You might have a vague idea that eating right and exercising regularly are good things, but have difficulty making that leap towards actually doing something about your health. If you need some real, concrete reasons while you must start pursing a healthy lifestyle starting today, just take a look at these completely true benefits of being healthy.
1. Bone Density
After age thirty or so, you very slowly, over time start to lose bone density. This process can lead to brittle bones and osteoporosis. The more load bearing exercise you perform before age thirty, the stronger your bones will be. And performing load-bearing exercise later in life will help maintain bone density. Load bearing exercises can be things like weight lifting, jogging, and stair climbing.
2. Improved Mood
You may think that ice cream and pizza and playing a lot of video games make you happy, but it doesn't even compare to the kind of contentment you experience when you are physically fit. Firstly, the exercise itself feels wonderful. When you exercise, your body produces a morphine like hormone called endorphins. The endorphins make the exerciser feel contented, focused, and stress free. The mood benefits of a fit lifestyle get better over time. Some studies on patients who suffer from depression show that regular exercise can even be as effective as anti-depressants in treating depression.
3. Reduce the risk of several diseases
There is nothing really pleasant about suffering from heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. A major illness can throw your life upside down, and affect your relationship with your loved ones and how you enjoy your favorite hobbies. Pursuing a healthy lifestyle can prevent these and other chronic diseases from ever forming. When you eat right and get active, you activate your immune system and lower your cholesterol. You will have fewer sick days in your life and have more time to do what you enjoy doing.
4. You will look great
There are few things more satisfying than looking in the mirror and being proud of what you see. It's a wonderful feeling, but it can only really be accomplished through a healthy diet and regular exercise. Looking great will also lead to feeling great, which will then lead to you pursing your work, home life, and hobbies with more zest and confidence. Even a slight improvement in your appearance can raise your self-esteem to heights you may have never experienced before.
5. You will be smarter
There is lots of new evidence that is proving that the commonly held belief that the world is divided between nerds and jocks is completely unfounded. In fact, some traditionally jock-like behavior can even make your smarter. In 2004 the University of Illinois released the findings of a two-year study on the connection between physical activity and test scores. One of the professors says the study revealed that there is a "strong relationship between academic achievement and fitness scores." So if you feel like you could use a better memory, stronger concentration, and a more powerful cognitive ability, you should definitely be spending more time outside being active.
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