7 WAYS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IMPROVES YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE

If, like many of my patients and many people in general, you don’t like exercise or have had bad experiences with trying to workout in the past, you might find yourself avoiding physical activity.

Looking at all of the pros associated with exercise, instead of the usual cons may help you break that mental rut. With that in mind, here are 7 ways physical activity improves your quality of life:

You’ll Have More Energy: A lot of people say they don’t have the energy to be active, but in fact not being active enough can be a major contributor to low energy levels. The best way to break this vicious cycle is to get moving. The payoff will be more energy!

You’ll Think More Clearly: Another surprising side effect of not moving enough is foggy thinking. Physical activity has a way of clearing out the cobwebs. You’ll perform better at work, at home, and at play as a result.

You’ll Feel Happier: Studies have found that going for a walk everyday is just as effective as taking anti-depressants. While our bodies are made to move, our modern lifestyle has become sedentary, creating a lot of pent up emotion. Staying active will help relieve stress and lift your mood naturally.

You’ll Enjoy It: The best way to get and stay active is to choose activities you’ll actually like doing, rather than ones you???ll dread. Think back to your childhood. What did you do for fun? Bike? Skate? Swim? Consider scheduling a play date with your inner child and think of the activity as fun instead of exercise!

You’ll Look Better: Don’t we all want to look and feel our best? Physical activity not only tones and trims, it gives skin a healthy glow and is a great confidence booster.

You’ll Lose Weight Faster: While eating a low-calorie, nutritionally rich diet will lead to weight loss, that weight loss will happen even faster when paired with exercise. Physical activity will also help prevent muscle loss while promoting fat loss, which means it will be easier to keep the weight off long-term.

You’ll Be Healthier: Studies continue to link even a moderate amount of increased physical activity with all kinds of positive benefits and a reduced risk of most of the most common health problems. If they could put in a pill what exercise can do for your health, every single person would take it!

Remember, ease into it rather than pushing your body to the limit. There???s no reason physical activity has to be painful and in fact, it never should be. So let go of that notion that exercise equals misery and focus on all the positives instead!