So many of us are living super sedentary lives: we wake up, eat a breakfast packed with lots of hidden sugars, struggle into our work clothes, jump into the car or walk down to the bus stop, and get to work – where we proceed to spend the next eight hours staring at computer screens.
Contrast this with the kinds of lives our ancestors lived: walking everywhere, greater levels of outdoor work, and healthier, less processed meals.
It’s no wonder that we speak more about lifestyle diseases caused by our reluctance to get moving! It’s not just about weight gain. It’s about muscle atrophy that can lead to serious problems the older we get.
It’s about our propensity towards cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and depression amongst other things that can dramatically reduce the quality of our lives.
If you physically able to yet aren’t already getting at least 3 to four hours of physical activity in, every week, then you must try to make that change in 2018.
This isn’t about prophesying doom and gloom – but it is about forcing you to take a measured look at the life you currently lead, and how you can make adjustments to keep you at the healthiest state you can be in, even as you go about your regular life.
Your energy levels will go through the roof!
It does this by improving on the strength and the efficiency of your cardiovascular system to get the oxygen and nutrients to your muscles. Sure, its an hour or two’s worth of exertion in a day, but it means you have much for energy for the rest of it!
Less risk of injury as you age!
Exercise allows you to keep your muscles strong and joints, tendons and ligaments flexible, which in turn enables you to move around more easily and keeps you injury free. And if you strength train (focusing on heavy weights to pack on lean muscle) you’ll grow noticeably stronger!
You can keep your weight in check!
Incorporate regular exercise coupled with a good diet, and you will find that maintaining a healthy weight is easier than you thought it would be. The more you exercise the more calories you burn. And as you develop muscle, the higher your metabolic rate becomes, so you burn more calories even at rest.
You’re more alert!
Exercise increases blood flow and oxygen levels in the brain. It also allows for higher concentration levels and improves on cognitive ability, which means that you are better able to reduce the risk of degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
And you don’t need to be a gym bunny to reap the benefits of excersize . There are countless ways in
which you can incorporate activity into your regular schedule including:
- Leisurely long walks over the evenings and/or during weekends
- A fun sporting activity with friends, incorporated once or twice into your weekly schedule
The main thing is to get active.
Make incremental changes and work towards long term wellness!