Time to start moving
KEEP HEALTHY: A REMINDER TO RESUME EXERCISE AS THE YEAR PICKS UP
Kick-start your fi tness routine as we move into February.
Many of us started the year being runoffourfe et. But for others, it was as low start to the year–that’ s just reality. January is generally not an easy month from a fitness perspective.
I, for one, had to work extra hard to juggle the last bit of the holidays for my daughter, the start of a new school yea randall the extra murals that come with that. All the while, I was juggling work and exercise as well.
Luckily, I have a coach and a WhatsApp group of friends who help to keep me accountable for my weekly training, other-wise I wouldh ave fall-enoff the bandwagon. I can imagine that many of you fellofftheb and wagon during the festive season and that’s okay. But with that said, Janu-ary is about to wrap up and as we move into February this week, let’s remind ourselves about the benefits of ex-ercise.
Hopefully, this can help to kick-start those people who need the extra motivation and we can all have a better, more active February.
Benefits of exercise
When you exercise, your body releases endorphins which trigger a positive feeling and act as a mood-booster. Scheduling some kind of exercise will de-crease and reduce your stress levels;
It’s easier to squeeze in your training session fi rst thing in the morning so you can get it out of the way.
You can perhaps wake up while the family is still asleep and squeeze in your dose of exercise before they wake up. Call this “me time”, it will do the world of good for you and the mood in the house. I follow a few friends on Strava (an exercise social media app) and noticed that some start their workouts as early as 4am so they are done by 5.30am or 6am when the family starts waking up. Besides boosting your mood, exercise also boosts your energy levels. Doing it first thing in the morning could set you up for an energetic start to your day; Exercise improves mental health. It’s often prescribed to help combat conditions such as depression, anxiety and other psychological conditions. Exercise can also help to ease mental pressure to some degree; and Exercise helps to reduce your risk of heart disease. It improves your cardiovascular fitness so if you are healthy and have no heart-related illnesses, it’s in your best interest to exercise and to keep your cardiovascular system healthy and strong.
The reason I exercise and continue to do so is because exercise helps to curb weight gain.
I do a great deal of exercise, eat fairly healthily and over the past 10 years, my weight has shifted by a mere 3kg-5kg.
But in winter I tend to put that weight back on with the reduction in activity and winter soul food. However, come spring and summer, I shed the kilos with the increase in activity and the lighter meals. The choice is yours.
With that said, just adding 30 minutes of exercise each day won’t put much of a dent into your day. It will only account for just over two percent of the 24 hours you have at your disposal.
So let’s keep moving. A new month is upon us.