12 Tips on Fitness Motivation

 

1. Heart health

Engaging in cardiovascular activity is good for your heart. Your heart is a muscle, and pushing it to work hard a few days each week may help to improve your cardiac output. If you engage in cardiovascular activity on a regular basis, you may lower your overall resting heart rate, which is good for your health long-term.

 

2. Glowing skin

When you exercise, you increase the blood flow around your body. Your post-workout glow may not last all day, but you’ll look more radiant right after your session. If you’re lucky, the healthy glow will make you look and feel great.

 

3. Improved posture

Exercising on a regular basis may make you become more aware of your posture. As you gain body confidence and movement awareness, you become more conscious of what feels right for your body. Slouching may become a bad habit of the past. As an extra bonus, good posture makes you look taller.

 

4. Fewer aches and pains

If you have sore and stiff joints that are caused from sitting down all day, moving more often will help to alleviate that stiffness. Joints that are immobile tend to get sore. Once you’re moving on a regular basis, you improve the range of motion, and movements of everyday living become easier to perform.

 

5. Improved body composition

When you make exercise a part of your lifestyle, you’ll start to notice changes in how you look and feel. You may lose excess body fat and gain lean muscle mass, which is great for your appearance and it also helps your body to become more efficient at burning calories. Having a high percentage of lean muscle mass requires more calories just to sustain itself than someone of the same weight who has a higher percentage of body fat.

 

6. Feel happier

Performing physical exercise can make you feel happier in your daily life. One of the reasons for this is that your body releases an increased amount of endorphins when you’re active. Endorphins are your body’s natural happy hormone. You may also feel happier because you’re taking good care of your body. This sense of accomplishment can often make you have a greater sense of well-being.

 

7. Control your weight

Exercise can help prevent excess weight gain and help maintain weight loss. When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn.

 

8. More energy

Regular physical activity can improve your muscle strength and boost your endurance. When you exercise, your body must deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues to help your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. When your heart and lungs work more efficiently, you have more energy to go about your daily tasks.

 

9. Boost brain power

Working out on a regular basis may help to improve your brain function. Various studies have shown that cardiovascular exercise can create new brain cells (neurogenesis) and improve overall brain performance. Studies suggest that a tough workout may also increase levels of a brain-derived protein (known as BDNF) in the body. BDNF is believed to help with decision-making and higher learning.

 

10. Less stress

Exercise may act as a temporary diversion to daily stress. When you’re exercising or having fun doing activities, you’re generally not thinking about the things in your life that are difficult. Taking time out of your busy day to focus on yourself can reduce the feeling of stress. Less stress can also help with weight loss, because many people eat unhealthy foods to combat stress.

 

11. Meet new people

Exercise provides an opportunity for social interaction that may otherwise be lacking in your life. Starting a new activity can help you find a new circle of friends or provide you with a healthier opportunity to reconnect with old ones. So often we go out to eat to socialize, but doing an activity is much better for your waistline.

 

12. Better sleep

Being active can help to improve your sleep habits for several reasons. Exercising raises your body’s core temperature. As it cools back down to normal, it can help you to feel relaxed and ready to sleep. Because activity can help reduce your stress levels, drifting off at night may become easier.


Supporting Info

1:Heart health Cardiovascular adaptations to exercise include, but are not limited to, an enhanced cardiac output, reduced peripheral resistance to blood flow, and improved ability to withstand fatigue by increased efficiency of the heart. Specificity of exercise is important for enhancing cardiovascular health; participating in regular cardiovascular exercise (e.g. brisk walking, jogging, biking, swimming) will positively impact the heart, vascular system, and lungs to a greater extent than performing resistance or flexibility exercises. Regular cardiovascular exercise is effective in treating hypertension, as well as, preventing its development.7 Additionally, chronic exercise and proper dietary habits can improve blood pressure, cholesterol (e.g. LDL-C, HDL-C) and triglyceride levels in the blood. The cumulative effect of exercise reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) – an umbrella term for more than 20 diseases of the heart.7
1. McArdle, W.D., Katch, F.I., & Katch, V.L. (2015). Functional capacity of the cardiovascular system. Exercise Physiology: Nutrition, Energy, and Human Performance(8th Ed.)(pp. 344-345). Baltimore, MD: Walters Kluwer Health.
2. Haff, G.G., & Triplett, N.T. (2016). Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (4th Ed.)(pp. 87-134). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
3. Nieman, D. (2011). Heart disease. Exercise Testing and Prescription (7th ed.) (pp. 299-350). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

 

