Boost your energy, lose weight, look and feel great!
There’s no question that in addition to eating a healthy diet, exercise will boost your energy, both immediately and in the long run, making it easier to do everything from commuting to cleaning the garage to running a 5K. It helps increase your strength and endurance, helps you look and feel great, eliminates stress, fights depression and fatigue, invigorates your brain, and helps you lose weight, which alone will give you more energy.
And it just makes you feel good. Exercise releases endorphins, your body’s natural happy pill. The more endorphins that run through your veins, the better you will feel.
Moderate and steady wins the energy race
That image you have in your head of being chained to the treadmill, drenched in sweat, banging for hours, just to reap these benefits, throw it out. Prolonged and strenuous exercise only leads to fatigue for most people.
What gets you to the goal in your daily life is moderate and regular exercise. A brisk walk, a bike ride, an aerobics class can get the job done – anything that gets your heart rate up and your breathing up.
Still not there? Low intensity activities work too. One study showed that regular low-intensity exercise, such as leisurely walking, helped inactive adults who suffered from fatigue increase their energy by 20 percent and decrease fatigue by 65 percent.
If you can choose between not moving or moving, move!
The experts are pretty clear on this point: Get 30 to 60 minutes of exercise three to five days a week to improve energy and to help prevent heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. But if you can’t reach that goal for whatever reason, do something.
One of the biggest mistakes people make is having an all or nothing mentality. If you can realistically commit to exercising only three days a week, remember that three is better than zero! Even if you can spend just 10-20 minutes on exercise, you will always feel better afterward.
Catch some Zzzzz!
To lose weight and feel good, good sleep is essential. While quality sleep helps our bodies and minds repair and recharge, chronic sleep deprivation creates persistent fatigue. And many of us are not getting the seven to nine hours a night that we need. When we are tired, our bodies crave carbohydrate-rich foods like sugary snacks. Candy means more calories, not to mention the sugar crash we know is coming. Also, when we are sleep deprived, our body latches on to calories and fat. And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, when we are tired, we are less likely to exercise.
But you can turn that downward spiral around and create a positive routine instead. Get regular and good sleep and you will have more energy for each part of the day. You will have more energy to exercise and be active. You will be better prepared to deal with stress. And you will look and feel great!
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The information on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended to substitute for the advice of a physician or other healthcare professional or any information contained on product labeling. You should consult a healthcare professional before starting any diet, supplement, or exercise program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect that you might have a health problem.