Why do you exercise?

Why do you exercise? It's a very simple question that can get really deep very quickly. I think we all can agree that we exercise to be healthy, right? Right. We'll come back to that. To be honest, there's something about the endorphins that get most people too. It's a mood booster. You walk in feeling a certain way, and you walk out feeling another, which leads to my first point. Exercise is a form of therapy, in a sense, or at least it is for me. It wasn't always that way, but when I finally got to that point, it has never been more of a rewarding feeling to finish a workout. It started with dance, turned into cheerleading, and eventually made it's way to group fitness. After falling in love with group fitness, I added on personal training, and the rest is history. When I say, "I love my job", I sincerely mean it to the fullest extent. I know I'm lucky! Anyway, back to the endorphins. Did you know that studies have shown that exercise, both cardio and resistance training, can help with anxiety and depression? That's some serious "runner's high" benefits right there! Just by going for a walk or lifting some weights, you can reduce your stress level while simultaneously strengthening your muscles. Have you ever thought about the many processes our bodies perform each day? Each hour? Each minute? Each breathe? A very simple way of putting it: endorphins enter the equation when we experience pain or pleasure; the signal is either promoted or suppressed (pleasure is enhanced, and pain is blocked). When we exercise, maybe in a fun dance class, we sweat and laugh and burn a lot of calories. While all of the OTHER processes are going on (like our hearts pumping and muscles contracting), endorphins are signaling for our bodies to block out the burn and stay in this euphoria a little while longer. This is why stress is lowered during exercise. It's truly an escape. Our bodies can do tremendous things for us if we just listen to them! Now, endorphins are great, but the biggest reason I workout is for my kids. I want to be as healthy as I can for as long as I can. I want to be a mom, a grandma, and a great grandma. I don't just want to reach my 90s by sitting in a recliner either. I want to be dancing and laughing with my husband on my 99th birthday with my sons and their families all around us. That is my biggest reason for working out, hands down. I can go on and on about the health benefits from working out, but I'm not today. That's coming at a later date. For now, all I will say is the obvious: working out can help with weight management, a better state of mind (what we just went over), and reduce the risk of many diseases. I've gone over some great benefits here, but I can't leave out my very obvious and final reason for working out. That reason is... I love wine, and I love food. Plain and simple. I will go ahead and set the record straight though. YOU CANNOT OUTTRAIN AN UNHEALTHY DIET! However, I do believe in the phrase "everything in moderation" to an extent. No excluding any macros, no excessive workouts, and no binge-eating of any kind. The next time you do your workout, embrace the heavy breathing, enjoy the drip of sweat, and smile as you do your last rep (or add in an extra for good measure). Thank your body for its ability to move and take advantage of the positive attitude that comes along with the rush of endorphins. Keep it simple, love your bodies, and make sure to move today!