A is for Attitude
Getting started and firmly grounded in an exercise routine can be as simple as ABC. With the building blocks of Attitude, Balance, and Consistency, you’ll be well on your way to a new level of fitness and wellness.
A is for attitude. Before you can have a great attitude about exercising, you have to really understand the benefits. Regular exercise is essential for health and wellness. It allows you to feel better, have more energy, manage or prevent disease, and live longer. It is hard to think of any other activity that pays off in so many ways for a 30-45 minute daily effort. The benefits are so compelling that it is hard not to be convinced to the point of taking action:
- The calories expended during exercise may help you lose weight, maintain weight loss or prevent weight gain.
- Regular exercise helps you to manage or prevent a wide range of health problems such as heart disease, metabolic syndrome, arthritis, diabetes, depression, colon and breast cancer, and more.
- Movement stimulates brain chemicals that help you to feel happier, have more confidence and be more comfortable with your appearance. For some, it may work as well as medication for combating depression.
- When you exercise regularly, your body becomes more efficient. Each activity that you do is much easier, giving you more energy for the things you love to do.
- Exercise promotes better sleep by allowing you to fall asleep more quickly and to stay asleep throughout the night. Good sleep habits are essential to health and wellness.
- Physical activities can help you to improve your connections with other people. Finding an activity that you enjoy doing with people you enjoy can add fun to your life.
- Slowing down the aging process may be another benefit, as exercise reverses the toll of stress on our cells.
- Better brain connections and more brain cells are the result of exercise and this can give you a big learning and attention boost.
That’s a pretty impressive list of benefits. To sum it up, exercise is a great way to feel better, gain health benefits and have fun. If this doesn’t exactly coincide with your attitude when you think about exercise–then fake it until you make it. A positive outlook will help you get motivated and boost your self-confidence while you are getting started. It won’t be long until you will begin to feel the benefits of exercise for yourself and then science shows that the exercise itself will take over and produce an improved mood and feelings of well-being. How cool is that?
Download On Track with Barix: The ABCs of Exercise
