Exercise is not only good for you but also essential. Most health benefits can be derived from adding thirty minutes of moderate-intensity exercise to your daily life. You can choose to ignore this fact for as long as you like but it would eventually come back to bite you at some point in the future. It is better to acknowledge it now rather than later. You are given a choice: do you take care of your health now or then? Taking immediate action may be inconvenient because it is so much simpler to procrastinate and postpone. But taking action later may prove to be more difficult because you may have health issues to deal with then. Such is the case for many who wait until they are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes to change their ways.
It is harder to reverse Type 2 diabetes than it is to prevent high blood sugar and weight gain occurring in the first place. And it takes much more effort to undo what is already done.
Physical activity can help you now. With regular exercise, you can start making a difference in your health today. And you may be surprised to learn all you may be required to do is move more…
- stepping on a treadmill is one way to do it.
- lifting weights is another, and so are home workouts
- consisting of air squats, push-ups, and crunches.
There are endless ways to exercise. If you are short on ideas, a quick search online is all you need. You may even be overwhelmed with the limitless options available. And guess what – doing anything is better than doing nothing!
Exercise benefits you in so many ways. Why is there a need to make excuses to avoid doing something not only essential but also a positive addition to your life? It is not always easy and lack of time may be a concern. But there is always a way to fit in a workout somewhere in your day. Maybe you could start with physical activity goals. Create a checklist of activities – here are some ideas…
- take a short walk on your work breaks,
- take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator,
- exercise while watching television,
- take a 5-kilometer run,
- enjoy a 30-minute walk four times a week with your dog,
- gain improved flexibility and functional strength through yoga, or
- improved body strength from doing push-ups or air squats.
While only a shortlist, you could use these ideas to structure your first set of goals. Perhaps running your first 5km will give you the motivation to try something more challenging, like a 5km race in your city. Or, frequent walks may compel you to try out hiking as a different form of physical activity.
It is crucial you choose enjoyable activities so your exercise program does not become just another chore. At the end of the day, what matters is you are physically active.