Working Out: The Benefits In Two Minutes

Thinking about making working out a part of your daily routine? Working out benefits you in SO many ways, more so than you may realize.

Benefits Of Working Out

Just a few minutes a day of planned, varied exercise can:

• uplift your mood,
• reduce your risk of illness,
• help you get better sleep,
• keep you mobile, agile, and moving, and last but not least,
• it can also help you live longer.

Doing different types of exercises in your workout helps to reduce your chance of injury.

Four types of exercises to include in your routine:

Research has shown that it’s important to integrate four main types of exercise into your routine. These are:

1. Endurance. Endurance exercises increase your breathing and heart rate. To build endurance, do aerobic or cardio exercises like jogging, swimming, dancing, cycling, climbing stairs, or HIIT.
2. Strength. Strength exercises build your muscles, strengthen bones, and manage weight. These exercises are workouts that incorporate resistance, including lifting weights, push-ups, arm curls, or using a resistance band.
3. Balance. Balance exercises help you learn to move with more coordination, ease, and fluidity. Try balancing on one foot while you’re standing for a period of time at home or when you’re out and about. Or, stand up from a seated position without using your hands. Or try walking in a line, heel to toe, for a short distance. You can also try tai chi — a form of movement training that may improve balance and stability and reduce the incidence of falls.
4. Flexibility. Flexibility exercises such as stretches improve range of motion and keep the body supple.

You might be tempted to solely focus on your favorite type of exercise. Research has shown, however, that it’s important to receive the different benefits by integrating all four types into your routine. Luckily, when you improve in one area (like endurance), the other areas (like strength exercises) tend to become easier.

The idea of working out regularly can seem to be a daunting task at first, but it’s easier to get started than you think. The prime mover to get you going is motivation!

Start simple. Finish strong. Here’s how:

1. Start with just two minutes. When it comes to creating a new daily habit, make it as easy as possible to get started. Transition into the routine of working out by starting with two minutes. After two minutes, do you want to continue? If so, keep going! If not, show up again tomorrow.
2. Make it easy to exercise.The ultimate mind hack to exercise is making it easy!
   • The day before, decide the time and place you will work out.
   • Prepare your workout clothes in a specific, open place each day.
   • Prepare your food, shoes, and hydration the night before.
3. Attend a class or hire a personal trainer. If you struggle exercising by yourself, make it social! Sign up for fitness classes or hire a personal trainer. This will help motivate you to work out, as well as give you direction in your workout plan.
4. Choose consistency over intensity. If you choose an intense workout every day, you might burn out. To avoid losing your motivation, choose to be consistent with your exercise instead of sticking to a rigid “all or nothing” plan.
5. Write down the benefits. Studies show that permanent change comes from reminding yourself of benefits associated with committing to fitness goals. What benefits are you working towards? Maybe you will get more energy, lose weight, or feel more confident.
6. Remember to give your muscles time to recover. Pushing yourself too hard during a workout can also be damaging. If you feel lethargic or tired, allow yourself to rest.

It can be a challenge to fit working out into your already busy schedule. But it is SO worth it! Don’t be afraid to start small. We all have to start somewhere. Commit to showing up for a short period of time each day – even if it’s only 2 minutes at first – until it becomes a habit and you begin to reap the benefits. Then you won’t want to ever stop.

Best Regards,

Sharon Iezzi, Founder
vegamight.com

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