10 Healthy Benefits of Daily Exercise

Many of us start off the new year with the best of intentions, but by February, our exercise goals for the year have often fallen by the wayside. Often this is due to setting unrealistic expectations about how quickly you will get fit or lose weight. After all, if you have been out of shape for years, it is probably not a very realistic goal to expect to be fit in 30 days! Instead, the way to keep your resolutions and continue to grow healthier and more fit is to commit to small, daily actions.

You probably know that proper nutrition and regular exercise can lead to an overall healthy body, inside and out. But how, specifically, does exercise benefit the human body? There are literally hundreds of advantages to daily exercise - far too many to list here. However, the following 10 benefits of staying active on a daily basis should provide enough motivation for you to make a commitment to exercise more frequently throughout the year.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1 – Exercise Can Help You Control Your Body Weight – If you are trying to lose weight, exercise can help. Once you reach your ideal body weight, exercise on a daily basis helps you stay there.

2 – Exercise Creates Natural Energy – The oxygen and nutrients delivered by regular exercise keep your heart and respiratory system working properly. This releases natural energy stores which allow you to go all day long without tiring.

3 – You Sleep Better When You Exercise Regularly – Daily exercise, especially in the morning, leads to deep, healthy sleep patterns. You fall asleep quicker and stay asleep longer.

4 – Exercise Promotes a Healthy Sex Life - Regular physical activity leaves you energized, feeling and looking better. Exercise has been linked to a lower rate of erectile dysfunction (ED) in men, and actually enhances arousal in women.

5 – Exercise Is a Great Way to Meet People - As a healthy social activity, exercise is tough to beat. You get to meet and spend time with people who value exercise just like you do, and those partnerships can offer motivation on the days when you just don't feel like working out at all.

6 – Daily Exercise Reduces Your Risk of Heart Disease – Daily physical activity promotes the presence of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good" cholesterol. It also decreases your level of triglycerides. This combination lowers your risk of cardiovascular diseases.

7 – You Become More Productive in Everything You Do – Your increased energy and boosted mental function that come from regular exercise can positively impact every area of your life - from your job, to your relationships, and more!

8 – You Smoke and Drink Less – People that exercise regularly attend to cut back on the amount of tobacco they smoke, sometimes quitting altogether. The same is true with drinking adult beverages, whether your favorite poison is beer, wine or alcohol.

9 – You Learn to Prioritize What Is Important – Daily exercise means making a plan, and sticking to that schedule. This constant habit of prioritizing what is important to you can benefit your business and personal relationships as well as your physical fitness.

10 – Exercising Boosts Your Mood – A simple brisk 30 minute walk can help fight stress and anxiety. "Feel good" hormones are released any time you exercise, and lead to a calm, controlled feeling of wellness.

It would be hard to find any other single habit that can increase your health and well-being as much as exercise. If you're looking for some fun ways to incorporate more exercise into your life, be sure to check back every here Thursday for a new, fast, fun workout that will help you reap all of these benefits, without spending hours at the gym!

5 Awesome Health Benefits of Ditching Your Car & Walking

It has been scientifically proven that walking more and sitting less provides multiple health benefits. Your heart gets stronger, and healthy oxygen is pumped throughout your body where it is put to work powering all of your inner and exterior physiological systems and functions. When it comes right down to it, you know you should be physically active more often.

While you may be extra busy this time of year, you also have lots of great opportunities to walk more, as you hit the malls for all that holiday shopping! Parking is a nightmare anyway, so why not walk (if you can), or at least park far away from the store entrance instead of fighting for that last parking spot near the door? As an incentive to "ditching" your car when it is not really needed, take a look at the following 5 health benefits you can enjoy by walking instead of driving.

#1. You May Live Longer

The Archives of Internal Medicine have released some scary statistics about sitting: Sit between 8 and 11 hours a day and you are 15% more likely to die from any cause than those who sit for 4 hours or less daily. You probably do not spend several hours driving in your car every day. But the evidence that extended sitting shortens your life span should provide enough motivation for you to walk instead of driving your car whenever you can.

(Image courtesy of nenetus at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.)

#2. You Will Lose Weight

A UK study showed that parking your car and walking can lead to more weight loss than regimented diet and exercise! The research measured the BMI of 7,534 men and women. Men who walked or rode their bikes to work were on average 7.0 pounds lighter than their driving counterparts (allowances were made for demographics such as age, fitness level and other factors). Walking women were approximately 5.5 pounds lighter. What a great incentive to walk more this month - it can help you keep off those extra holiday pounds!

#3. You Will Feel Happier

There is plenty of research which equates being outdoors with a sense of happiness. Just 10 to 15 minutes a day exposed to sunshine actually gives you a sense of happiness and peace of mind. (The reason you feel happier walking and driving might have a lot to do with benefit number 5 below.)

#4. It Will Make Your Friends and Family Healthier Too

Fitness is contagious. When you start walking instead of driving, losing weight and looking great, people will notice. Your family members, friends and coworkers will ask you what you did to lose the weight. When you tell them it was simply by walking instead of driving, you can have a positive health impact on others.

#5. It Helps Relieve Anxiety and Stress

There is a reason why the daily commute can lead to road rage. Driving to and from work or anywhere else, especially in a crowded metropolitan area, can lead to anxiety, panic and a whole lot of stress. The next time you are going for a short drive and it is beautiful outside, walk instead, and see just how stress-free the experience can be.

The Benefits of Yoga for Businesses & Professionals

Yoga has long been regarded as one of the best forms of relaxation, and many more people are realizing the benefits of regular yoga sessions to reduce stress levels in their lives.

Some businesses have even included yoga as a benefit to their employees, as they have seen increased productivity and more contentment within the workforce as a result. Many employers have become aware of the fact that in addition to reducing stress, regular practice of yoga can also improve the healthy of their employees, and reduce sick time.

Yoga stretch. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Overall, it can be a good business decision to encourage yoga in the workplace, as it pays dividends in the long term.

Yoga has increased in popularity as well among business professionals who lead a fast-paced and stressful life, as many have found that regular sessions of yoga help to reduce their stress considerably, and make them more productive.

Yoga is also a very convenient form of exercise and relaxation as it can be performed almost anywhere without the need for special equipment.

A suitable chair in a carpeted office offers a business person may need to improve their health and mind at any time during the day when the opportunity arises.There are few forms of exercise and relaxation that offer such convenient benefits.

Yoga can also help to relieve the aches and pains that can accompany hours of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

Neck and back pain are common with office workers, as well factory workers who perform repetitive work throughout the day, and research has found that short breaks during the day where basic yoga exercises are performed, can relieve pain, reduce fatigue and increase safety in the workplace due to the improvements in these areas.

Yoga is beneficial to people of all ages and all levels of fitness. Even people who have never exercised before are able to start yoga and see results very quickly. It's a great way to help you stay healthy and fit, no matter where you work.