10 Great Reasons To Exercise

You might have thought to yourself: Is it really worth trying to find an extra 30 minutes to fit in exercise? Why should take an hour out of my day for that class? Here are some benefits of getting moving:

1.Mental Stimulation

Your body releases endorphins which not only makes you feel happy but it also sharpens your memory and helps you concentrate on tasks at hand.

2. Increased Energy Levels

Increasing your heart rate several times a week is a powerful tool to boost one's mood and make one feel more energized throughout the day.

3. Stress Reliever

Exercise helps to relax muscles and relieve tension in the body. Since the body and mind are so closely linked, when your body feels better so will your mind.

4. Better Sleep

Exercise can help regulate sleeping patterns and encourages better quality sleep throughout the nighttime.

5. Weight loss

High-intensity exercise, like running is one of the most efficient ways to burn calories as it stimulates “after burn”- in other words after your run your body will continue to burn calories during rest.

6. Increase Bone Density

Essential minerals are sent to your bones to strengthen them during weight baring exercise. These additional minerals help increase your bone density, especially the bones in your legs.

7. Relieves Depression

Studies show that running can treat mild to moderate depression as it promotes all kinds of changes in the brain, including neutral growth, reduced inflammation and new activity patterns that promote feelings of calm and wellbeing.

8. Increase Lung Capacity

Throughout your exercise, your lungs work together with your heart and circulatory system to provide oxygen to your muscles for energy production. Regular running and exercise can improve your lung's ability to satisfy your body's increased demand for oxygen due to the increase in blood flow.

9. Higher Self Esteem

Running on a regular basis can promote a sense of self-worth and make you feel strong and powerful. By meeting small goals on the road you’ll feel better about your appearance and feel a great sense of achievement.

10. Improves muscle strength and joint function

Strengthening exercises not only increases muscle strength and mass but also bone strength and the body's metabolism. A certain level of muscle strength is needed in order to function every day and to perform normal tasks such as walking and climbing stairs. Strengthening exercises increase this muscle strength by putting more strain on a muscle than it is accustomed to. This increased load stimulates the growth of proteins inside each muscle cell that allow the muscle as a whole to contract.

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If you will be hitting the gym or taking a class invest in some great workout gear to get you motivated to move.

"Making excuses burns zero calories per hour."