Benefits of Exercise

Exercise impacts your weight. Whether you’re trying to lose weight, maintain your physique or gain muscle, the calories you burn from cardio and weight-lifting impact the number on the scale.

Exercise wards off serious health conditions and diseases, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, dementia and cancer.

Exercise improves your mood. The brain chemicals that are stimulated when you exercise lead to fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety, plus an increase in relaxation and self-esteem.

Exercise leads to better sleep. Fall asleep faster and sleep deeper thanks to exercise, which can improve insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea.    

Exercise boosts energy. Maybe you’ve heard the saying “energy begets energy.” It may seem counterintuitive, but this basically means that by exerting energy to exercise, you’ll feel more energized in return because of the oxygen and nutrients that are delivered to your cardiovascular system during physical activity.

Tips for Forming Exercise Habits

1. Find something you enjoy. You won’t be motivated to get to the gym if weight-lifting isn’t your thing. Exercise includes a variety of activities, including dancing, biking, running, tennis, swimming and more.

2. Start slow. If you’ve been sedentary for years or decades, don’t try to achieve 150 minutes of exercise per week right away. Aim for smaller goals and work your way up.

3. Sit less. Any amount of movement is better than none. If you’re prone to sitting most of the time, try taking a five- to 10-minute walk a couple times per day. It adds up!

4. Stick with it. Change won’t happen overnight. Research from the European Journal of Social Psychology says it takes 66 days to form a new habit, so keep going!