Have you ever wondered about exercising? Have you ever tried lifting?  Have you ever considered what it would do in your life? This essay will show you what lifting and exercising actually does to your body as well as how it makes your strength and stamina increase. I will show you all its benefits like its positive effects on mental health. Also, it will include supplements like protein and nutrition. Finally,  I will also cover substances that are illegal for sports(steroids) and how it mimics the male hormone. 

First, I am going to talk about what exercising and lifting does to the muscles in your body. As you lift you are stressing your muscles. Your body responds by recovering and adapting to that stress. The more stress you put on your muscles, the more it's going to adapt and in turn your strength will increase. By having more muscle mass a person burns more calories. This happens because muscles are in a particle state of contraction at all times, needing energy and increasing calorie deficits. While a person new to lifting may suffer from exhaustion and soreness, these are short term problems. In addition, lifting does not have to be something to bulk you up. By lifting the right amount of weight, completing the right amount of reps, and dieting the right way, everyone’s desired body type can be achieved. Typically, higher weight and fewer reps to bulk up and lower weight with higher reps for more toned muscle composition.

It is common knowledge these days that there are many benefits to lifting and exercise. While this paper focuses on lifting, an important part of the equation is regular cardiovascular workout too. As a person gets older muscle mass decreases substantially. By maintaining a proper weight lifting program and diet this muscle loss can be avoided. Another way lifting and exercise works is by boosting the immune system and improving heart health by reducing blood pressure and resting the heart rate. By burning fat and calories and maintaining a healthy body weight research shows that people on average live longer. Another benefit of lifting and exercise is that it helps older people with joint pain. Having more muscle mass also can increase balance and reduce injury. One other big benefit of lifting and exercise is increased mental health . By knowing you are doing something good for your body and seeing its results of your hard work, one feels a sense of accomplishment. 

A common thing to think about when you are getting ready to start an exercise program is supplements. There is a huge market for supplements and you always see ads for this pill or that powder. It's really virtually impossible to know what truly works and what is a scam. A general rule of thumb is that proteins and amino acids are safe. Other supplements however can be somewhat questionable. Creatine has proven to be somewhat safe and works by increasing energy that muscles need. Preworkout is another questionable supplement because many of these contain extremely high amounts of vitamins, minerals and caffeine. These have been shown to be dangerous, causing heart problems and overall health issues.

While most people have good intentions when starting an exercise program, others become excited about the possibility of getting big. These people take things to the extreme. An unhealthy relationship with body image can lead to the use of substances such as anabolic steroids and human growth hormone. Anabolic steroids are different from the steroids in the body. The steroids that the body produces is called testosterone. Testosterone is responsible for all the secondary sex characteristics in males such as muscle mass and body hair. Anabolic steroids are man made in a lab. They are injected or taken by mouth and can cause serious side effects. These side effects include, blood clots, heart attacks and strokes. In males specifically, these steroids can cause reduced sperm production, enlarged breasts, shrinking testes, baldness and cancer. In females side effects include voice deepening, reduced breasts, excessive body hair and baldness. These are just a few of the side effects, the list goes on and on. HGH, also known as Human Growth Hormone, is a synthetic (man made) drug that is illegal in the United States but allowed in Canada. This is a drug that many older people are interested in because it mimics natural hormones in the body. These hormones promote growth. It was approved for certain conditions in 1985. Those conditions included mostly disorders that involved children who were small and did not grow. The way it is used today is kind of different. Many people use it illegally to build muscle and increase athletic performance. The problem with taking this illegal drug is when you flood your with this man made hormone your body thinks you have enough of it and it stops making it. This is a problem because when you stop taking it you will not have it and your body will not make it anymore for you.

After shedding light on the negative things that can happen to someone who is enthusiastic about exercise, I would like to discuss something more positive, nutrition. To get maximum results with a lifting and exercise plan, an important component is diet. There are so many diet plans on the internet that promise results of weight loss, muscle gain, mental clarity, joint pain relief and many many more. There are simple basic rules to follow when it comes to an overall healthy diet. Research shows that a diet low in refined carbohydrates, higher in fruits and vegetables and a solid source of protein seems to be the way to go. When you look up diets on the internet it appears that the mediterranean diet is the healthiest overall. Dieticians and nutritionists seem to frown on red meat even though it's a good source of protein because of its detrimental effects on heart health. One thing for sure, the body works well when it's hydrated and a consistent supply of high quality water is always beneficial. In training many fitness enthusiasts also incorporate protein powders into their diets. My point being that diet, lifting and exercise work better in sync. 

One last important item to discuss is stretching. Stretching is important before lifting to relax tense muscles and prevent injury by assisting with flexibility and increasing blood flow. Research shows that by stretching before lifting, individuals will generally experience a better workout. On the other side of lifting or exercising, stretching is also critical to recovery. Stretching after exercise will reduce pain and injury risk. It helps eliminate lactic acid build up which happens when the body goes into the state of anaerobic respiration and finally provides a cooldown that is important for transition.

To recap we have discussed how lifting and exercising affects that body. We  have talked about how to carefully and safely consider supplements. We have looked at how to be aware of dangerous attitudes toward lifting and exercising. Also, the importance of avoiding dangerous performance enhancing drugs. Finally we have discussed the importance of diet and stretching. If you are new to the idea of incorporating lifting and exercise into your daily life, I would encourage you to start small and give it a try. Don’t try to set the world on fire right away. Gradually build a routine that works for you. Many gyms have fitness trainers that can help you along the way. If you stick with it, I believe you will find that you will feel healthier, more confident and overall happy with your results.