Human lower limbs are a highly complicated part of the body. The most important component of your body that helps keep you strong is your legs.
Legs provide humans with the ability to walk upright and give them immense strength in comparison to other mammals of similar size. Having legs is essential for human movement. We would not be able to do simple chores had it not been our legs working properly.
They support our body and bear our weight. Legs also help us balance ourselves. Read this blog post to find 15 reasons why legs are important.
15 Benefits Of Legs That Help Us Move Around
Legs are the essential part of our body that enables us to get around. They ensure easy movement and help with other functions too. Your legs determine your strength and fitness.
1. Legs Are A Driving Force For Many Movements
When we go about our daily activities such as walking, standing up, or sitting down we use our legs to move around.
Leg muscles and tendons form the driving force for walking, running, jumping, climbing, and other movements.
Legs take a beating every day: lifting us and allowing us to stand on two feet and support our upper body weight takes its toll.
2. Legs Help Bear Our Weight
Our bones are what keep us up, but it’s our leg muscles that assist with the task of weight-bearing. The quadriceps, hamstrings, and calf muscles are all necessary for weight-bearing. To support the workload, legs need to be strong.
Without them, we would not be able to walk or hold our torso upright. The effort of supporting your body weight is evenly shared between your upper and lower body.
3. Legs Provide Stability And Balance
Legs provide the symmetry of muscle proportion.
Leg muscles are connected to your pelvis by tendons that run across the top of your knees. This connection keeps you stable while transferring forces throughout your body.
Humans can maintain balance in their upright position thanks to the strength and flexibility of their legs. The muscles themselves, along with ligaments and tendons present in our legs, help to hold us up while being flexible enough to move.
4. Legs Assist To Stand Upright
Being able to stand upright is major advantage humans have over just about every other species on the planet.
We have an upright skeletal structure that is supported by ligaments and tendons in our legs, as well as many muscles working together. This design makes it possible for us to walk and run on two feet.
Our leg muscles play a crucial role in stabilizing the body when we’re standing. They help maintain balance and control the position of our upper body.
Related Video – 5 Things That Happen When You Put Your Legs Up Against A Wall Every Day:
5. Legs Help Us In Daily Tasks
Our legs are involved in even the most mundane activities.
Even walking around all day demands a lot from your leg muscles to keep upright and balanced, which is why we must exercise regularly through workouts or other activities.
Strong leg muscles are necessary for doing daily tasks that may seem too simple or easy.
6. Legs Contribute To Overall Strength
Legs are essential for movement. They’re also used in workouts.
Many activities require us to use our leg muscles and contribute to our overall strength. People who engage in sports or play games that require running or jumping can benefit from stronger legs.
A study published found that it only takes two weeks of not using their legs for young people to lose a third of their muscular capacity, putting them on par with individuals who are 40-50 years their senior.
Legs are also used as a form of resistance training. Squats, lunges, leg presses, and other exercises help to tone your muscles and increase strength in the legs.
7. Legs Determine Your Fitness Level
Leg muscles are the largest in the body and play a vital role. Having stronger legs provides you with better stability which contributes to an overall higher fitness level. Additionally, exercising leg muscles enhances lower back strength and coordination of upper limbs.
A significant contributor to your overall fitness is your leg strength. They are not the only ones doing the work but also play a crucial role in helping other muscles do their job. The stronger your legs, the more weight you can lift and carry around while staying healthy.
8. Legs Have Nerves And Arteries To Support Them
Skeletal muscles need a lot of oxygenated blood to keep them working. And a great of flexibility and movement is required to supply oxygen.
The leg veins also help in regulating body temperature by dilating when we are hot and constricting when we are cold.
The blood vessels in the lower limbs are large and well-supplied with nerves, allowing for their proper functioning. The leg muscles require a good amount of force to help the heart pump blood through the veins.
This ensures an even distribution of blood throughout the body.
9. Strong Legs Keep You Safe
Having strong legs can prevent injuries. Additionally, being in good physical shape helps you to avoid injuries related to work or sports activities.
The more muscle you have the less likely you are to fall or get hurt when doing tasks around your home or workplace. Having stronger legs decreases the chance of injury while maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
10. Legs Require Flexibility For Normal Function
The tendons that connect leg muscles to bones are flexible enough so our lower limbs can bend.
