Exercise improves your physical health, increases your stamina, and provides a general sense of wellbeing – none of this is a foreign concept or up for debate. Physical fitness drives so many of us to workout because we want to lose weight, build lean muscle, look good or achieve a fitness goal, such as performing the perfect chin up or running a half marathon.
However, regular exercise has benefits far beyond physical fitness. Exercise is foundational to a happy, productive life, that is mobile, pain-free, and social. We want to look beyond the gym and discover why exercise is a key ingredient to making you the central character of your best life and not a mere spectator.
Exercise Benefits Mental Wellbeing
The 21st century heightened the mind/body connection and the past couple of years have solidified that concept. To focus all our energy on one and not the other, diminishes both. We are all very aware that physical activity increases the happy hormones in our system. Don’t discount the endorphins.
We often hear from our clients after finishing a challenging session how great they feel, and there is extensive research to support that. Dr. Kenneth Fox studied The influence of physical activity on mental well-being over 20 years ago and discovered how exercise was a positive treatment for mental health, particularly depression and anxiety.
The key here is to not overdo it, you want to leave your exercise sessions feeling empowered with a little energy left in the tank. Pushing too hard too early can have the opposite effect, so Authentic Health strongly recommends starting small and building up the intensity.
Exercise Prevents Disease
Often we react to a huge life scare like diabetes, cancer, or a heart attack by taking stock of our health and becoming more physically fit. However, the key is to be proactive rather than reactive. Don’t wait until you are in the grips of a disease: reduce your risk markers by incorporating exercise into your life now. Physically fit people are less susceptible to illness.
The Centres for Disease Control in America says the cost on the American economy due to lack of physical activity is over 117 Billion dollars a year. You can guarantee here in Australia those rates are just as high, with similar obesity rates. Both countries have the dubious credentials of being in the Top 20 obese countries globally.
Exercise Develops Your Community
One of the keys to having a happy life is to feel like you belong to a community. Some people achieve this through a church, while others join a local sporting team but often we don’t realise that our gym community can become some of our closest friends, supporting our newfound lifestyle and healthy habits.
This happens organically, through a shared goal, a shared challenge, a shared victory. It’s the perfect situation to gain confidence, acceptance, and mental strength while also gaining physical strength.
Act Fit
At Authentic Health Studio, Essendon, we know you know this. Exercise is important. Life’s better when you’re fit, right? Knowing this isn’t the barrier; changing behaviours so exercise becomes part of your lifestyle is the sticking point.
So if getting fit, lean, and strong is not enough motivation for you to begin your health and fitness journey, consider your mental wellbeing, your social circle or proactively reducing the risk of deadly diseases. None of us think the bad stuff is ever going to happen to us, the trick is to ACT accordingly.
PS: Whenever you’re ready… we have results-driven, no-nonsense programs to improve your health and fitness:
1. Join Us For Semi-Private Personal Training – Semi-private personal training is a signature service running both morning and night. What makes it our most popular service? It’s personalised, cost-effective, and gets great results. Contact us now with ‘Semi-Private Offer’ in the subject line to learn more.
2. Join Us For 1:1 Personal Training – We realise some people want to do the work on their own, we also know many of you have goals that are personal to just you and that you might want a program written specifically for you. Contact us now with ‘Personal Training Offer’ in the subject line to learn more.