2: Glowin Skin

** Experience based but cardio exercise above supports increased blood flow statement.

 

3: Improved posture

According to the mayo clinic; Exercise especially stretching can help with pain relief, postural issues especially forward head syndrome.
Journal: Mayo Clinic health letter (English ed.) ISSN:0741-6245 Date:08/01/2013
Volume: 31
Issue: 8
Page: 1

 

4: Fewer aches and pains

Moderate-intensity resistance exercise performed with proper range of motion can increase cartilage thickness. If proper progressive overload is executed, strenuous exercise will not lead to degenerative joint disease. In fact, the risk of developing osteoarthritis may be reduced by maintaining or increasing muscular strength through resistance exercise. These connective tissue adaptation resulting from exercise will lead to greater functional capabilities.
Haff, G.G., & Triplett, N.T. (2016). Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (4th Ed.)(pp. 87-134). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Garber, C.E., Blissmer, B., Deschenes, M.R., Franklin, B.A., Lamonte, M.J., Lee, I., …Swain, D.P. (2011). Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adults: Guidance for prescribing exercise. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 43(7), 1334-1359.

 

5: Improved body composition

Having a high percentage of lean muscle mass requires more calories just to sustain itself than someone of the same weight who has a higher percentage of body fat. Body composition, or the amount of fat and fat-free mass a person possess can be altered by exercise; higher levels of fat-free mass are associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality, whereas, higher levels of abdominal fat is associated with greater risk of negative health outcomes.
1. Nieman, D.C. (2011). Exercise Testing and Prescription: A Health-Related Approach (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
2. Garber, C.E., Blissmer, B., Deschenes, M.R., Franklin, B.A., Lamonte, M.J., Lee, I., …Swain, D.P. (2011). Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently health adults: Guidance for prescribing exercise. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 43(7), 1334-1359.

 

6: Feel happier

Exercise-induced mood enhancement occurs after acute bouts of exercise in clinical populations, as well as, non-clinical populations. Individuals who exercise regularly tend to experience a greater improvement in positive mood post-exercise, compared to individuals who are not regularly active.
Buckworth, J., Dishman, R.K., O’Connor, P.J., & Tomporwoski, P.D. (2013). Exercise Psychology (2nd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Reed, J. & Ones, D.S. (2006). The effect of acute aerobic exercise on positive activated affect: A meta-analysis. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 7, 477-514.

 

7: Control your weight

One of the great benefits of HIIT is how efficient it is in both time spent exercising and calories burned. Specifically, HIIT elicits a higher caloric burn post-exercise compared to steady-state exercise at a moderate intensity because of EPOC (Exercise Post-Oxygen Consumption). EPOC is the amount of oxygen required to restore your body to its normal, resting level of metabolic function. The magnitude of EPOC is determined primarily from exercise duration and intensity; prolonged, higher intensity exercise is purported to generate a greater EPOC (i.e. post-exercise caloric expenditure). This type of training may be especially important for individuals striving to modify body composition and/or mass as a result of the metabolism being elevated for a longer period of time.
1. Borsheim, E., & Bahr, R. (2003). Effect of exercise intensity, duration and mode on post-exercise oxygen consumption. Sports Medicine, 33(14), 1037-1060.

 

8: More energy – ** See cardio above

 

9: Boost brain power

In addition to emotional and mood distress, single and multiple bouts of exercise can positively impact cognition. Exercise-induced changes in cognitive function have been observed across the lifespan, with the most robust effects occurring in children and older adults. Many studies have examined the relationship between exercise and cognition; there is sufficient evidence to support the positive relationship between fitness level and cognitive performance.
Buckworth, J., Dishman, R.K., O’Connor, P.J., & Tomporwoski, P.D. (2013). Exercise Psychology (2nd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
10. Less stress
Exercise may act as a temporary diversion to daily stress. When you’re exercising or having fun doing activities, you’re generally not thinking about the things in your life that are difficult. Taking time out of your busy day to focus on yourself can reduce the feeling of stress. Less stress can also help with weight loss, because many people eat unhealthy foods to combat stress.
** See tip 6 same reference.

 

11: Meet new people – ** Experience based no evidence needed.

 

12: Better sleep

Exercise is often considered a non-pharmacological approach that could have beneficial effects on sleep. This is supported by epidemiologic studies showing an association between self-reported exercise and better sleep. Additionally, some evidence indicates that aerobically fit individuals have shorter sleep-onset latencies, less wake time after sleep onset, and higher sleep efficiency than their sedentary peers, D.L. Sherrill, K. Kotchou, S.F. Quan