Many people put exercise at the top of their list of new year’s resolutions, and for good reason. Improving health is something that will positively affect all areas of life. Numerous studies have established that regular physical activity is good for our bodily, mental, and emotional health. Moving more is a top recommendation to prevent chronic conditions and diseases like Alzheimer’s or congestive heart failure.
Regular exercise can help you maintain a healthy weight, which lowers the risk of developing chronic diseases like heart disease or type 2 diabetes. It has also been shown to have a positive effect on mental health, both reducing stress and improving mood. It can also help with many conditions that plague the elderly like anxiety and depression.
Following an exercise regimen also helps with boosting energy levels, which can improve your overall well being and quality of life. On the other side of the energy coin, exercising during the day can also help you to sleep better at night, which in turn will improve your energy levels and mood throughout the day after waking up well rested.
Any physical activity is better than none. While you may not be mountain climbing and lifting olympic weights every day, a twenty minute walk done every other day is far and away better than nothing. By setting aside time to exercise, and working consciously doing a little bit every time you can at first, you’ll build it into a habit. Make sure to choose activities you enjoy as well, to make sure exercising doesn’t feel like a chore.