COLUMN: Nothing to fear about exercise but fear itself
“Because regular exercise has so many significant health benefits, it’s almost crazy not to do it,” says Sherry Brescia, of Holistic Blends, in an article I found on her website. “The fear of exercise can have devastating consequences.”
She lists reasons that are compelling, and it made me so glad to be a fitness instructor. I didn’t purposely set out to get into fitness. It’s my love of dance that hooked me. The benefits just came along with the dance and fitness program and the list is long. Sherry’s list follows:
1. LESS OF YOU TO LOVE. This is the most obvious one. Exercise burns calories, and that means less of you to love, and the joy of wearing those “skinny clothes” in your closet and not dreading bathing suit shopping anymore.
2. LUB-DUP, LUB-DUP. Exercise helps improve your circulation and strengthens your heart. That can mean lower blood pressure and cholesterol, which in turn can help lower your risk of heart attack and stroke.
3. Joint Pain? What joint pain?Exercise helps decrease arthritis symptoms. You see, the stronger the muscles are around your joints, the more pressure they take off those joints and the less pain you have. A side benefit is needing fewer pain pills or anti-inflammatories, and also a lower risk of ulcers, gastritis or liver damage from the pills too.
4. SQUEAKY CLEAN ON THE INSIDE. Your lymphatic system is your “inner vacuum.” It’s an amazing filtration system in your body designed to filter out and eliminate the garbage around your cells. But unlike your blood, which is pumped throughout your body by your heart, there is not a built-in pump for your lymph system, so you have to be the pump. Regular exercise moves lymph through your body so it can do its job to filter out all kinds of toxins and promptly bring them to your “exits” — namely the skin, bowels, lungs and kidneys.
5. GET UP AND GO. Exercise and physical activity deliver oxygen and nutrients to your cells and help your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. When your heart and lungs work more efficiently, you have more energy!
6. SWEET DREAMS. Regular exercise can also help you fall asleep faster and deepen your sleep. Just don’t exercise too close to bedtime or you may find yourself too “energized” to sleep.
7. NIGHT MOVES. Exercise can leave you feeling energized and looking better, which can certainly enhance your romance.
8. NATURE’S HAPPY PILL. Exercise promotes the release of feel-good chemicals (neurotransmitters and endorphins) in your body. They’re natures’ antidepressant and they have absolutely no side effect. Plus, the increase in body temperature and release of stress during exercise can have a calming effect on any anxiety you might be suffering from.
Do you hate to exercise? You’d better get over it if you want to stay happy and healthy.
My next column will be about “excuses” people make to keep from moving and how you can overcome them in your life. I just started the program Walk with Ease by the Arthritis Foundation, and one of the participants remarked after the first week, “I can’t believe how much better I feel already!”
Source: http://www.gastongazette.com/lifestyles/health/column-nothing-to-fear-about-exercise-but-fear-itself-1.360299
She lists reasons that are compelling, and it made me so glad to be a fitness instructor. I didn’t purposely set out to get into fitness. It’s my love of dance that hooked me. The benefits just came along with the dance and fitness program and the list is long. Sherry’s list follows:
1. LESS OF YOU TO LOVE. This is the most obvious one. Exercise burns calories, and that means less of you to love, and the joy of wearing those “skinny clothes” in your closet and not dreading bathing suit shopping anymore.
2. LUB-DUP, LUB-DUP. Exercise helps improve your circulation and strengthens your heart. That can mean lower blood pressure and cholesterol, which in turn can help lower your risk of heart attack and stroke.
3. Joint Pain? What joint pain?Exercise helps decrease arthritis symptoms. You see, the stronger the muscles are around your joints, the more pressure they take off those joints and the less pain you have. A side benefit is needing fewer pain pills or anti-inflammatories, and also a lower risk of ulcers, gastritis or liver damage from the pills too.
4. SQUEAKY CLEAN ON THE INSIDE. Your lymphatic system is your “inner vacuum.” It’s an amazing filtration system in your body designed to filter out and eliminate the garbage around your cells. But unlike your blood, which is pumped throughout your body by your heart, there is not a built-in pump for your lymph system, so you have to be the pump. Regular exercise moves lymph through your body so it can do its job to filter out all kinds of toxins and promptly bring them to your “exits” — namely the skin, bowels, lungs and kidneys.
5. GET UP AND GO. Exercise and physical activity deliver oxygen and nutrients to your cells and help your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. When your heart and lungs work more efficiently, you have more energy!
6. SWEET DREAMS. Regular exercise can also help you fall asleep faster and deepen your sleep. Just don’t exercise too close to bedtime or you may find yourself too “energized” to sleep.
7. NIGHT MOVES. Exercise can leave you feeling energized and looking better, which can certainly enhance your romance.
8. NATURE’S HAPPY PILL. Exercise promotes the release of feel-good chemicals (neurotransmitters and endorphins) in your body. They’re natures’ antidepressant and they have absolutely no side effect. Plus, the increase in body temperature and release of stress during exercise can have a calming effect on any anxiety you might be suffering from.
Do you hate to exercise? You’d better get over it if you want to stay happy and healthy.
My next column will be about “excuses” people make to keep from moving and how you can overcome them in your life. I just started the program Walk with Ease by the Arthritis Foundation, and one of the participants remarked after the first week, “I can’t believe how much better I feel already!”
Source: http://www.gastongazette.com/lifestyles/health/column-nothing-to-fear-about-exercise-but-fear-itself-1.360299
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