The other day I had a discussion with a friend about exercising. Since a couple of months, I exercise at the gym at least 1-2 times a week. I decided to go to gym because it is something you can do everywhere, both at your local sports club, as well as in hotels and even at home. In this post, I would like to tell you about the benefits of regular exercise.

First of all, it doesn’t matter if you go to the gym, swim, run or play football, basketball or another team sport. What matters, is that you give your body a physical impulse on a regular basis – let’s say 2-3 times a week. To achieve considerable results, there is no need to work out 4-5 times a week for several hours a day.

Very often, I hear people say: “I don’t have time for that”. You might not have time because your work consumes your entire agenda, and you have a social- and family life on top of that. Let me tell you this: The investment of exercising 2-3 hours a week contributes so much to your mental concentration, your sleep cycle, your physical fitness and your overall ability to perform, that it’s worth the investment multiple times. You can simply handle more, in a shorter time, and still feel good afterwards.

It is good for your body. Regular exercise strengthens your heart muscle and your blood vains. It also improves your digestion and metabolism. It strengthens your muslces, decreasing the chance of injury. There is a complete consencus amongst scientists that regular exercise simply prevents you from a lot of disease, increasing the chances to live a longer, healthier life. It will also help you to sleep better, especially when you stick to a reasonable diet. Ask a professional at your gym or sports club, or your family doctor for advise!

It is good for your mind. According to research by the Dutch Trimbos Institute, people who exercise 2-3 times a week have a 50% smaller chance to develop mental problems such as addiction or depression. Those who do experience mental unstability, recover considerably faster on average than people who do not exercise on a regular basis. After a training session, your body produces hormones like serotonin, endorphin and testosteron (mainly with men, but also with women), that all make you feel good.

Some advise to go ahead:

1. Start to consider it as something crucial. Lack of time cannot be an excuse
2. Ask yourself: What do I want to achieve? Do you want to lose weight? Improve your physical condition? Want to feel better mentally?
3. Think of the sport you would like to do most. Try different things. Most sports clubs offer a free trial, so take advantage of that!
4. Ask a professional at your sports club of your family doctor for advise when you have no experience. They can do all sorts of tests to determine the best way forward for you. This helps you to avoid injuries and gives you the fastest way to achieve your goals
5. Hold on! Plan it in your agenda. Stick to it. Go with friends. Commit yourself. Reward yourself for going. Do everything possible to make sure you stick to the discipline

Personally, I never considered myself a sports person. But as soon as I went, I started to experience the positive effects instantly. Since I exercise one, two and sometimes three times in a week (in various forms), I feel better physically, can handle more emotionally, sleep better and find it much easier to achieve other goals in life.

Photo by johnnyberg