There are basically three ways to lose weight; you can adjust your diet, by eating less and/or by eating more healthily; you can take up exercise and try to burn more calories each day by being more active, or you can do both of the above.

Both options can work great; diet is perhaps the easiest option, but if you are a food lover or you just lack will power then exercise might work better. But losing weight is just one of the benefits of exercise and in reality it is all of the other results that make it all worthwhile.

However you do it, long term weight loss takes time and motivation is often the biggest challenge, but if you take up exercise for the sakes of the other benefits it brings you will lose weight without even knowing that you are doing it!

Feeling Good And Your Mental Health

All types of exercise are great for improving your mood, but strenuous exercise (such as sprinting or weightlifting) is especially good. Exercise releases a lot of the same chemicals as eating chocolate can, so if you are in a bad mood it is a great way to get you feel good.

Exercise also gets your heart rate up, which pumps more blood (and hence oxygen) to your brain, so you feel more awake and more alert. Often getting started is the biggest challenge, but once you are warmed up and exercising you will feel 100% better for it.

Be More Energetic Every Day

Exercise uses your muscles of course, even on a gentle walk you are using muscles all over your body; but what you might forget is that you are also using muscles in your body such as your diaphragm, heart and core muscles. Again, intense exercise is the best option as it really stresses your circulatory system and gets your blood flowing.

If you exercise regularly your body starts to adapt, your heart and lungs get stronger and better at supplying blood where it is needed and the result is that you feel more alive even when you are sitting still – in fact if you often find you feel lethargic during the day, regular intense exercise will probably help with that too!

Get Better At Sleeping

On days that you exercise you will of course sleep better simply because you are worn out! Your body will naturally find it easier to sleep after a day that has involved exercise. But that’s not the end of the story.

Thanks to the benefits already mentioned, your body will be better at circulating oxygen and balancing chemicals in your brain and the result is that whilst you feel more awake during the day you will fall asleep more easily when night time falls. Better blood flow also generally improves the quality of your sleep.

Get A Nice Healthy Skeleton

Some exercises, particularly high impact exercises can be damaging to your joints, which puts a lot of people off – but the reality is that a little bit of impact is healthy for the majority of healthy adults. Obviously if you have an existing condition or old injury you should seek medical advice, but by and large, impact is good.

Since pretty much all exercise involves at least some degree of impact it is a great way to improve your bone density, making your bones stronger and reducing your risk of certain diseases in later life.

Improve Your Posture

If you have a history of back problems and particularly if you have a job that involves a lot of sitting down then regular exercise should be considered a must. Exercise of course involves movement and it will encourage your body to remain flexible and prevent your muscles from becoming stiff and rigid.

Exercise will also improve the strength of those core muscles which keep you upright and help you maintain good posture – these are the muscles which go largely unused during the day when you are sitting in your chair.

Summary

So there you have it – sure losing weight is nice, but it takes time. Try to focus instead on all of these health benefits, you might be surprised how fast you notice the improvements in your mood, energy levels and mobility, all of which will spur you on to make a permanent lifestyle change!

Author Bio:
This post was written by Ricky from Fastestwaytoloseweightt.com, please check out my website for more healthy living tips and advice.