Why Exercise Is Important As Part Of
Your Feel Great Journey

Why exercise? I'll be honest. I've asked this question many times. I didn't used to like exercise. But once I found out how good it was for me, I CHANGED MY MIND and decided to like it. Here are some reasons why we need to exercise but first, a story.

I took a trip to China a few years ago and one of the places the tour guide took us was to a park in the morning. In this park there were hundreds of retired people exercising. Yes, exercising. They had exercise machines there, specifically made for people over 50. They did Tai Chi. They conversed and connected with other people. And the Chinese culture respects and takes care of their older people. In fact, the Chinese word for teacher is a combination of two characters, one meaning old, the other meaning master. Isn't that interesting?

A great video that I just found is called 4 Commandments of Exercise. The video gives you some tips and info on why exercise is so important. He actually takes exercise two steps further and recommends interval and core training in addition to cardio (aerobic) and strength training. And I agree with the personal training idea. If you could afford it, you may want to consider it. I would do it all the time, if I felt like I could afford it.

Here is another reason to exercise. According to an article from Dr. Natura, exercise helps our internal cleanse. Are you beginning to see how your body is all integrated and dependent on exercise to function properly? You are indeed wonderfully and marvelously made!

Something new that I just ran across was this article on what to eat after exercising. The article recommends cooked food but it also contains some good advice. I haven't had a chance to implement the ideas. When I do, I will let you know. Okay, some more reasons to exercise.

10 Reasons Why Exercise is Good For Your Weight (Fitness Magazine, 2009-August-19)
A recent Time magazine article, "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin," is misleading at best. Exercise is critical to losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight.

1. Exercise zaps belly fat
Regular moderate to high intensity aerobic exercise has the greatest impact on reducing abdominal fat -- the dangerous fat that increases your risk of diabetes and heart disease.

2. Exercise controls calories
You need to burn more calories than you consume in order to lose weight. Regular exercise uses up excess calories that would otherwise be stored as fat.

3. Exercise keeps lost pounds MIA
Ninety percent of people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off for a year do about an hour of physical activity a day.

4. Exercise boosts metabolism
You'll lose fat when you diet without exercising, but you'll also lose muscle, which means you'll burn fewer calories. The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism and the more calories you'll burn.

5. Exercise does more than the scale shows
If you gain 3 pounds of lean muscle and lose 4 pounds of fat, you've actually experienced a 7-pound improvement in your body condition, despite the scale only showing 1 pound of weight loss.

6. Exercise curbs emotional eating
Working out has been proven time and time again to help regulate mood, which has a direct effect on people who eat when they're stressed or upset. This is an important effect. This page has more information on emotional eating.

7. Exercise creates a healthy chain reaction
Healthy habits tend to cluster together. When people make positive changes, like getting more exercise, they tend to work on other health improvements as well, such as eating better.

8. Exercise brings on the fun
Rock-climbing is more exciting than eating a celery stick. That's why it's sometimes easier to be active to stay slim than to maintain a strict diet.

9. Exercise stops hunger
People who exercise and diet are actually less hungry than those who only diet, according to at least one study.

10. Exercise ups energy
Regular physical activity increases stamina by boosting your body's production of energy-promoting neurotransmitters. That gives you even more motivation to get moving and shed pounds.

In the book What You Don't Know May Be Killing You!, Dr. Don Colbert has a chapter entitled The Seduction Of A Sedentary Life where he lists 13 benefits of a daily workout. I have summarized them below. You can find his book in the Feel Great After 50 Amazon Bookstore.

1. It may raise your good cholesterol - hdl.
2. It may lower your blood pressure.
3. It prevents blood clots.
4. It reduces the dangers of diabetes.
5. It promotes weight loss.
6. It helps to raise the metabolic rate.
7. It may decrease your appetite.
8. It increases perspiration.
9. It tones the muscles.
10. It improves digestion and helps elimination function.
11. It promotes a more restful sleep.
12. It reduces stress and anxiety.
13. It improves lymphatic flow.


It just makes sense to get up and move. Our bodies were not created to be sedentary. We were created to move, learn and grow. Our sense of time is connected to change and motion as well. So maybe the weeks and years won't seem to go so fast if we exercise.

Okay, next question, which is better, cardio or strength training?