When you were growing up, did your mom ever tell you to get away from the TV and go outside and play to get some physical exercise? Or maybe she had a particular exercise-related saying that is still stuck in your head all of these years later, such as “If you want good health, you need to exercise” or “If you don’t exercise, you’ll never be all you can be.”
Even though we didn’t always want to listen to our moms when they were telling us how to live our lives or giving us advice about what to do (and not do), the reality is that mom was right about exercise. It really does have a powerful influence on the overall quality of your life.
Physically, your body becomes weaker if you don’t give it some regular physical activity. That’s partially why you find it harder to do a workout if it’s been a while since you’ve spent any time in the gym. Your muscles have reduced in size and strength, so you struggle more than if you’d been doing your training sessions all along.
Even your bones get weaker when you don’t exercise. Most people correlate strength training with muscles only, but research has shown that this specific type of exercise also increases bone density. This is extremely important as we age and bone density becomes a bigger issue, such as with osteoporosis.
Physical exercise also has a positive impact on your mental health. When you work out, your body releases endorphins which are “feel good” hormones that automatically boost your mood. Plus, when you’ve completed a grueling workout or exercise session, you have a feeling of achievement—a sense of accomplishment.
While moms aren’t always right about everything, this is one case where she really does know what she’s talking about, so you might want to listen…
