Why exercise?

Why not?

Hmmm, I can come up with many excuses not to exercise. I am too busy, I go to school so I should study instead of work out. Or my knee hurts, my back hurts, I have a headache. The truth, however, is that I usually end up watching Will and Grace instead of studying and my back, knee, and headache is usually BETTER when I work out.

Exercise has always been frustrating for me. Right now I am eating around 1200 calories a day and doing Kettle Bell workouts. Guess what? I am gaining weight. How is this possible? Well my body is probably in shock and I am gaining muscle. I don't know if this is true, but I really believe when you start working out your body swells because you are actually using your muscles and it needs time to adjust. But it is very frustrating to work so hard and not see the scale move. So of course I need to get off the scale and remind myself, I am doing this to live a longer life, not lose weight.

As your body ages, you lose lean muscle mass. Lean body mass helps burn fat and actually helps protect your body. That's why resistance training is so important. Which is why I have been doing Kettle Bells. It's a great workout for both cardio and resistance, plus it's only 20 minutes 3 times a week. Works for me!

I have noticed that when I work out, my body feels better. I have knee pain and lower back pain when I don't work out. And yet when I strengthen my muscles all that goes away. Most back pain is due to core muscles being too weak. We are not made to sit all day. This weakens our core muscles and gives us more pain! And my knee pain comes from my leg muscles not holding my knee cap in place correctly. So by not working out, I am actually causing myself pain. I think the two weeks of soreness is worth the decrease in pain.

Pilates is a great way to tighten your core.
And simple walking is a great cardio workout.
Work on flexibility and balance! 
Start small and eventually you will reach a point where you feel better. Your body will feel good, your heart will be happy, and your mood will increase.

Today's tip: Get up and get moving! Your body and heart will love you.