I’ll be honest, exercise is not my favorite thing. I have to be really determined in order to make it happen. Before I enter into a season of committed, regular exercise I always like to ask myself what my reasons for exercise are. I refuse to hate my body so I make sure that my ‘why’ is not from a place of negativity.

5 Reasons To Exercise (Other Than Losing Weight)

1: Endorphins

Yes the happy hormone that our brain releases during a work out can uplift your mood and turn your bad day into a good one. For those times in life when things feel down or depressing, exercise can play a key role in regulating moods. Who doesn’t love a good pick me up to their day?

2: Stress Release

This is often my biggest reason why I push to move my body. I don’t know why I am more stressed than I should be. Even with maintaining a lower volume of extra activities/responsibilities it just seems like  my body needs a good sweat to feel better and relax. I’ve read that just 5 minutes of exercise can trigger an anti-anxiety response in the body. Did I mention writing this post is giving me inspiration to start up a consistent exercise routine again? I mean 5 minutes and I get anti-stress benefits, come on!

One article from CNN stated: “The less active we become, the more challenged we are in dealing with stress.” I couldn’t agree more with this statement and the parallel it has in my own life. Our body streamlines how it deals with stress when we are exercising but when we go too long without, it is harder for to find that streamlined process it once knew.

3: Sleep Better

I used to never have issues going to sleep or staying asleep but along with the myriad of other things that change when you become a mom, sleep is one of them.

Research suggests that for people with insomnia or other sleep disorders, the benefit of exercise is usually better noted over a longer period of time rather than an immediate result, which is how most things are in life aren’t they? Part of sleep issues can also come from being stressed as well. So if you can kill two birds with one stone and have a more peaceful day and night I’m all about that!

4: Daily/Weekly Structure

Sometimes it is nice for me to know what my day or week is going to look like instead of a chaotic mess where everything just happens when it happens. When I have a routine or structure to my day and week I feel more organized and honestly more motivated to do those tasks that I’ve been procrastinating.

Adding exercise into a weekly or daily routine helps me to feel like my life isn’t only about responding to messes or tasks that need my attention but gives me a sense of control. I’ve chosen to make something positive happen for my own benefit.

5: Strength

Strength is another thing I think is worth mentioning. I love the feeling of progressing in movements. I love when I can do something I couldn’t do a week or two ago. It shows me that my body is getting stronger and also that it likes when I work out! And sometimes its just nice to remember that you can be a beast and do hard things. When I focus on what my body is able to do, it stops me from obsessing over what I look like.

 

The human body is truly a remarkable thing and its amazing that the more we push it, the more efficiently our muscles, brain, lungs, and heart work! I know that even as I benefit from working out so does my family. I am less tense and irritable from getting more sleep and releasing more stress. On days where I don’t want to push it for myself, I know I can push for the benefits for my family.