Fitness, Fun and You

“I really regretted that workout.”

~No One

This is single handedly my most favorite topic to write and talk about! Fitness….that’s right! Sweat is just fat crying!! It can be overwhelming and daunting. If you stop and think, where does the race usually begin? That’s right…at the start line. Everybody starts there! Nobody has a head start. Each of us start at the same point and end at the same point. It is the road in between that is decided by our own choices.

First and foremost, THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE NOT TO EXERCISE. There is enough time in the day to dedicate to your body. With the amazing advancements in the health and fitness industry, there is no shortage of resources to help you get moving.

We all know the obvious benefits of exercise, but how many of the following surprised you?

1. Increased Longevity

In a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, researchers found that “compared with non-runners, runners had 30 percent and 45 percent lower adjusted risks of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, respectively.” These mortality benefits were similar no matter how much the total running time, distance frequency, amount, and speed of runners as compared with non-runners.
The experts concluded, “Even 5 to 10 minutes a day and at slow speeds of less than 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h), is associated with markedly reduced risks of death from all causes and cardiovascular disease.”

2. Increased Libido

The endorphin release that occurs with a heart rate response, triggers the hypothalamic-pituitary axis to stimulate the release of Testosterone. More testosterone means more late nights!

3. Improved Skin Elasticity And Appearance

Exercise reduces inflammatory mediators in adipose tissue that are stored and released in the liver. Reduction of these mediators occurs by reducing the excessive fat storage. As inflammation decreases, collagen stimulation is initiated resulting in firmer skin. The firmer the skin, the less the wrinkles.

4. Nature’s Happy Pill

The monoamine hypothesis appears to be the most promising of the proposed physiologic mechanisms. What does this mean? This hypothesis states that exercise leads to an increase in the availability of brain neurotransmitters (e.g., serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine) that are diminished with depression. These neurotransmitters increase in plasma and urine following exercise, but whether exercise leads to an increase in neurotransmitters in the brain remains unknown. However the clinical response to improvements in mood is overwhelming.

5. Improves Learning

Exercise increases the level of brain chemicals called growth factors, which help make new brain cells and establish new connections between brain cells to help us learn. Interestingly, complicated activities like playing tennis or taking a dance class, provide the biggest brain boost. “Like muscles, you have to stress your brain cells to get them to grow.” Complicated activities also improve our capacity to learn by enhancing our attention and concentration skills, according to German researchers who found that high school students scored better on high-attention tasks after doing 10 minutes of a complicated fitness routine compared to 10 minutes of regular activity. (Those who hadn’t exercised at all scored the worst.)

6. Reduces Risk Of Alzheimer’s

Exercise appears to protect the hippocampus, which governs memory and spatial navigation, and is one of the first brain regions to succumb to Alzheimer’s-related damage. A recent study published in the Archives of Neurology suggests that a daily walk or jog could lower the risk of Alzheimer’s—or blunt its impact once it has begun. In 2000, Dutch researchers found that inactive men who were genetically prone to Alzheimer’s were four times more likely to develop the disease than those who carried the trait but worked out regularly.

Not that any of us need any reason to start exercising, but if the 6 reasons above doesn’t motivate us, what else can? Just like anything else, take a deep breath and take the first step. You are not in this journey alone. The weight loss is just the cherry on top. You are so much more than that!

I am here to help and guide you. There are no excuses! A one hour workout is 4% of your day. Are you not worth at least 4%?