This allows us to move around and sit down without discomfort or pain because the tendon stretch along with the muscle fibers. Without this flexibility, our legs would not be able to support our weight properly.
The essential movement of flexing and extending the knee would also be much more difficult. The tendons in the legs need to have a good amount of elasticity so they can expand with each step taken.
10. Legs Require Strength Too
Contrary to popular belief, having strong leg muscles does not mean that they will be bulky and big like the upper body muscles in men.
The legs contain a higher percentage of fast-twitch fibers which are required for quick leg movements. Since these types of muscle fibers do not grow very large or thick, people who have stronger legs can keep them toned and sleek.
The leg muscles are designed to support the body weight and to stand up against physical activity. They contribute to overall strength, endurance, and speed when it comes to physical activities such as running or walking long distances.
11. Legs Provide Joint Flexibility
Legs can move in many different ways because of the flexibility of their joints.
The hips, knees, ankles, and feet can all bend in multiple directions all due to strengthening leg muscles and tendons. This flexibility is necessary for many activities.
The flexibility of the joints also helps to prevent injuries such as sprains and breaks that can happen when we fall or jump.
12. Legs Bring Out A Positive Self-Image
A fit physique is something that people try to achieve because it is considered attractive, desirable, and healthy.
Having strong legs gives us a positive self-image because they are aesthetically pleasing to look at. The muscularity of leg muscles contributes to this positive image, but having toned legs can make you feel better about your body in general.
If your legs are muscular or have a high level of endurance due to regular workouts, you will feel more confident about yourself which will boost your self-esteem.
13. Leg Workouts Can Enhance Brain Activity
The mind and body are not entirely separate entities. They influence each other in a variety of ways, one being that physical activity can boost brain function too.
With good blood circulation, the brain tends to work efficiently. Scientists have found that regular exercise helps to improve memory plus problem-solving abilities. Many studies have shown that people who work out regularly tend to think more clearly as well.
14. Legs Are A Crucial Factor In Heart Health
The leg muscles are important for the healthy function of your heart because the movement helps pump blood evenly throughout your body. The large arteries and veins in the legs ensure that this happens efficiently and properly despite high or low activity levels or environmental factors such as temperature.
The interconnectedness of the circulatory system means that leg muscles have an impact on other parts of your body too.
Having strong legs can reduce or prevent hypertension and assist in protecting against diseases such as atherosclerosis that affect the heart and increase the risk of heart attacks.
15. Leg Workouts Can Make You Feel Happy
Exercise of any kind can improve mood by releasing endorphins. These are hormones responsible for feelings of euphoria, happiness, and pleasure throughout the brain.
Endorphins are released during strenuous physical activities such as running, jogging, biking, weight lifting, or doing cardio work.
Leg workouts can also give you that runner’s high because exercise speeds up blood flow to the brain, which in turn sends more oxygen and nutrients throughout.
People who are new to working out tend to feel more positive about themselves during workouts because they are challenging themselves physically. This makes them feel good afterward too by achieving the goals set for taking part in these activities.
The Importance Of Legs – Conclusion
Your legs work hard each day and they deserve some love in return by taking care of them now and then!
Having strong legs is not just an advantage for athletes or those trying to improve their physical appearance; it also provides benefits to those who want to enjoy a healthier life and a positive body image.
They are involved in everyday activities, keeping us upright and balanced, and have a positive influence on the psyche.
References
- https://www.acefitness.org/fitness-certifications/ace-answers/exam-preparation-blog/3594/muscles-that-move-the-leg/
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/06/150626095520.htm
- https://www.osrpt.com/2018/07/how-strengthening-exercises-help-prevent-injuries/
- https://www.healthline.com/health/slow-twitch-muscle-fibers
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15495679/
- https://www.bbc.com/news/health-34764693
- https://www.uhhospitals.org/Healthy-at-UH/articles/2020/08/what-your-legs-can-tell-you-about-your-heart-health
- https://www.healthline.com/health/runners-high#definition
A sophomore in engineering, I’m a budding writer and an adventure enthusiast. My passion leads me on to try my hands on different things. I enjoy music, food, and good company. Making my way through life in my own ways, you’ll find me holding a camera and capturing what this world has to offer.