If you’re a person who likes to see results fast, who can blame you? We all like immediate gratification and that’s the case with exercise too. When you work up a sweat, you want to see a return on your efforts ASAP. Yet it takes weeks to months to see a significant change in your body composition.
Here’s the good news. You can enjoy certain benefits of exercise right after a workout. Here are some health benefits of exercise you don’t have to wait for. Some of them may surprise you!
You Get the Benefits of Heat Shock Proteins
You’re already familiar with the calorie burning and heart-protective effects of cardiovascular exercise. If you exercise for 20 minutes or more continuously, like running or cycling, your heart becomes a more efficient pump, and your stamina increases. That’s important since cardiovascular fitness is linked with a lower risk of death. But improvements in aerobic capacity take weeks to months. But did you know that some cardiovascular benefits occur almost immediately?
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro found that after one session of cardio, subjects had higher levels of heat shock proteins, proteins that protect against heart damage and sudden cardiac death. The adaptation occurs during and right after exercise, and it seems to be triggered by stress. Heat is another factor that boosts heat shock proteins. Therefore, taking a sauna may provide similar benefits to a hot and sweaty exercise session. It won’t provide ALL the health benefits of exercise, but it will boost heat shock proteins.
Get prepared to sweat though! There is a certain threshold below which you won’t activate heat shock proteins. If you want the benefits of heat shock proteins, give it your best effort! Higher intensity exercise is more effective at turning on heat shock proteins than low to moderate-intensity exercise. High-intensity interval sessions where you alternate intense exercise with recovery periods may be particularly effective for boosting heat shock proteins while taking a leisurely walk or a yoga session will not.
Exercise is a Mood Booster
Exercise lifts your mood, whether it is due to changes in neurotransmitters in the brain or the release of endorphins. Endorphins are natural painkillers that your body produces in response to stress, pain, and intense exercise. Endorphin release explains the sense of euphoria runners get when they run. Some say that’s why they enjoy running so much and never miss a day. While you may not always want to work out, once the blood begins flowing and endorphins begin coursing through your body, you’re glad you started, and the mood-boosting benefits can last for hours.
Working Out Lowers Blood Pressure
Following an aerobic workout, most people experience a temporary drop in blood pressure. Over time, you could get a longer-term decrease in blood pressure. It’s encouraging to know that even a single exercise session can change your blood vessels’ behavior, known as endothelial function. A study showed that resistance training leads to similar improvement in endothelial function in rats. So, both resistance training and aerobic exercise enhance blood vessel function. When you have high blood pressure, aerobic exercise is one of the best lifestyle habits you can do to help lower it, and it’s even encouraging to know you can see results almost immediately.
Exercise Improves Thinking Skills
You may think a little clearer and remember better after a workout too. In one study, subjects did 10 minutes of moderate to intense exercise cycling on a stationary bicycle. A control group read a magazine for the same period.
Afterward, researchers tested their reaction time and executive function through various means, including eye movement tests. They found the exercising group improved their reaction time, and their responses to executive function improved. Executive function describes the cognitive abilities you use every day to make plans, organize, remember information, and manage time. It’s a “set of mental skills that include working memory, focused attention, and the ability to switch between activities.”
Other studies show that after a single exercise session, the ability to remember lists of names improved. So, exercise is a brain booster even in the short term.
You’ll Get a Self-Esteem Boost
Along with a mood lift, exercise will boost your self-esteem too. Once you’ve nailed a workout, you can’t help but feel good about yourself, and that might be the best immediate benefit of all. You don’t have to run a marathon to get the psychological benefits of exercise. Even a brief workout can lift your mood and make you feel more self-confident. To start off your day on a positive note, why not work out in the morning?
The Bottom Line
You don’t have to wait as long as you think to get the health benefits of exercise. Some show up right away, and others will come about after you’ve worked out for a while. Keep working out! There are too many benefits, and you’ll enjoy the rewards of a better physique, fitness level, and better health.
References:
- Sports Medicine. 2009: 39(11): 923-35. “Low- and moderate-intensity aerobic exercise acutely ….” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33460204/.
- “Heat Shock Proteins and Exercise in Humans – Fight Aging!.” 24 Sept. 2009, fightaging.org/archives/2009/09/heat-shock-proteins-and-exercise-in-humans/.
- Public Health. 2007 September; 121(9): 643-655.
- “30 Minutes of Aerobic Exercise Supercharges Semantic Memory.” 26 Apr. 2019, psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201904/30-minutes-aerobic-exercise-supercharges-semantic-memory.
- Latchman DS. Heat shock proteins and cardiac protection. Cardiovasc Res. 2001 Sep;51(4):637-46. doi: 10.1016/s0008-6363(01)00354-6. PMID: 11530097.
- J Am Coll Cardiol, 2004; 44:2375-2382, doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2004.09.035.
Endorphins and exercise. /pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6091217/. - “[Effects of exercise on anxiety, depression and mood].” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15518309/.
- “More evidence that exercise can boost mood – Harvard Health.” 01 May. 2019, .health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/more-evidence-that-exercise-can-boost-mood.
- “The exercise effect – APA.” apa.org/monitor/2011/12/exercise.
- “Longitudinal Examination of the Exercise and Self-Esteem ….” .ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3603361/.
- Faria TO, Angeli JK, Mello LGM, Pinto GC, Stefanon I, Vassallo DV, Lizardo JHF. A Single Resistance Exercise Session Improves Aortic Endothelial Function in Hypertensive Rats. Arq Bras Cardiol. 2017 Mar;108(3):228-236. doi: 10.5935/abc.20170023. PMID: 28443955; PMCID: PMC5389872.
- com. “Short-term exercise equals big-time brain boost”
- Intrinsic aerobic exercise capacity linked to longevity ….” 30 Sept. 2011, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110930102806.htm.
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