This week we want to give you a good understanding of just how important physical exercise is. Then we’ll talk about the “how’s” of exercise below, and those are important – very important – but the underlying foundation for exercise – to really get us to take it seriously – are the “why’s” of exercise. Why should we exercise? Why is it important? We have been told many times how important it is and yet so many people do not exercise. Why?
I believe it is imperative to understand the benefits of exercise and why we would do well to adopt a lifelong program of physical exercise that keeps us in tiptop physical health. We should treat our body like a temple, not a woodshed. Because the mind and body work together, your body needs to be a good support system for the mind and spirit. If we take care of our bodies, they can take us where we want to go with the power and vitality to get there.
So let’s take a few minutes here and we’ll give you the 7 Major Benefits of Physical Exercise:
1. Physical exercise strengthens your cardio vascular system and helps support your skeletal muscular system. The two major systems that keep you in shape physically are put into action and driven to health when you work out and exercise physically. A good workout gets the blood pumping, moving throughout your body, taking those nutrients where they need to go. A good workout gets your lungs working hard and expanding their ability to take in and effectively use the oxygen meant to funnel through your body. Working out gets your heart pumping hard and strengthening itself so it can continue to beat strong and hard for many years to come. (Just do the math: Have you ever considered that a heart that beats an average of 70 beats per minute will beat 2,575,440,000 times in a 70-year life!? That is over two and a half billion times! You need to keep it in working order to go that long!). A good workout develops and maintains strong muscles so they can carry your body around and remains a good support for the rest of your life! Can you see how important it is, if you want to succeed and achieve a well-balanced life of health, to give a priority to physical exercise? It is imperative we take good care of our body because that is the only place we have to live.
2. Physical exercise raises your metabolism and helps keeps your body more finely tuned. Combined with the nutritional aspect these two keep your body as a system, humming along like the engine of an expensive sports car. Among other things, having a higher rate ofmetabolism makes your body work more efficiently, burning fat in the proper way and helps keep you at the proper weight. One of the most important areas of physical health is to have a properly functioning metabolism and a good workout routine can be a major contributing factor in getting your metabolism in the right spot. If you don’t feel well, you probably won’t do well, so invest the time in a good workout plan.
3. Physical exercise relieves stress. You know as well as I do that going about our lives in this day and age is stressful. There are so many factors that can cause stress for us, and the pressures can build the more successful we become. As you achieve more, there is more responsibility. More responsibility can produce more stress. Participating in a regular workout program helps burn off stress. Your body actually produces stress-relieving chemicals that are designed to bring your body into a state of physical-emotional balance. This is done when we get our bodies into a vigorous state of physical exercise. So, if you want to have a little less stress in your life – exercise more – it helps!
4. Physical exercise helps you sleep better. Our bodies, while designed for action, are also designed to sleep regularly. Often because of other factors in our lives, many people today do not sleep as they were intended to. Foods we eat can interrupt our sleep. Stress can keep us from getting the sleep we need. But exercise can help counter-balance that. Good, hearty workouts can and will help your body come to a healthy state of exhaustion, which in turn helps you sleep better.
5. Physical exercise helps you feel better. People who are in a regular exercise program feel better about themselves. Their bodies are healthier, and as they go about their day they have more energy and are more alert. It makes sense, doesn’t it? When we treat our body right, we feel better. And we feel better in all different kinds of ways: emotionally, spiritually, etc. Remember, all of the three areas of our bodies are tied together and have an affect on one another.
6. Physical exercise helps us look better. Hey, who doesn’t want to look better? We all do! A good exercise program can do that. Good vigorous exercise on a regular basis will help you lose fat, tighten skin and firm and tone your muscles. Done right, combined with eating right, you will look great in no time! And let’s face it, looking good will make you feel better – there is an emotional connection. Studies also show that better-looking people as a general rule do better in business. As much as people say it isn’t right to judge a book by its cover, many people do, so we should give ourselves a better chance at business by making our cover healthy and fit – and better looking. So make sure your outside is a good reflection of your inside.
7. Physical exercise enables us to live longer. This of course is the best benefit. Obviously there are no guarantees in this life, but the fact remains that those who maintain a healthy state of physical fitness live longer than those who do not take care of their bodies. We should all have as a goal the idea that we will live long and healthy so we can achieve all we were meant to achieve here, as well as give ourselves fully to our families and those who love us and depend on us. A good long life, filled with love and success is what we should all shoot for, and maintaining our physical bodies is an integral part of that!
There you have them. Seven great benefits you receive from keeping your body in great shape through exercise!