When You Think Walking Isn't Enough...

I know I know - many of you dread exercise.  I've been there.  But whether you like it or not, here's the reality:  Exercise is important, period.  Not only does it help you lose and maintain weight, but it also helps maintain good health and prevent killer health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.  Does that mean you need to go pump iron at the gym 7 days a week or run a marathon?  Absolutely not.  But adding basic exercise into your daily routine is proven to be beneficial in multiple ways.

I often hear "gym membership are scary," "running is boring," or "I just don't enjoy exercise."  While these are all fair statements (and I've related to each of them at some point), the solution lies in finding exercise you enjoy.  Running IS boring for many people, and gym memberships can be intimidating.  I get it.  But I want you to ask yourself something:  Have you tried to find something you like?  More often than not, we simply give up because it's easier than researching alternative exercising that is fun and beneficial.

I'll have to dedicate a post solely to fun exercise ideas, but for now, lets focus on those of you who would rather sit on the couch.  Consider this:  The simple exercise of walking helps relieve stress and tension, boosts energy, improves sleep, helps fight depression and anxiety, reduces blood pressure, reduces blood sugar spikes, prevents heart disease - just to name a few.  Studies have proven this and you can find hundreds of them on Google.  I'd rather not have to site pages, so happy Googling :-)

While I do encourage people to include more than walking in their exercise routine, getting off the couch just 30 minutes a day to take a stroll is a start, and it's far more beneficial than most people realize!  Get adjusted to the 30 minutes a day and I bet you start to crave more.

It's not about speed, it's about getting up and moving.  A wise man once told me:  "There is no cure for all the ills associated with lack of exercise except RxExercise!"  - Gary Westlund, Charities Challenges (www.charitieschallenge.org)