Exercise, How to Stay Motivated [6 Facts That Will Change Your Life]

Exercise, How to Stay Motivated [6 Facts That Will Change Your Life]

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  1. Feel good. Don’t be a sedentary statistic.
  2. Stay younger with life-long exercise.
  3. Physical activity improves your quality of life.
  4. Exercise keeps your brain functioning longer.
  5. Fitness affects your mental health. 
  6. A fitness lifestyle is an adventure.

1. Feel Good About Yourself. Don’t Be A Sedentary Statistic.

Don’t become a sedentary lifestyle statistic. The last 40 years, has seen a rise in a sedentary lifestyle worldwide. People are less active and out of shape. There’s a massive failure to make exercise a personal priority.

The world health organization

  • Insufficient physical activity is one of the leading risk factors for death worldwide.
  • Insufficient physical activity is a key risk factor for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes.
  • Physical activity has significant health benefits and contributes to prevent NCDs.
  • Globally, 1 in 4 adults is not active enough.
  • More than 80% of the world’s adolescent population is insufficiently physically active.
“More than 20 million UK adults are classified as physically inactive increasing their risk of heart disease and costing the UK health service as much as £1.2 billion each year”
The British Heart Foundation reports

Are you a good role model for kids?

According to studies, over 30% of kids worldwide are either overweight or obese.

The news media sensationalizes climate change (a genuine problem), something the average person can’t do much about. What doesn’t receive enough attention is people being responsible for their fitness, an issue, people can address.

2. Stay Younger And Prolong Aging, With Life-Long Exercise.

Studies have shown that people are living longer. As medicine has advanced and nutritional education improved, life expectancy has risen. More people are living past the age of 85. The average age in the world is rising, but there’s a significant decline in physical activity. If you’re living a sedentary lifestyle, your quality of life will be worse for an extended period. People are living longer but are less active. Stress and the lack of exercise are making aging more noticeable in younger people.

3. Physical Activity Improves your quality of life

If you want to live a quality life and be less vulnerable to illness, you need to be active. Long-term regular exercise slows down the effects of aging.  Life can be very different as you age with life-long fitness training. Check out Lou Smith now over 60-year vegan fitness trainer, still in superb shape. Lou Smith When you’re young, your skin has higher elasticity and bodies more resilient to wear; you’re more active and have more energy. As you age, your metabolism slows down. Your body is changing all the time. You notice it less because you look in the mirror every day and don’t see the gradual change. If you don’t keep in shape, around your 40’s, you start deteriorating. You develop a potbelly, droopy shoulders, a hunched back, loose skin, and a saggy physique.  The effects of aging are not only on the surface. It affects your organs, joints, tissues, and cells.

Several studies have shown that life-long exercise maintains cardiovascular and skeletal muscle health. Athletes that take part in Life-long Exercise, are still performing into their 90’s. Regular exercise can keep you active, as much as someone 60 years younger.

Studies of aging athletes suggest that life-long sports involving regular exercise are the most effective method of inhibiting the symptoms of aging<span data-preserver. — more than any known drug, medical procedure, or magical elixir.

Check this out!

At the age of 51, Terry Crews wit 4% body fat, is in the gym at 5 in the morning.

Terry Crews

4. Keeping fit keeps your brain functioning longer

As you age, your brain’s functionality declines; legions appear and the brain shrinks by as much as 3.4% per year. We’re not all built the same; some people age better than others. Superagers with the right genetics, age better and show fewer signs of mental deterioration. They remain quite sharp. For those that a aren’t so lucky, they lose the ability to learn, multitask and preserve memory. Aging reduces your cognition, reasoning, how fast you think, and even your vocabulary. If you’ve ever dealt with a gran who wasn’t so lucky, you’ve may have noticed confusion and forgetfulness. It’s heartbreaking seeing someone who’s close, in a catatonic state. How often have you seen someone live out their last years in an armchair, depressed and lonely? But, there’s hope! You can’t change your genetics, but you can deal with your cards in hand. You can sustain your mental faculties by leading an active lifestyle in many ways. Studies suggest that resistance and weight training slows brain legions, developing with age. Another report suggests that cardiovascular training can decrease the risk of dementia. Johanna-Quaas

Ideas for keeping physically active

  • Regular exercise at home (It’s never too late to start)
  • Join a health club or gym
  • Go for daily leisure walks in your local area
  • Go hiking in the countryside
  • Walk or bicycle instead of taking motorized transport
  • Take the stairs instead of escalators (Where realistic)
  • Being physically occupied with hobbies, like gardening
  • Help out in the community
  • Staying busy by travelling to new places

