Body Magic – Every little counts

At Slimming World, you don’t have to do any exercise to lose weight – you’ll naturally lose weight following the Food Optimising plan. However, by adding exercise into your routine, you may find your body begins to change more rapidly, and it can help when you want to tone.

Note: This article has been written by a guest writer, Jane277

The health benefits of moderate exercise

Many people underestimate the power of exercise and some feel intimated by the thought of starting a new fitness routine. However, any type of exercise is beneficial for the body and even moderate activity is enough to start reaping the benefits.

If you haven’t exercised in a while, or simply don’t have the time to get fit, then there are many ways of incorporating extra activities in to your daily routine. For beginners, walking is one of the best forms of exercise and it is easy to include in your day to day life. For instance, park farther away from your work place and walk the rest of the way, use stairs instead of lifts, and catch the bus instead of using the car.

There is plenty of research to show how good activities like walking are for our health; moderate exercise has the following benefits for the mind and body.

It lifts your mood

Exercise helps to increase the body’s levels of serotonin – the neurotransmitter that helps us to feel good; moderate exercise can help to lift minor depression and low moods. In addition, activities such as walking have been shown to reduce levels of anxiety as well as boost the self-esteem. Moreover, getting out into the sunshine for a walk will always help you to feel better.

Heart Benefits

Moderate exercise such as walking has many benefits for the heart. It will help to lower the weight by increasing the amount of calories burned., so it will reduce the strain on the heart and it will help to promote a healthier circulation.

In addition, regular exercise will help to reduce blood pressure and heart disease, thus reducing the chance of a heart attack or stroke.

Better Health

A moderate exercise regimen can benefit our health by reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, and asthma. It is also believed to have protective effects against some forms of cancer.

Strengthen Bones

Regular exercise can also help to promote bone strength, helping us to avoid the bone thinning disease osteoporosis when we are older. Osteoporosis is often symptom less and people often don’t realise that they have got a problem until they have fractured a bone.

Insomnia

Walking has been shown to help people to sleep better, helping to alleviate insomnia. Moderate exercise such as walking also helps us to feel less sluggish and more energetic during the day.