5 Things Exercise Can Do For You

Well, by now you all know what a big proponent of exercise I am. Once again, if I have to hear one more person talk about how long they have been going to Weight Watchers “but I am not loosing weight”— I’m gonna hurl.

O.K.- that being said…. if you don’t want to exercise in order to loose weight…. then do it for something else. These are good things that exercise can do for you BESIDES fight fat.

1. Have fun- I know, I can’t believe that I said this… but since I began to exercise a couple of years ago, this is a very big one for me. I have said many times that the key to my success in the weight loss area has been that I found people to work-out WITH… not doing it alone. I have made some very good friends and now it is fun to meet with them and do stupid things…. like run stairs and bike and…. well… run. And besides, when we are done doing all these stupid things… we sit and have coffee.

2. Strong bones- this is especially important for older folks. Makes me feel good to see my Mom walking on her treadmill. Bones become stronger with exercise… particularly weight bearing exercise, i.e. tennis, weight lifting and running.

3. Maximum mobility- exercise increases balance, muscle strength and coordination.

4. Good night’s sleep- I have never, I REPEAT—– NEVER, slept as well as I sleep now. In addition to the weight loss curing my sleep apnea…. I am just tired. I get up every morning at 5am and by the time 10pm rolls around, I am done. However, I must warn you—- don’t work out too close to bedtime…. it will keep you awake.

5. Mood- aside from weight loss and the general cardiovascular improvements that I have made, I think that this has been the most important benefit that I have personally observed. I tell you—- it only takes about three days of NOT working out and I can tell that my mood has taken a nose dive. I really don’t know much about the science of this but I have heard that it is like endorphins that our brains produce—- this is triggered by exercise. It really is remarkable.

I think that these things are at least as important as weight loss.

Are there any other benefits that you can think of?

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 24th, 2010 at 5:30 am and is filed under Exercise, Workout. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “5 Things Exercise Can Do For You”

Annalisa Says:
June 24th, 2010 at 6:54 pm

I totally agree! I never slept so well either. At age 20 I used to be fine with 5 1/2 hrs sleep, and now it is a mandatory 7-8 hrs. I am TIRED! But I have way more energy when I’m awake, I get heaps more done, and I tell everyone that exercise is my self-prescribed medication for my mild depression. I always hated pills, and now I don’t need them! It’s amazing.

And I totally agree with you about working out WITH someone. I joined a gym because of my running partner, and I always used to say “I hate gyms!” Now I’m a gym-rat, 5 times a week! Other times I’m outside doing “stupid stuff” :)

GREAT BLOG, and GREAT JOB ROB!!!! You’re awesome :) And aren’t we lucky enough to figure these things out when others have such a hard time! Even though I haven’t lost all I plan to lose, the quality of my life has improved 1000 fold. Cheers to exercise!!!

Cammy@TippyToeDiet Says:
June 24th, 2010 at 10:57 pm

Great list! I can confirm each and every one!

I have two more benefits: 1) increased confidence and 2) improved stress management. I was amazed when, during the first crisis I had after starting to exercise regularly, my first thoughts were heading to the gym. Before, I would’ve found a donut shop or a pizza (or both) to deal. :)

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