But what’s the point of working hard and becoming successful only to sacrifice your health?

Sometimes you need cold hard scientific facts to motivate you to exercise even when you’d rather skip it entirely. Think about some of these reasons the next time you feel like skipping a workout.

8 Reasons Why Exercise is Important To Your Brain & Body

1. Longer Lifespan

According to the CDC staying fit is the key to living a longer life. If you exercise more than seven hours per week you are 40% less likely to die young compared to only exercising 30 minutes or less each week.  

2. Increase Good Cholesterol and Lower Bad Cholesterol

High cholesterol can increase plaque that builds up in your arteries. Over time this plaque can lead to developing heart disease.

Exercise helps both your cholesterol levels by increasing the good kind and reducing the bad kind.

3. Decrease Stress Levels – Exercise is Important To Your Brain & Body

How many times have you went to the gym angry or frustrated only to feel better after a good class or long workout? Exercise has shown that it can drastically reduce your stress and anxiety levels.

If your stress has turned to depression it can also help you get out of your slump as exercise has also shown to help lower depression as well.

4. Increases Happiness

Yes, exercise will make you happy. Sometimes its hard to think about it during a long run or tough workout but afterward don’t you feel better? Maybe even happier?

Exercise increases your happiness because of the endorphins right when you finish. Post-exercise is when you are in peak state and a great time to work on setting your goals.

5. Stop Getting Sick – Exercise is Important To Your Brain & Body

Are you always getting sick or having to take time away from work, family or friends? If so, start exercising more!

According to Medline Plus, “Physical activity may help flush bacteria out of the lungs and airways. This may reduce your chance of getting a cold, flu, or other illness.”

Exercise causes changes in your antibodies and white blood cells (WBC) which are the body’s immune system cells that fight disease. WBCs circulate more rapidly, so they could detect illnesses earlier than they might have before.

6. Increase Self-Confidence

As Tim Grover said, “The mind controls the body, the body doesn’t control the mind.” While reading is the equivalent of exercising for your body, regular exercise also helps your brain too.

As the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services said, “It also can affect how well you do your tasks, and even how pleasant you are to be around. That’s partly because physical activity gets your brain to make “feel-good” chemicals called endorphins.”

7. Lower Your Risk of Cancer

If you’re not feeling like working out read this stat over and over again. One-third of all cancers in the United States are linked to lack of exercise and poor diet according to the American Cancer Society.

8. Helps You Sleep Better

Lastly, exercise can also help your sleep patterns. If you feel tired but can’t sleep or stay up tossing and turning try exercising to help.

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Regular physical activity can help you fall asleep faster and deepen your sleep.” Make sure not to exercise too close to bedtime, or you may be too energized to sleep.

The next time you think about skipping a workout to sleep in or binge Netflix use these reasons why exercise is important for your brain and body! 

Remember, exercise isn’t just for your body it’s as much for your mind. Plus, you will feel better, perform better throughout the day and even sleep better.

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