WEIGHT LOSS: There is an old saying, “To say that you’re too busy to take care of yourself is like saying you can’t stop for gas because you’re too busy driving”. Most of us are too busy driving, and we aren’t taking the time to get a tune up. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that a heart attack, diabetes or cancer are too extreme and improbable risk factors for you. The scary truth is that many people are digging themselves an early grave by neglecting their bodies; and in some cases you can die up to 20 years earlier if you’re not careful. However, new research is revealing everyday how truly life altering exercise can be for your body and your life. It goes way beyond losing weight and looking great; exercise has the power to repair and completely transform your body to levels of health and fitness which you could never have imagined. Did you know that your heart is a muscle just like any other muscle in your body? And like any other muscle, when you train it, it gets stronger! That is why distance runners have some of the strongest hearts among individuals; because they are constantly training their hearts. What’s more is that the valves and arteries in a runner’s heart are thicker and stronger so it can pump much more blood. That means the runner’s heart has to work less (by beating less) to pump enough blood through their body.
A sedentary lifestyle is one of the biggest risk factors for Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). High levels of low density “bad” cholesterol are linked to heart disease because they contribute to the formation of fatty deposits on the lining of the arteries in the heart. Your arteries are like pipelines in your heart. When the build up of those fatty deposits gets to the point where it completely blocks an artery, a heart attack or stroke can occur. People who eat foods that are high in cholesterol (read meat, bacon) are at a higher risk for heart attacks because the fat from those foods can do straight to your heart! Fortunately, research has shown that exercise aimed at weight loss lowers the your levels of “bad” cholesterol and increases levels of high density or “good” cholesterol which helps to remove those fatty deposits on the arteries. This substantially lowers your risk for cardiovascular disease and even interferes with the disease process itself.

Did you know? One study has shown that middle-aged people with desk jobs who do not exercise are twice as likely to have heart attacks as those who exercise regularly?

The Miracle Pill
What else will exercise do for you?
· Fights cancer!
Research has shown that exercise reduces the risk of colon cancer by speeding up the movement of food through the gastrointestinal tract thus rapidly removing carcinogens. Encouraging new data also shows that exercise may also reduce the risk of breast cancer, cancers of the reproductive organs in women and prostate cancer in men!

· Reverses Diabetes!
Exercise helps to decrease your blood sugar levels and is actually prescribed by doctors as an effective cure to Type 2 diabetes. You can reverse the effects of diabetes and never have to use a syringe again. Losing weight helps to reverse the effects of type 2 diabetes.

· Cures Depression!
In a study of clinically depressed women results show that subjects who exercised “had reliably greater increases in aerobic capacity and reliably greater decreases in depression” than did the other subjects. It was concluded that the findings provided clear evidence that “participation in a program of aerobic exercise is effective for reducing depression.”-
Influence of aerobic exercise on depression. McCann, I. Lisa; Holmes, David S.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Vol 46(5), May 1984, 1142-1147.

· Combats Osteoporosis!
Women who participate in regular weight bearing exercise may decrease the effects of osteoporosis, a degenerative bone disorder that affects many older women.

· Improves Sleep Quality!
Ever slept for 8 or more hours and still felt exhausted when you woke up? Exercise helps to improve your quality of sleep so you’ll require less sleep and feel much more energized in the morning! The reason? Deeper sleep!

· It can even help you quit smoking!
This is the actual quote, ” Research from the University of Exeter reveals for the first time, that changes in brain activity, triggered by physical exercise, may help reduce cigarette cravings…the study shows how exercise changes the way the brain processes information among smokers, thereby reducing their cravings for nicotine.” – Janse Van Rensburg et al. Acute exercise modulates cigarette cravings and brain activation in response to smoking-related images: an fMRI study. Psychopharmacology, 2008; DOI: 10.1007/s00213-008-1405-3

Need more motivation to change your habits? Well here are even more scientifically verified reasons to exercise:
§ Enlarges the arteries that supply blood to the heart

§ Decreases blood levels of triglycerides (fat).

§ Increases the strength of bones.

§ Causes the development of new blood vessels in the heart and other muscles.

§ Increases the thickness of cartilage which has a protective effect on the joints.

§ Increases muscle tissue, makes healthy bones and flexible joints.

§ Increased balanced and coordination which is especially important in older adults.

§ Increases the amount of blood that flows to the skin making it look healthier and feel
better.

§ Decreases total blood cholesterol

§ Decreased resting heart rate.

§ Increases lung capacity.

§ Increases your muscular endurance.

§ Improves the breakdown and use of fat.

§ Decreases your blood pressure.

§ Increases HDL (good) cholesterol.

§ Decreases the tendency of the blood to clot in the blood vessels. This is important
because small clots traveling in the blood are often the cause of heart attacks and strokes.
§ Increases your aerobic capacity (fitness level). This gives you the ability to go through each day with less relative energy expenditure. This enables a ‘fit’ person to have more energy left at the end of the day and to get more accomplished during the day with less fatigue.

§ Reduced stress: a major issue that will be discussed in much detail.

You don’t need to have a life threatening illness to want to change your life; most of us want to get in shape so we can look and feel better. But always keep in mind that exercising and eating sensibly goes beyond looking great; you are adding quality years to your life. Quality years refers to the number of years that you can still be self-sufficient, have energy and strength well into your seventies and eighties so you can play with your grandchildren or great grandchildren! Being ninety years old and practically bed-ridden is no way to spend your final years. Invest a little time now and you can be 90 years old and as active as you’ve ever been. So I will help you lose weight, sculpt, tone and become lean, but remember that your fitness goes beyond vanity and the benefits transcend your appearance.

So remember, losing weight to look better is fine; but keep the bigger picture in mind.

Learn some ways to get rid of love handles and lose belly fat.