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Glenn Kaizer is a Certified Personal Trainer.

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Thursday, February 24, 2011

Get Moving !

Don’t Be Afraid of a Little Exercise

“No pain, no gain” may put some fear in the hearts of some people. It shouldn’t, though. Quite the opposite, in fact. Although exercise may include sweating, and pain, it isn’t a given for every kind of getting fit. Essentially, exercise is moving more than you normally do during the course of a day. It’s too easy to put it off if you are not in the mood, so make a time in your schedule to move for your health.

Benefits of Regular Exercise

Is thirty minutes a day too much of a commitment for an activity that may prevent or minimize the effects of lifestyle diseases? Even if you begin with only three days a week, it will make a difference.

Mental Health

The positive effect of regular exercise on mental health cannot be underestimated. Getting out of doors, or even to the gym in bad weather, can give you a brighter outlook on life, give you more energy to do things you like, and help alleviate anxieties among other things.

Physical Health

Regular aerobic exercise can help prevent or diminish the effects of many diseases. Some of them are arthritis, osteoporosis, coronary artery disease, diabetes, certain cancers, and stroke. That is a powerful return for investing only 30 minutes a day for three or more days a week. In fact, daily exercise is more effective than a class-1 hypertensive medication in lowering blood pressure.

Brain Power !

Not only does exercise help with all of the above, it can help you to train your brain. Commit to regular exercise, and over a period of time you will notice an improvement in brain function.  John J. Ratey, MD who teaches psychiatry at Harvard University wrote this in his book, A User's Guide to the Brain wrote, "Exercise is really for the brain, not the body. It affects mood, vitality, alertness, and feelings of well-being."

So, will you wait until the doctor writes you a prescription, or will you be proactive with your health? Take time to exercise.

5 comments:

Cher'ley said...

I know this is so true. Yet...I try anyway.

Glenn said...

Thanks for coming by and reading. Don't give up - every little bit helps.

Unknown said...

I ruined my feet by running through my pain. I wish I had never heard that phrase No Pain No Gain. I believed it!

Susan said...

Well, as the article says, it isn't a necessary accompaniment to healthy exercise. I walk two miles a day most days, and that isn't a painful way to move.

Anonymous said...

I know what you mean Christine. Its hard to get one idea to work for everyone so I like the phrase "there's more than one way to do it (method) as long as you stick to it (objective)" ... I was jogging and even fast walking for a while and it was really messing up my ankles and feet. However, I switched to bicycling - it is lower impact but still adds up to a lot of exercise.