Ten

This week I’ve been writing about reasons to get in a workout.  Here are ten of mine, but we all need to make our own.

 

1.     It improves my mood.  I’m a depressive, so I am all about finding ways to cope with that.  Cardio is the very best antidepressant I have found.  (Please note:  this does not mean that any of us should stop taking medication without talking with our doctors.  Medications can save lives.)

2.     It helps me sleep.  Not just me.  Research says so.  Exercise improves the quantity and quality of our sleep.

3.     It makes my brain work better.  Exercise helps keep our brains functioning well.  Also, it clears out all that hamster-wheel stuff in there.

4.     It reduces stress.  That thing about clearing the hamster-wheel stuff?  That’s stress reduction.  And the weights don’t mind if we take our anger and stress out on them the way our family and friends do.

5.     It gives me more energy for the other things I want to do.  I don’t poop out when I’m exploring a park or a museum or a new neighborhood because I’ve built my endurance during my workouts.

6.     It means I can eat fries.  Not all the time, but once in a while.  No one can out-exercise a truly terrible diet, but working out means that there is a little space for treats.

7.     I look better.  I like what I look like when my muscles are toned and my posture is better and I’m a healthier weight.

8.     I can open jars.  My dad was convinced that I would starve to death back before I started lifting weights because I needed him to open stuff for me.

9.     It improves my health markers.  Exercise is good for reducing cholesterol, improving glucose tolerance, preventing heart disease, and a whole bunch of other stuff.

10.  I have come to like it.  That was a long road, I admit, but nowadays I look forward to my time with my spin bike or in the pool or around the weights.

 

Your turn.