Exercise: Do it, do it NOW!

Did you know…The word exercise derives from a Latin root meaning “to maintain, to keep, to ward off”?

And, did you know the term “to exercise” means to practice, put into action, train, perform, use, improve?

Biologically, it was part of survival, in the form of hunting and gathering or raising livestock and growing food. Historically, it was built into daily life, as regular hours of physical work or soldiering. What is now considered a form of exercise – walking – was originally a form of transportation.

Scientists in the UK believe they have found a chemical in the body that may explain why people feel better after doing exercise. The chemical phenylethylamine is thought to help regulate peoples’ moods, and they’ve found the chemical is not as abundant in depressed people as in happy people.
Researchers have found that, after exercise, the levels of the chemical in the body rise by around 77%. It’s thought there are other factors involved as well,  but STILL! (Source: news.bbc.co.uk)

I know you know exercise is a natural part of life, although these days we have to consciously include it in our daily routine. Recently, I have come to realize that physical activity doesn’t have to be hard. I always felt that you had to be a fanatic
and therefore I could never really maintain any fitness program. I always fell off the wagon because I couldn’t keep up with it, or I got sick of the sport/routine, or I just wanted to visit someone, or hang out with my daughter. We have a lot of responsibilities and obligations in a day, and sometimes all I want to do is chill.  But you know what? Anything is better than nothing – even just 30 minutes a day can help improve your health and generate feelings of well-being.

Fitting 30 minutes of exercise into your daily routine is easy, especially if you break it into 10-minute increments. Try dancing for 10 minutes, taking the stairs wherever you are, parking your car further away (even easier now with the nice weather), or even a 10-minute stretching break at work. I bet you can find some simple exercises on the internet to do at your desk. I used to use an exercise ball as a chair when I worked from home – it forces you to sit up straight, if nothing else!

Exercise does more for you than just help you lose weight or build muscle. Exercising causes the body to produce endorphins – chemicals that can help a person feel more peaceful and happy. It builds positive self-esteem, improves your confidence/mood, and gives you a more positive outlook on life.

I know that when I even do a little bit each day it makes me feel good, and helps me reduce stress. I also found out that regular exercise (even just a little!!!) can relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety, actually INCREASES energy, improves posture and balance (back to the exercise ball), improves circulation, strengthens your immune system, helps with heartburn and constipation, improves your love life, and helps prevent diseases like diabetes, heart disease, weight gain, osteoporosis and cancer.

PLUS, regular physical activity reduces the risk of premature death from heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer, reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure, lowers total blood cholesterol and triglycerides and increases high density lipoproteins (HDL or the “good” cholesterol). And of course, it strengthens your heart, and gives you stronger muscles and bones.

Exercising is like a lot of things – it takes discipline to stick with it, but as you can see, it’s pretty easy to increase your activity level without doing a whole lot. It’s just as easy to improve your online marketing and web presence. In just a few minutes a day, whether it’s using social media, writing a blog post, or simply working on your website, you can greatly improve your search rankings and generate more leads.

Like Nike says: “JUST DO IT!”

Carolyn Bickerton, Account Manager