For me personally, heath and fitness have always been a huge priority in my life. I started exercising on a regular basis since I was in high school and although my routines have varied throughout my life, there was never a time I took an extended break from it or was too busy to exercise. The truth of the matter is, we are never “too busy” for the things we care about most. Being that staying healthy and in shape are important to me, a good diet paired with an exercise routine are both essentials. I do not believe that you can rely solely on good genetics–that is not enough. Although the science shows that what you eat has more of a higher impact on your overall health and well being than exercise, there is no doubt that putting both into practice will provide you with the very best results.

I actually truly do not understand people who do not exercise. People should want to take care of themselves and take accountability for their health. I suppose the reasons can vary from not enjoying it, too many professional and/or personal obligations, getting bored doing it, or maybe not looking at the long term positive effects of incorporating exercise into daily life. Even if you cannot find a little time out of your day to do it a few days a week, I always say that any time you can commit to yourself is always better than nothing.

If you are in the category where you never exercise or maybe you do so at random but there is no real emphasis on making it a priority, I would like to provide some reasons as to why you need to start making it a habit.

Keeps You Young and Looking Good – People who take the time to exercise regularly always look way younger than their physical age. I will admit, this was always one of the many incentives as to why I stuck with it was because I knew that it would preserve my youth over time. Aesthetically, I also always wanted to stay in shape and knew that the work (aka exercise) would provide the results I was looking for.

Improves Energy Levels / Mood / Mental Health – Without a doubt, after a good workout, I feel amazing. This includes feeling accomplished, energized, strong (both mentally and physically), productive, happy, and so much more. I am naturally a positive and happy person but by adding a solid workout to my day really takes it to a higher level by uplifting my mood and building my mental strength.

Prevents Potential Health Problems From Occurring Later in Life – Exercise cannot prevent everything as we know that certain health problems are genetic and are completely out of our hands no matter how much we eat well and exercise. However, keeping the body healthy definitely adds a layer of protection in preventing serious health problems to arise.

Helps with Weight Management – As we age, it is natural for the metabolism to slow down and unexpected weight to appear out of no where. Even if you have consistently been a relatively healthy individual, it is still easy for the body to put on weight over time. This is where exercise helps by burning excess calories and if you also weight train, the muscle you build will aid in weight management by keeping the body lean and trim. (If genetically, you are thin to begin with, this does not give you a pass to not have to exercise. Even though you might not be looking to lose weight, you can still exercise by lifting weights to add muscle to your body which is ideal).

Increases Longevity – I know for some, people live day by day, not thinking about their future, let alone tomorrow. However, if you could live a longer and healthier life, wouldn’t that be the best scenario? By adding exercise, you are staying healthy and ultimately extending your life by investing in your health.

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Even though these are all reasons that you probably are familiar with and they are nothing new to you, at the very least, I hope reading this can inspire you to make a healthy life change and open your mind to the idea of making exercise a part of your lifestyle–not just a temporary resolution that you make and fail to keep each year.

How to Get Started TODAY: The best thing you can do is start incorporating small amounts at a time and vary the activities. Ideally, find things that you enjoy. If you like going on nature walks, I would still count that as a form of exercise because at least you are moving. Over time, you can increase the amount of time you allot during the week and increase the intensity. Again, start small and gradually you can always do more as time progresses.

* If you are totally clueless when it comes to working out or what would be the best moves for your current fitness level, consider hiring a professional who can personalize a routine just for you and teach you how to exercise properly.

* If you really want to take it a step further, write down your activity each day. Even for someone like myself who has the self motivation to exercise daily, there is still a need to stay on track and record the progress. How do I stay disciplined and regimented? — I write it down every single day! I simply record the activity and how many minutes along with what I ate that day. As I mentioned, a nutritious diet and a fitness regime are the golden combo when it comes to staying healthy! 🙂