When we talk about the benefits of exercise, looking better gets the most attention.
Burning off unwanted pounds is a great but let’s not overlook a more immediate benefit of exercise.
Exercise transforms how you feel — with a quickness.
It’s true. While weight loss takes time, all it takes is one workout to begin reaping the reward of a more energetic and capable body.
Here are the top 3 ways that your body will feel better with exercise:
1) You’ll Have More Energy
How are your energy levels these days? (We’re talking about natural energy, not energy manufactured by caffeine.)
Do your eyes pop open at the sound of your alarm? Then do you bounce through your day with a spring in your step? Or do you hit snooze half a dozen times before getting up and dragging through your day?
While you may not instantly feel like the Energizer Bunny, your energy levels will dramatically increase once you begin a consistent, challenging exercise routine.
How does spending energy create more energy?
“(Exercise) literally creates energy in your body. Your body rises up to meet the challenge for more energy by becoming stronger,” explains Samantha Heller MS, RD.
Research consistently concludes that regular exercise increases energy levels and reduces fatigue.
2) You’ll Have Fewer Aches and Pains
When your life becomes sedentary then you’ll quickly find your body developing aches and pains. You’ll feel it when you stand up – a throb in your back, creaking in your knees and stiffness in your legs.
This is pain due to underuse. Your body was meant to move!
Movement improves flexibility and range of motion and releases natural pain-reducing endorphins. This means that with a regular exercise program you’ll be moving smoother and with less pain than ever before.
3) You’ll Feel Happy and Confident
A short while ago we had a lady come to us who wanted to lose weight, get in shape and feel better. She has been quite ill over the past few years and just wanted to get back into things; she wasn’t happy at all with herself. She was very nervous & shy and would barely speak to anyone else.
Now, it’s like a different person walks through our door when she comes in to train. She walks tall, smiles and talks to everyone and has fun. She sees herself making progress and feels good about it.
It’s often hard to understand how 30 to 60 minutes a day spent on exercise is able to completely transform how you feel about yourself. But it does. Think back to the last time that you accomplished something. Maybe you performed well at work and received kudos from your boss or you finished a project at home that took weeks of your time and concentration. Do you remember how that accomplishment made you feel? You stood a little bit straighter, you smiled easily, and deep down you felt alive with excitement.
When challenging exercise becomes a regular part of your life, feelings of happiness and confidence also become a part of you. And people can really see it in you.
From now on forget the idea that exercise is nothing more than a means to achieving a slimmer body. Instead, look at exercise as a complete life enhancer.
About David & Carol Petersen
David & Carol Petersen run Results by Design Personal Training - a personal training gym in Clapham at 292 Battersea Park Road SW11 - Call 020 3551 6739 today to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation session and discover how we can help you or complete the blue form on the right hand side of our blog and we will call you. We provide one to one personal triaining, group personal training, classes as well as bespoke healthy eating plans and more. We help our clients lose body fat, tone and sculpt their body and look great outside while feeling great inside.
