It’s hard sometimes to kick old habits and make a positive change in your life. So many of us find it hard to not only start to exercise, but to stick with it. If we could only realize what benefits just starting with and adding one hour of fitness and what it can do to our body, in positive way, maybe we would not quit so easily. Here are just a few reasons to keep going…
Reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression
1. Research shows that exercise is so effective at chasing away the blues, it can even help treat major depressive disorder. In fact, last year, researchers at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center came up with clinical guidelines for the necessary exercise “dose” doctors should recommend to patients to reap the antidepressant effects.
Improve your memory
2. Getting your heart rate up improves blood flow to the brain, which helps boost memory and overall brain function. In one study that looked at brain structure pre and post-workout, researchers found increases in brain volume in a number of areas after participants got sweaty.
Reduce stress
3. When you’re stressed, it’s often because your to-do list is a mile long—so you probably feel like it would just be more nerve-wracking to try to squeeze in a workout on top of everything else. But here’s why you should: A study that came out last year from the University of Colorado at Boulder found that even forced exercise can help protect you from anxiety and stress. So stop making excuses, and get thee to the gym when you’re feeling frantic.
Helps with Focus
4. After evaluating more than 100 studies on exercise, University of Iowa researchers concluded that strength training helps your focus because it requires focus: After all, it takes some serious effort to eek out those reps without sacrificing the correct form, all while remembering to breathe.
Improving your Sleep
5. Simply put, the more active your body is during the day, the more likely you are able to relax fully at night and fall asleep easily.
Read full article here at Women’s Health
