The benefits of exercise go far beyond the physical. Here are all the other reasons why you should have a regular fitness routine.
Have you ever thought about why you work out?
The vast majority of people either have no specific answer to this question or give vague and generic answers like “to be healthy” or “get into shape.”
The problem with this nebulous approach is just that: it’s not tangible or even specific. It’s not easy to wake up on a cold, foggy morning at 6am to work out. It’s really not easy when you’re doing it “to be healthy” or to “get into shape.”
Instead, if you’re doing it for a specific reason like to lose 10 pounds and fit into your skinny jeans, increase productivity by 21%, lengthen your life by 3.4 years, or move around pain free — you’re much, much more likely to follow through.
When you understand why you’re doing something, like working out, it’s much easier to get up and work out. It’s also easier to link every one of your actions toward your specific goal providing you clarity, focus, and a straight line to success.
“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
In order to help you find your why for working out, check out some of these often overlooked benefits of working out. Find one or two that really resonate with you, and use those as your motivation to work out more regularly:
Increase Health & Reduce Risk of Disease
This is probably the most obvious reason to work out, but did you know that lack of physical activity is the primary cause of chronic disease?
If that’s not enough to scare you, lack of regular exercise can lead to increases in abdominal fat which increase the risk of type-2 diabetes, heart disease, and a lower lifespan.
On the flip side, regular exercise has been shown to improve cardiovascular fitness, body composition, and decrease blood pressure.
Exercise has even been proven to increase the length of your life. Research shows 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week will increase your lifespan by 3.4 years while just 75 minutes per week will prolong your life by 1.8 years.
Improve Strength, Flexibility, And Performance
It’s no secret the world’s best athletes including Cristiano Ronaldo, Lebron James, Tom Brady, and Serena Williams all exercise. In fact, they don’t even call it exercise; that’s how serious they are about it. They call it “training.”
They don’t do this for fun. They do it to improve strength, flexibility, and performance. Science backs this up: research has shown weightlifting enhances athletic performance.
You might not be competing in a professional sport like the athletes I mentioned above, but you are competing in the sport of business and life. Whether you are a weekend warrior, play in an after-work softball league, or simply have a few kids running around you’re going to need to perform.
Exercise will help you dominate all these areas of your life.
Increase Happiness
From journaling to meditation and even gratitude, it seems like everyone is trying to find “hacks” to be happier. Funny enough, one of the most overlooked benefits of working out is living a much happier life and science supports this notion:
- Exercise improves your mood by decreasing feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress while increasing feelings of vigor.
- Exercise reduces stress and anxiety by stimulating the part of the brain responsible for regulating these feelings.
- Exercise releases endorphins that reduce your perception of pain, trigger a positive feeling inside your body, and boost self-esteem.
Reduce Chronic Pain
For years and years the prescription for pain was rest and recovery. If something hurt, you weren’t supposed to move it until it felt better.
This is an old school way of thinking that isn’t backed by modern science. The new school of thinking recommends more movement to overcome chronic pain.
Research has shown that exercise helps reduce chronic pain. One of the reasons exercise helps is because exercise increases pain tolerance and pain perception.
Increase Productivity
Would you like to know Richard Branson’s secret to success?
Better yet, how would you like to know what one habit Mark Zuckerberg, Mark Cuban, Oprah Winfrey, Jack Dorsey all have in common?
All these wildly successful individuals say working out is the key to their success.
Research out of Briston University backs this up. They conducted a study on 200 employees across 3 organizations and the results were mind-blowing. The employees rated themselves on both workout and non-workout days.
On workout days, scores were 21% higher for concentration, 22% higher for finishing work on time, 25% higher for working without unscheduled breaks, and 41% higher for feeling motivated to work.
“I wouldn’t be able to achieve all the things I was trying to achieve in my life if I wasn’t at the peak of fitness. Exercise does not deplete my energy. Instead, it gives me energy and makes me feel like a young kid again.” – Richard Branson
Whether you want to lose 10 pounds, look good on the beach, reduce your risk of disease, live a longer happier life, reduce chronic pain, or even boost productivity — exercise is the answer.
It can help you with all these things and a whole lot more. This list didn’t even get into other awesome benefits including confidence, better sleep, improved memory, or enhanced sex life.
Whatever your ailment or issue: exercise is the cure all.
This is where the word “but” comes into play.
- I don’t have enough time.
- The gym is too far away.
- I can’t leave my kids home alone.
- I don’t feel comfortable at the gym.
- I don’t know what to do.
- I don’t know how to exercise properly without injuring myself.
These are all common and credible excuses and you’re right about all of them. Which is why Tonal was created — to eliminate your excuses and ensure you can take advantage of all the benefits of exercise, regardless of your situation.
Workouts on Tonal require zero commute time and can be done in as little as 25 minutes without leaving the comfort of your own home. There is no need to hire a babysitter or put the kids into daycare just so you can get a workout in.
Even better, Tonal will guide you through movements, telling you exactly what to do to reach your goals. Our expert coaches demonstrate every exercise so you get the most from each workout while staying safe and injury free.
Whatever your excuse is for not exercising, they are no longer valid with Tonal.
Tonal removes the excuses so you can take back control of your body and live your best life for all the reasons listed above.
Get a Tonal and get back to being the strongest, happiest, healthiest, and most productive version of you.
