14 DAY TRIAL // If you're planning to embark on a fitness routine but can't quite muster the motivation to get out of bed on those first few days, or if 5 minutes of running are enough to leave you gasping for breath and panting in the middle of the park, here is a thought that's bound to cheer you up: exercising is not only beneficial for your muscles or for fighting the flab, it's also the best way to fight disease, boost your brain power and improve your romantic relationship. So, if you happen to be spending 10 minutes hiding underneath the sheets in the bed every morning, struggling to decide whether it's worth getting up or not, here are a few things that will help you jump straight into your fitness gear and head outside.
First of all, exercise is the perfect way to fight anything from heart disease to arthritis, strokes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, osteoporosis (bone loss), and loss of muscle mass, while also helping us stay younger for longer. "Because exercise strengthens the muscles and joints, it is going to reduce your odds of having some of those aches and pains and problems most adults have, mostly because of the inactive lives they lead," a leading fitness expert tells WebMD.
The catch is not to overdo it. Stay faithful to a daily 20-minute fitness routine and your immune system will also benefit from the physical activity. "There isn't a major health problem where exercise cannot have a positive effect," one scientist says.
Exercise also boosts your brain power and actually allows you to eat more. If the former is not good news for you, the latter will definitely prove a powerful motivator. The mechanism is simple: the more muscle we have, the more calories we burn and the higher our metabolic rate becomes. Of course, this doesn't mean that as long as we jog every day we can stuff our faces with as many chocolate chip cookies as we like. Excess is never good, and everything we do - fitness-wise or not - should be done in moderation.
However, regular exercise means that we can afford to eat more of the foods we really like. In addition to allowing us to indulge in more tasty food, working out also boosts our mental clarity and helps us be more productive. "It is clear that those who are active and who exercise are much more productive at work," explains certified trainer David Atkinson, quoted by WebMD. So, exercise means better health, a more efficient brain and more food. Who can actually say "no" to all this?