Exercising and Your Lifestyle

Exercising and your Lifestyle

Exercise is something that we all need, the sooner we start and the more regularly we continue to do it, the more beneficial it will be to our lives. Exercising regularly can lead to many benefits to the body and mind, the most notable, in my opinion, are clear thinking, a healthy heart, raised self esteem, and just general happiness.

When we are happy we tend to gravitate more to a healthier lifestyle. Though it's not always the case, lack of exercise may lead to irregular weight gain/loss, lowered self esteem, and the many physical/mental ailments that follow, many North Americans experience this on a day to day basis, in many families in the US and Canada, television is used as a babysitter and fast food is used as a convenient energy source. Many people do not realize that they are suffering from lack of exercise. Exhaustion and lack of motivation are almost considered a regular part of daily life, it is usually written off as a symptom of depression.

If you could naturally beat depression and therefore feel more active and motivated, would you? I should hope so! I used to be highly unmotivated to do anything, since I've started exercising on a daily basis I am up and about well after my job until it is time to go to bed, I rarely need the "babysitting" from the television that most of us are subconsciously attached to. TV is not a bad thing, but the amount of time you spend watching it should be highly moderated.

To naturally beat depression we need to release a combination of chemicals in our brain that change the way we think and our outlook on life, the most notable chemical is called serotonin, the best way to release serotonin is through daily exercise, to prep our bodies for daily exercise we should be eating healthy non-greasy foods, there are plenty of great foods out there that do not require a deep fryer, many can be found using today's most valuable asset, the internet! Getting into the habit of making healthy food can be a great asset to your lifestyle and well being. The enjoyment of greasy and sugary foods should not be avoided completely, it should be saved for enjoyable experiences with friends and loved ones, this will make the food seem less important in your lifestyle because ideally you will be more into the intimacy then the food in front of you, eating this type of food while alone may result in addiction for that particular type of food when you are feeling down.

Exercise does not have to be grueling and time consuming if you don't want it to be, it can be as simple as a brisk walk, push ups/sit ups while watching television, taking the stairs instead of the elevators etc. be creative and make it as fun as possible! Once you can make exercising something that you truly enjoy, you can make it more challenging for better results! For exercising ideas, the internet is a great place to start, but do it in moderation and with consideration to your bodily limits, if you have any health problems consult with a physician before partaking in any strenuous activities, injuries will make exercising seem like a difficult chore, if we do not enjoy what we are doing we are prone to quitting easily.

Remember to always challenge your body and brain to keep it fit and healthy, you will be glad you did!

-GB