My daughter and I spend a lot of time outdoors and yesterday was no different. I introduced physical activity into her life at an early age. Now she would think it odd to be cooped up in the house continually. If she saw that I wasn’t physically active she would think something was wrong with me. She would be correct since that is the only time I’m still.

Besides weight loss what are some of the health benefits of exercise?

Boosts the Immune System
Did you know doing moderate exercise will actually boost your immune system? Yes, it’s true. Doing some moderate form of activity actually increases the macrophages (those are the cells that attack bacteria.) Research has proven that if you consistently work out exercise can lead to a significant boost in your immune system.

I know for a fact that this is true with my daughter and me. We are rarely sick; however, if we are under the weather we bounce back the next day. I’ve observed this with my father also. He exercises a lot and although he doesn’t make all the healthy choices that I do he rarely gets sick. My mother and brother are a different story. Any germs that are going around will find a great home in their bodies. Simply, because their bodies cannot fight off the infection they don’t make healthy choices regarding their food choices, and they don’t exercise.

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Improves Your Mood
If I’m facing a challenging situation with a project or my personal life I know that I need to hit the gym. One of the reasons why I’m in the gym more now is caused by my business, freelance work, and personal life is very challenging right now. Making sure I get my butt to exercise is an excellent way to release the stress and the occasional frustration I experience.

Several years ago I read an article that said exercise helps stimulate certain brain chemical.  This stimulation can help you feel happier and more laid back after your workout. If you continue to exercise, and make healthy eating choices you’ll most likely look better, which could lead to making you feel better about yourself. I’ve always been self-confident; however, the more I work out the better I feel about myself.

Better Sleep
I’ve noticed when I exercise I sleep much better. Regular exercise can help you fall asleep faster.

The beauty of exercise is that you don’t have to go to the gym to get into shape. You can do simple low impact exercises at home. The benefit is that not only will it improve your health you most likely will feel good about yourself also.