Why Should You Workout?

There are many, many benefits to regular physical fitness. Benefits of exercising range from the obvious:

lower body weight decreased risk of diseases lower body fat improved physical appearance And the less known benefits:  reduced instances of depression more positive self-esteem better sleeping patterns more energy & stamina

Read below for some highlights of why working out is so important and beneficial to everyone!

Exercise can help you sleep better. People who exercise tend to fall asleep quicker and stay asleep longer. As a busy bride-to-be, regular sleep is critical to accomplishing everything on your planning list and helping you avoid getting sick.

Strength Training helps increase your metabolism because muscle uses more calories to maintain itself than fat.  So the more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn every day, not just when you are exercising. That ultimately means a bride can spend less time exercising. For more information on this subject, click here to read a recently published article about the benefits of resistance training.

Reduced levels of stress. One of the most stressful times of a person's life is planning their wedding. Even just a 20-minute workout can really help you detox and feel less stressed. Stress is linked to lowering your immune system (so you are more susceptible to colds and other common ailments). So, reducing stress is very important so you don't encounter setbacks while down with an illness.

Your metabolism slows as you get older. This is primarily due to a decrease in muscle tissue. After the age of 30, your body gradually begins to lose it's muscle. If your activity level stays the same and the amount of calories you eat stay the same, you will still gain weight because your metabolism has slowed down. However, if you exercise with weights and do some type of aerobic activity on a regular basis, you probably won't notice much of a change in your metabolism as you age.

Strength Training helps your bones. Research has found that weight training can increase spinal bone mineral density by 13 percent in six months. So strength training is a powerful tool against osteoporosis.

You can lose 1 pound simply by cutting out 300 calories a day for one week and exercising for just 30 minutes just four times?  And cutting out 300 calories a day is as simple as not buttering your roll/bread (just 3 Tbsp. of butter = 300 calories) or drinking two glasses of water instead of two cans of cola.

Exercise provides benefits not only for you physically but also for your mental well-being. Regular exercise has been linked to helping reduce depression.

Regardless of your body appearance, regular fitness helps improve your self-esteem.

Working out increases your anaerobic threshold. This allows you to work or exercise longer at a higher level.

Strength training prevents muscle loss. Dieting (reducing calories) tends to cause a loss in muscle. You can help avoid this by lifting weights while reducing your calorie intake. Strength training will help you preserve muscle, while also losing fat.

Exercise helps reduce some symptoms of menopause (like hot flashes, irregular sleep and irritability) and it helps lower the long-term risks of cardiovascular disease.

Regular exercise helps improve cholesterol levels. It helps decrease total cholesterol levels and increase  "good" cholesterol levels.

Working out can provide caridopulmonary improvements. It helps decrease blood pressure and lower resting heart rate.

Leaner total body. Physical fitness increases your lean (fat-free) body percentage (and of course decrease your body fat percentage).

More calories burned. The more muscles you build from strength training, the more calories you will burn (even at rest). Plus, building muscles will also help keep your metabolic rate constant. Without strength training, typically a person gradually loses about 5% of their metabolic rate every decade.

Reduced Risk Of Injury. All forms of exercise (but especially flexibility training exercises) help reduce the risk of injuries.