Reaping the Rewards

When I was teaching fitness classes three nights per week, I often used to sit on the sofa half an hour before I was due to leave and wish that I didn’t have to go. I used to think, “I can’t be bothered.” Does that sound familiar? How many times do you make that excuse? Or perhaps you say, “I’m too tired” or “I haven’t got time.” I am now thankful that I did go since I have managed to stay healthy and in good shape as a result. You would be amazed at how many people say to me, ”You’re so lucky to have a figure like that,” when, in fact, luck has little to do with it. It’s true that I have never been drastically overweight, but that is because I have always watched what I’ve eaten and have exercised regularly. I am as predisposed as most people to gaining weight, particularly since I have grown older. However, it’s not just my figure—my skin and hair really suffer if I eat greasy foods and don’t work out. I feel grumpy and lethargic and lose the motivation to want to exercise, which, of course, makes the situation worse.

Exercise can help us in so many ways. Weight loss is just one benefit, although it is perhaps the most visible. There are, however, many psychological benefits, including being better able to cope with stress; being less likely to suffer from depression; being able to recover more quickly from illness—and so the list goes on.

The beauty of exercise is that the benefits are so long lasting. If you work out for an hour in the morning, the benefits you generate will keep on working for hours afterward. Your metabolic rate will increase, which means you will burn more calories—including fat. Your heart and other muscles will adapt to the new demands and will make themselves stronger—this also requires more calories. Your circulation and digestive system will also benefit, and all this will happen while you go about your daily tasks. It reminds me of a commercial on television for a mouthwash. In the first shot, you see a man getting ready for work, brushing his teeth and using the mouthwash. A few minutes later, after another commercial, up pops the same man supposedly later in the day at work. He smiles and says, “It’s still working.” A few minutes later, after yet another ad, the same man appears in the evening scene with the same comment, “It’s still working.” The benefits are still being achieved hours after the event has taken place—it’s exactly the same with exercise.

It’s not just the energy cost of the exercise that is important—that is, how many calories you burn up while actually working out—it’s how many calories you need to burn just to stay alive. If you are overweight, there is visible evidence that you are eating more than you need. If you exercise regularly, however, that daily requirement—the number of calories you need to stay alive and healthy—will increase as you replace lost muscle tissue, and you really will burn more calories 24 hours per day, even while you sleep. That’s one kind of exercise we all have to find time for.

Good health and the prevention of disease are basic human needs. We invest huge sums of money trying to buy health, when we actually have most of the answers completely free of charge. With regular exercise you can extend your life span by several years, not to mention drastically improve your quality of life. Think ahead for a moment. If you cannot stand up from a chair unaided, then you cannot get off the toilet unaided. This means that your chances of living at home and not being institutionalized when you get older are slim because your muscles and heart will have weakened so much due to inactivity that you will no longer be able to look after yourself. Exercise is not just about losing weight; it is a free prescription for a healthy body.