You can’t overestimate the importance of regular exercise on your health.
The benefits of regular exercise and activity are well known. You don’t need me to recite the list to you here.
One of the most important approaches you can take to exercise is to be consistent about it.
Consistency is important for several major reasons.
First off, establishing a routine allows your body to become conditioned to the act of exercising. This helps with the adaptation process you go through, especially if you are just starting an exercise program or have had a lay off.
Your body comes to expect your daily or every other day workout. It is better able to assimilate gains in fitness, as well as recover from each workout.
By the way, this is one of the reasons that regular exercise over the course of the week reduces your chance of injury. The weekend warrior approach leaves your body more vulnerable to strains, sprains and so forth…not to mention increased muscle and joint pain.
Here’s another reason for consistency that is not as well appreciated as it should be: exercise can have a dramatic influence on your mood and energy levels.
This is one of the reasons why I always do my deep breathing and dynamic exercises in the morning. When I do my routine – such as the Dynamic Energy Routine in the Secret Power of Dynamic Energy Exercise Course, Volume 2 – after as little as 10 to 15 minutes, I shake off the fog and approach my day with a high level of energy.
I also feel more confident about my ability to hit my goals for the day.
Exercise is one of the oldest = and best – tonics for depression and low mood. It activates naturally occuring hormones and neurotransmitters in your body. And it appears that the more consistently you exercise, the more benefits you receive from these natura, more powerful versions of Prozac.
Here’s one more reason to stay, or become, consistent with your physical activity: it helps boost your metabolism.
When you exercise every day, your body interprets this as follows: you are a VITAL BEING who requires plenty of energy to make it through each day.
Your body responds by revving up your metabolism, so you burn hotter throughout the day. Your body also changes the way it metabolizes the nutrients and calories from the food you eat. On the other hand, when you make healthy demands on your body, on a consistent basis, it metabolizes more of the energy from food into glycogen, to be stored in your muscles and liver.
Becoming a consistent exerciser may seem daunting to you – especially right now as you are rushing and bustling through the holiday season.
But you can start any time, even right now. Take a few minutes to stand up, stretch and breathe deeply. Feels good, doesn’t it?
Now, just imagine how good 15 to 20 minutes of stretching, moving, working your muscles, and breathing deeply would feel. How productive would you be…how much time would you save…how much more confidently and easily would you slide through your day and your “to-do” list, if you would just give yourself the gift of a few minutes of exercise each day?
Don’t just take my word on this. I encourage you to try it our for yourself.
You Can Do It!
Karen