Exercise Regularly: Great Benefits Of Regular Physical Activity

By Author: jeff barnes
Total Articles: 114
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Last month I lost my father at the age of 56. This was a tragic and unexpected loss for me and my family. I say that this was unexpected simply because we are a pretty active family. My father and I worked together and ran a martial arts school in our local town.



He was a active man and worked hard all his life. While being moderately overweight in his later years, he spent most of his life in what can be described as fantastic. During my high school years and early college, he and I would often run in the country for five miles and then finish the night with active martial arts training.



After college, I went on to pursue a career while he went into investing in real estate. He quit teaching the martial arts and worked on his personal career at the local refinery. It was five years ago that I decided to start teaching the martial arts, and I pulled my father out of retirement (from the martial arts) and back into the swing of things.



What changed?



His life style changed. He went from an active lifestyle to more sedentary. He ...
... went from a job where he was moving and walking all the time to that of sitting behind a desk.



In that time, the benefits of regular exercise went away. It created more problems as he grew older and later led to dieing at a young age.



I am writing this article more for myself as a wake up call. I need to do more to ensure that I am staying active and fit. I need to eat healthy foods and ensure that I will last long after my fifties. So, if you are not active, let me express to you the benefits of healthy exercise.



Healthy exercise prevents chronic health conditions and helps weight loss. It also has the following lasting effects:



1. Exercise improves your attitude.



I have a stressful job and running a martial arts school can have a taxing effect on your mental well being. Exercise helps you feel good and promotes a healthy attitude.



2. Exercise combats chronic diseases - does your family suffer from chronic diseases?



Do you have signs of chronic disease in your family? I do. My father died of a heart attack. The other side of my family has a nasty history of diabetes. If you have any of those signs, it is time to get yourself in gear and find a healthy weight loss program. Regular exercise combats these diseases and improves overall health. Regular physical activity can help you prevent type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer.



3. Exercise helps you manage your weight.



No fad diet will do the work that a regular workout routine can do. Regular exercise promotes weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight. If you struggle from the battle of the bulge, get to doing an exercise regularly. It does not have to be a strenuous exercise. Start walking, riding a bike or doing something you love. Watching television will not keep the weight off. Doing something will!



4. Exercise gives you more energy.



One thing I have noticed with my busy schedule is that I feel tired all the time. What did I do after sitting behind a desk all day and then run to go teach a class at the school? I went home and sat in front of the TV. When I started exercising regularly, I found that I had more energy. I was more willing to go out and play with my kids. I wanted to go out and do more. The more regular exercise you get, the less tired you feel and more energy you will have.



5. Exercise promotes better sleeping conditions.



Do you struggle sleeping? Do you have problems snoring? Exercise helps improve your sleep. You will feel more rested in the morning. You will feel as if you got a good rest. This will naturally equate to wanting to do more during the day. By working out more, my wife noticed that I snore less. It actually improved her sleep as well. Snoring less means you are getting more oxygen in your body as you sleep which is essential to your body.

Jeff Barnes is a martial arts school owner and fitness expert. You can find out more about what Jeff is doing to exercise regularly by following his blog at http://iwillexerciseregularly.blogspot.com/