September is here!
Labor day weekend is summer’s last hoorah and then fall will be in full swing. Life returns to normal. Kids return to school, adults get back to work. Which means we won’t be running around as much, enjoying the outdoors, taking trips, attending parties and barbecues.
For a lot of us we become much more sedentary as fall comes and winter approaches. And while many of us enjoy fall, as the weather starts to change and it gets colder out, the less likely we are to be active. Many of us sit at desks all day, spend time in our cars during our commute. We move less and we start to pack on those winter pounds. But what if you could avoid that? What if you could feel good year round? Believe it or not all it takes is a little exercise. Exercise usually only becomes a thing for most of us when spring starts creeping up and we want to shed those winter pounds to feel good for summer. But why wait? Like I said, what if you could feel good all year round?
Exercise has a whole host amazing benefits. I’m sure you’ve heard a few of these before, and a few might be new information.
EXERCISE MAKES YOU HAPPIER
Exercise has been shown to increase mood and decrease feelings of anxiety, depression, and stress. With the last few years all these feelings have been more prevalent than ever. Why wouldn’t you give yourself the tools to help fight them? Exercise helps the brain produce endorphins, which have been shown to help with increasing positive feelings and even help reduce perception of pain. A personal trainer can help with the motivation to get started. This change is so powerful you start feeling better almost immediately.
EXERCISE HELPS WITH WEIGHT LOSS/MANAGEMENT
This I’m sure you’ve heard before and that’s because it’s true. Exercise increases our bodies metabolism, which helps the body burn more calories, which results in weight loss. In fact resistance training has been shown to be the most beneficial for this. Strength training increases your metabolism for a whopping 72 hours after you’ve finished your workout. That means even when you aren’t physically active your body is burning more calories than it normally would while at rest. That’s awesome! It also means you can enjoy some food and not starve yourself. (read the top 15 foods you should eat if you’re over 40)
EXERCISE INCREASES ENERGY LEVELS
Exercise has the wondrous benefit of increasing your energy levels. Anybody who has felt lethargic during the day knows how crummy that is. Exercise helps fight that. It increases your heart’s ability to pump blood to the rest of your body, making it easy to deliver blood to the muscles as well as your lungs, placing less demand on them and leaving you feeling less winded and tired from activity.
EXERCISE CAN HELP IMPROVE SLEEP QUALITY
If you’re like me, then you know how crucial a good night’s sleep is to performing your best during the day. A crummy night’s sleep can leave you feeling hazy, tired, slow, and off your game. Exercise , specifically strength training, helps with every aspect of sleep such as your ability to wind down at the end of the day, the amount of time it takes to sleep, getting back to sleep after waking in the night, staying asleep longer, as well as a general better quality of sleep overall. We need sleep because our bodies go through a restorative process during that time. Refreshing our mind and body as a whole. If you can’t get a good night’s worth of sleep that process cant be completed properly and your body suffers for it. (read “Sleep Your Way TO A Smaller Belly” written by our CEO and Founder, Tony Bianchino)
EXERCISE CAN REDUCE PAIN
For the longest time the cure for chronic pain was inactivity and rest. More recently we are finding out that, while in some cases it’s true, the majority of the time that’s the opposite of what you should be doing. Strength training can help build up supporting muscles, making them stronger and reducing pain. Exercise also, as I stated earlier, helps improve blood flow which brings more blood flow to areas of the body, making an area more mobile, which can also help in reducing pain. Reducing pain is a huge way to increase your quality of life and make you feel better so why not equip yourself with the tools to make your life as good as possible.
These are just a few of the incredible benefits of regular exercise. There are so many incredible things it can do for us both physically and mentally. Like I said earlier, why wouldn’t you give yourself the best chance to live a healthy, vibrant life and enjoy all it has to offer?
If you need help and don’t know where to begin, just reach out and I’ll get you moving in the right direction. You can request your free call with me, a personal trainer and nutritionist in Westfield, NJ. here: TALK TO ME
Yours In Health,
Ray Taylor, Head Trainer
Out Run Your Fork Personal Training and Nutrition in Westfield, NJ