Exercise: Choice or Chore?

If you say chore (which many do), its time to energize and find what motivates you. Your heart can’t speak to tell you it’s “sick” and it’s the most important muscle you have. Don’t wait for something serious to occur to make it “real” for you.

Regular physical activity is a powerful way to reduce your risk of heart-related problems and enjoy a host of other health benefits. To make physical activity a pleasure rather than a chore, choose activities you enjoy. Take a brisk walk, play ball, lift light weights, dance or garden. Even taking the stairs instead of an elevator can make a difference.

A sedentary (inactive) lifestyle is one of the top risk factors for heart disease. Fortunately, it’s a risk factor that you can do something about. Regular exercise, especially aerobic exercise, has many benefits. It can:

  • Strengthen your heart and cardiovascular system
  • Improve your circulation and help your body use oxygen better
  • Improve your heart failure symptoms
  • Increase energy levels so you can do more activities without becoming tired or short of breath
  • Increase endurance
  • Lower blood pressure
  • Improve muscle tone and strength
  • Improve balance and joint flexibility
  • Strengthen bones
  • Help reduce body fat and help you reach a healthy weight
  • Help reduce stress, tension, anxiety, and depression
  • Boost self-image and self-esteem
  • Improve sleep
  • Make you feel more relaxed and rested
  • Make you look fit and feel healthy

Much of getting motivated to exercise has to do with change. You need a change in behavior and possibly a change in energy level.  To help increase your energy level you should consider taking supplements like Vitamin B. Insufficient vitamin B levels (especially B12) can lead to deep fatigue, mood changes, and dementia-like qualities, preventing you from feeling your best and performing at your highest energy level.  Other supplements that have energy benefits as well as other health benefits are calcium, magnesium and a vitamin B blend.

As far as changing your behavior, only you know what will motivate you. Maybe fear of the consequences of not changing your behavior is what prompts you to action. If you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high body fat, low energy, low muscle mass, low fruit and vegetable intake, high alcohol intake—you get the idea—these are things to worry about. These are things that stress people out. These are things that cause fear about your health. So maybe it’s this fear that gets you motivated? Whatever it is, find it, use it and get started.  Your heart will thank you.