This seems like a good place to start. Exercise means something different to each person. A way to lose weight, a weekly social event, an escape from the stress of everyday life, a mode of legal torture?! What does the word exercise mean to you?
To me it is the glue that holds me together, don’t get me wrong there are many days when I just can’t to bothered but for the majority of the time, exercise is the thing that keeps me sane and happy. And here’s why:

1: Endorphins
Those wonderful ‘feel good’ hormones that boost your mood and your energy. Endorphins are released when we do something that requires a boost of energy, like exercise. That well known ‘runners high’ is the feeling of euphoria that comes from the brain releasing endorphins during sustained exercise. And this feeling of happiness continues throughout the day. People who exercise regularly less likely to suffer from depression and generally report higher levels of happiness.

2: Taking control
Taking up an exercise routine gives us a sense of self-empowerment. We are taking control of our lives and doing something positive for ourselves. Becoming fitter and healthier then gives us the freedom to do more, to say yes to more, to have the confidence in ourselves to do things we would never have thought possible before. Maybe you can do that fun run, maybe you can learn to surf, or wear that dress that you thought you’d never pull off. Exercise opens doors both physically and psychologically, the most amazing thing about my job is seeing people taking control and growing in confidence.

3: Energy boost
Don’t get me wrong, I love coffee, and it certainly has it’s place, but here’s the difference; the energy boost you get from exercise doesn’t come with a crash, or stained teeth! The combination of endorphin production, improved sleep and increased cardiovascular health means that as you exercise more, you just feel better; the more you do, the more you want to do. And the great thing is that when you start an exercise plan, it snowballs into a healthy lifestyle. You want to eat healthy; you want to continue to improve and progress, you get even more energy and so on and so forth.

4: Reduced pain
Whether it’s headaches, back pain, joint pain or muscle cramps, getting active and moving will most likely help. Depending on your issue, the exercise may need to gentle and low impact and you will need to start slow, but the good news is that there is a simple way to reduce your pain, one with multiple other health benefits and that doesn’t involve becoming reliant on pain medication. Do remember though, if you’re not sure what sort of exercise you should be doing, consult a doctor before starting any workout regime.

5: Improved general health
We all know that regular exercise reduces the risk of scary things like heart disease and other lifestyle related illnesses. Starting a new routine now will set you up for a future of health, but it’ll also keep you healthy short term. Exercise boosts the immune system, so not only will you feel better for exercising, but you’ll be less likely to get ill.

6: Confidence boost
Weight loss, muscle toning, increased strength, increased health, improved performance… whatever your reason for exercising, there’s no doubt that your confidence will increase. Even before you’ve started to reach your goal, even after your first session, the combination of endorphin release and the feeling that you’ve started something positive for yourself will make you feel like you can do anything. Then as you progress, you’ll feel happier in your own skin as a result of being healthier, fitter, leaner, and knowing that you’re only going to keep progressing.

7: Improve brain function and memory
Exercise stimulates the release of growth factors in the brain. These are chemicals that promote the health and number of brain cell as well as the growth of blood vessels in the brain. High intensity exercise can even increase the size of the hippocampus, the memory centre. As I mentioned before, exercise also improves sleep and reduces stress, this indirectly helps with brain function and memory as stress and lack of sleep can have a detrimental effect on both.

8: Making room to eat more nutrients.
In modern life we are surrounded by food that is high in sugar, saturated and trans fats and e numbers, and low in nutritional value. With modern farming practices focusing on yield rather than quality and soil health declining, even the healthy food is less nutritious. It is therefore getting more and more difficult to consume enough of the essential nutrients that keep our bodies functioning properly each day without gaining weight. We have to eat more calories than our Paleolithic ancestors to get the same amount of nutrition, and on top of that, we barely have to lift a figure to find the food. What’s the answer, well you exercise and eat clean. Burn more calories so you have the freedom to eat more without weight gain, eat only (or predominantly) food that has nutritional value, and your set. And as a bonus, you’re not living your life in a constant state of hunger, who wants that?!

9: Better sleep
Sleep is essential, we all know that, but most of us aren’t getting enough of it, or a good enough quality it. Increased use of phones, laptops and TV’s, increased caffeine intake, increased stress, increased working hours.. no wonder sleep has taken a hit recently. But the happy fact is, any form of exercise helps you to sleep. Pretty much every client I’ve ever had has said they sleep best on the night after their exercise session. It doesn’t matter when in the day you exercise, and you don’t have to workout every day, but getting generally active will help your overall sleep.

10: Being a yes person
“Fancy going for a hike?” “…to the beach?” “…to the gym?” Simple questions that can get us racking our brains for reasons we can’t come. I think having the confidence to join in with whatever your friends and family are up to might be the most important reason to start an exercise programme. The crippling worry that you might not keep up or the horror of being semi-naked in public is so common, and so sad. And it snowballs in both directions, the less things you say yes to, the more things scare you, and the less you do. But the good news is, exercise will give you that boost to start doing more, and as you start taking part, these situations become less scary, and more fun. In this and so many other ways, exercise affects everything, your well-being, your relationships, your personality.. It’s so exciting how one change can improve every aspect of life.