Many of us are faced with busy work schedules or raising a family, dealing with pressures from society and social circles to look and behave a certain way to the point of where it can be overwhelming. Staying physically fit and maintaining a positive, healthy self-image can be a real challenge in today’s day and age. Now what if I can tell you there’s something you can do that addresses many of these problems that we face in today’s society? From improving your self-esteem and quality of life, to managing stress and improving energy, to even looking and feeling good about yourself. By making time for exercise a couple times a week, you can reap the many benefits of leading a more active lifestyle!

The Top Benefits of Working Out

• Change your body, gain muscle and burn fat
• Better self-esteem
• Manage stress in a healthy way
• More energy, better and deeper sleep
• Battle Disease and Age-related Health Problems
• Improved Mental Health
• Functional Strength
• Mental conditioning

1. Gain Muscle, Burn Fat

It’s no surprise that consistently hitting the weights and running on the treadmill is one sure fire way to achieve your body goals. Whether it’s gaining a few extra pounds of muscle or trying to squeeze into those tight pair of jeans you’ve had sitting around since last year, consistently following a workout routine and having a good diet will aid you in getting that body you’ve been dreaming about.

2. Better Self-Esteem

Suffering from self-esteem issues? One of the best ways to improve confidence in yourself is exercise! Working out can tone and sculpt your body into how you want it to look, improve your strength and stamina and indirectly affect the way you look at yourself in a positive way. And let’s face it, whether it’s hitting a new personal record in one of your lifts or losing those extra pounds, there’s nothing better than setting a goal for yourself and blasting it out of the ball park!

3. Manage Stress

Although there are many ways to manage stress, many people struggle with finding a healthy and non-destructive way to channel out their frustrations. From personal health concerns, stress in the workplace, to friends and family, stress can come from many sources in the world we live in today. But if there’s one way of coping, exercising can reduce stress. It takes your mind off of what’s eating away at you and gets rid of all that nervous energy and anxiety you get from brooding over what’s going on in your life. Working out is also known to release endorphins, improving your mood and promoting relaxation.

4. More Energy, Better Sleep

Struggling to get through the day? People who work out on a regular basis have more energy and endurance than those who don’t do any physical activity. And the great thing too is that you can notice this increased energy only after a few weeks of consistent exercise. There are also many studies linking exercise to improved sleeping patterns. Not only does exercise help you fall and stay sleep more easily, it also improves your quality of sleep.

5. Battle Disease and Age-related Health Problems

As you get older, your body becomes more vulnerable to infections and disease. Working out has been linked to reducing the risk of many age-related health problems. Many health benefits such as reducing high blood pressure, lowering the risk for heart disease and stroke, as well as controlling cholesterol just to name a few. Also paired with a good diet, working out increases bone density and slows down muscle and joint deterioration.

6. Improved Mental Health

Having problems concentrating or constantly misplacing things? There have been many studies supporting improved memory, learning, reaction time and concentration in subjects who followed a regular workout routine. Exercise can even slow down cognitive decline as we get older. So get those jogging pants on and go for an early morning jog, it can clear you mind and get you ready to take on the day!

7. Functional Strength

Working out also carries over to how you use your body throughout the day. Weight training can correct muscle imbalances, strengthen your core and improve your posture, alleviating back pain. It also lubricates your joints and decreases muscle stiffness, improving flexibility and explosiveness which is key especially if you do sports.

8. Mental Conditioning

It goes by many names… Focus, determination, grit. Whatever you want to call it, it’s the ability to keep on going regardless of how difficult the going gets. Having a routine workout and being dedicated to following it and pushing yourself is one of the key aspects in conditioning yourself mentally. It teaches you how to set goals, come up with a plan to achieve those goals and getting out there and doing it. This type of mentality not only applies to when you’re in the gym, but also to other areas of life whether it’s in your career, sports, etc. Mental conditioning can help you to achieve goals you set out for yourself.

From looking and feeling better about yourself to improving your mental health and managing stress, there are a myriad of benefits that come with leading a more active lifestyle. Now that you have a good idea of the benefits of exercise, what’s stopping you from jumping on that treadmill and breaking a sweat!