Why you should exercise (besides getting fitter)

Everyone already knows that exercise is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle. However, lots of people seem to look at it with a degree of antipathy or outright derision. For someone who does not like working out, the idea of getting up early on a Sunday morning to go jogging in the cold is just out of the question. They may ask themselves why anyone would put themselves through it. The answer, in its simplest form, is that people do it because it is good for them. It helps you maintain a healthy weight which is important, especially in the light of a study that was published recently which found that metabolically healthy overweight people are still 50% more likely to suffer from heart disease. Body positivity is really important, but the reality is that being overweight is not the healthiest option. Exercising also keeps your muscles, bones, and joints strong as well as lowering your blood pressure (hypertension). It also reduces your risk of thirteen different types of cancer. Finally, as if any more needed to be said in defense of exercise, it can help with your mental health too. It does not need to cost anything either. Paying for an exclusive gym membership or taking classes are both good ways to work out, but are by no means the only ways to do it. Going to the park and jogging is completely free, as is doing lots of fun exercises at home. However, the benefits of exercise do not end there.

Here are a few more to consider: 



1)  The social aspect of exercising is often overlooked. It is especially useful if you are trying to lose weight. Having a group of people with whom you work out will make it more enjoyable, but it will also help you keep going back. Everyone, even people who dedicate their lives to exercise, has days when they feel like just kicking back for a while. That is fine occasionally, but if you are trying to lose weight it can become a habit, and that is not good. Developing a group of friends who will encourage and motivate you is important. Besides, you get to spend time with people you like which is good whatever you’re doing. 


2)  Apart from just doing exercise for its intrinsic benefits, you could use it for its extrinsic advantages too. One of these is being able to make money from exercising. You can do this by becoming a qualified personal trainer with a company like Origym. If you are passionate about exercise, helping other people do it and achieve their goals must be just about the best job that you could imagine. With a little training, it could be a reality. 


3)  If you are altruistically minded and you like pushing your limits, you could also use exercise to raise money for charity. It is estimated that only 1% of the population will run a marathon in their lifetime and yet those same people will raise immense amounts of money. For instance, since its inception, the London Marathon has raised £770 million with £54.1 million of that being raised in 2015 alone.


How do you exercise?

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