5. Your level of fitness affects your mental health

People often focus a lot on how their body looks and feels. It’s harder to grapple with mental health and perception. Unless you’re self-aware, you don’t notice when your attitude is off. The brain is the most integral and complex organ of the body. Besides the body’s physical functions, the brain has to make sense of the world and store memories. When your physical body is out of balance, it affects the brain’s functionality. Your perception becomes distorted, and it often goes unnoticed. You sense you’re off, but tend to ignore it, wanting to get on with things as usual. When you’re serotonin levels are optimal, your thinking is clearer. Your energy levels are high, and your mood is right. You’re less volatile and can manage stress easier. But when your lifestyle is out of balance, and you’re not in shape, you have a harder time contending with stress. Mental health is becoming a huge problem that affects millions.
“37% of adults aged 16-74 with conditions of anxiety or depression are accessing mental health treatment”
The NHS reports
Genetics, as a base-line, affects mental stability from the start. But beyond genetics, a combination of issues also affects mental health. Beyond genetics, mental health can be affected by a combination of issues
  • Sense of purpose – depression about work 
  • Personal social issues – stress related to family and friends
  • Lifestyle – Engagement with social media, entertainment or leisure
  • Existential worries – financial, security or political issues
  • Environmental – concerns about the neighborhood or even global
  • Physical well-being – the health and fitness of your physical body
News and social media further magnify your stress levels. It’s an information age, people spend a tremendous amount of time online. According to Ofcom, Britons spend an average of 24 hours a week online. How often do you stop what your’re doing, answer texts, engage in social media or answer a call? — jumping from one virtual venue to another has a severe effect on your attention span. This quasi-cyborg lifestyle is affecting how people engage with one another. Social media has connected the world. But it’s also an amplifier of cynical nihilism. — driving a culture that is more dispassionate, neurotic, volatile and polarised. The stress from interactions on social media impacts your physical health. If your body is not in shape, the pressure is harder to manage. Stress alters your perception and response to others. When you’re not in prime health, you have less patience to listen. There’s more of a chance you’ll form irrational conclusions. Being tired and out of shape affects your judgment. You become expedient, quick to form opinions without examining the facts. For these reasons, it is more important than ever to maintain your level of fitness. Being in better shape enables you to handle stress and think straight. 

6. Changing to a fitness lifestyle is an adventure.

The secret to success in fitness is first making a Life-choice.  The physical body like anything else needs maintenance. You wouldn’t compromise with the health of your car. You have no choice, you wouldn’t be able to drive anywhere. If a part breaks down, it simply won’t run. How much more so, do you need to keep the body in a healthy state? It needs to be pro-actively managed, without compromise. You can change a car, but you can’t change your body. Regular exercise needs to be a no-brainer, like brushing your teeth or taking a shower. Working out regularly, is something you just do.  It’s an attitude change.  It takes about three weeks to begin to see the benefits of working out and the changes it will bring to your life. The mental uplift put you on a whole you level. Instead of feeling tired at the end of the day, you have an extra reserve of energy. The body can work harder and do more.  If you haven’t exercised in a while, take it easy at first, many people tear into it, and stop after a few weeks. The routine fades away to a forgotten memory. Seek advice from a professional such as a qualified gym instructor. Health club options have exploded in the last few years.
Pure Gym has over 200 branches located around the UK
Anytime Fitness is one of the largest gym chains worldwide with over 3000 branches.  In the US, 24 Hour Fitness is one of the largest private gym chains with over 400 branches.  In the UK Pure Gym, is the largest health club, with over 200 locations. Training is much more accessible due to the number of locations and opening hours. There is no long-term contract; you can go monthly and quit anytime. If you don’t like the venue, try somewhere or something else. But do it!  Most gyms have qualified instructors on hand, with private lessons available as well. There are cardio and weight machines, free weights, and a slew of exercise classes. Around the clock opening hours make it convenient when creating an exercise schedule. If you’re a night bird, you can have the entire gym to yourself at three in the morning.  Be creative.  There are so many ways to work-out and keep fit. Going to the gym is only one option. There are many ways to work out. There are many advantages to picking a team sport. The competitive environment challenges you to be committed and to perform. Team sports are a psychological framework that give a sense of purpose and belonging. Superb for good mental health. 
Combined research from international sporting bodies. (Participants not Spectators)
Whether you start at home with YouTube Yoga classes or enroll at the local gym, be consistent. It’s better to work out regularly for a shorter period than a heavy session once a month. Find a sport which most suits you. Some people find running hard on the knees and back. Walking and swimming are better on the joints.  Cycling is a superb cardio sport. In bad weather, you can use an indoor spinning bike at home or the gym. Sport is a great way to meet people and socialize with like-minded people. No Excuses. If you haven’t started already, get active today. You deserve it. Let’s hear your experiences with life-long exercise. Feel free to comment below. For more tips on exercise sign-up for email notifications about new posts