in which exercise affects cardiovascular health. Both aerobic exercise and strength training can affect vascular health. Aerobic exercise triggers the formation of more blood vessels, and strength training widens these blood vessels. In the long run, both effects help lower blood pressure.