Health and wellness became such a big concern when COVID swept across the world. No greater emphasis has been made on a person’s physical health and mental well-being than during this pandemic.
Understandably, a person’s health is their most important possession. Without good health, it would be nearly impossible for us to enjoy life and live it to the full. This is why we should all strive for a healthier lifestyle, maintaining the right balance of a healthy diet, quality rest, good supplementation, and regular exercise.
Healthy Lifestyle
A lot of people have slightly different definitions of what a healthy lifestyle is all about. Some would say that it has to do with being mindful of what you put inside your body. Others would say that as long as you get enough rest and exercise, you’re good. Still, others claim that you need to put in solid work in the gym, monitor your calorie consumption, and practice mindfulness and meditation.
Regardless of what they all say, every one of them will never take out making time for exercise as part of their healthy lifestyle definition. Exercise is necessary for our health. If you’re a child, you need to exercise. If you’re a student taking up a BS CPE course in university, you need it. Those who are working are in dire need of it. Even older adults benefit from regular exercise.
A healthy lifestyle should never focus on going with the right diet or taking the latest vitamins and supplements. While all of them offer certain benefits to our health, there should be a good balance between food intake, quality rest, proper supplementation, and regular exercise.
Why Exercise Matters Now?
More than just preventing us from living an unhealthy sedentary lifestyle, exercise offers several benefits not just for our bodies but for our minds and spirits as well, especially during this pandemic.
A stronger body and beautiful physique
The most common benefit a person gets from exercise is a stronger body and a better physique. This is why people typically flock to gyms and fitness centers after the holidays or before summer hits. They all want to lose the excess pounds gained over Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s parties and want to tone their bodies so that they can show them off in their bikinis on the beach.
And even if a person’s sole motivation for exercise is to look good, it’s still a pretty good reason to break out in a sweat.
Focused mind
Working out doesn’t just bring out the best in us physically. More than transforming our bodies into top physical condition, it also tests and improves our mettle and determination.
When a person decides to start working out for whatever reason, goals are immediately set to give them a finish line to cross. Fitness trainers are good at helping people set long-term goals for fulfillment and short-term goals for encouragement. Those small wins are crucial in keeping a person committed. They give them greater determination and focus on keeping moving forward no matter how tough things get. And trust us, things get tougher the farther you go in your fitness journey.
Whatever your reasons and goals are for working out, keep showing up every day and stay focused on the task at hand.
Improved mood
When a person exercises, happy hormones –called endorphins — are produced by the body. These hormones produce feelings of bliss and joy that make us feel good about ourselves and everything else around us. Endorphins are produced by the body when we’re ecstatic about an achievement, after sex with our partner, or after finishing a truly satisfying meal. They are important for our survival because they help us reduce stress, pain, and discomfort, which are quite common during this pandemic.
Better mental health
While COVID primarily attacks the bodies of many people, almost everybody’s mental health has been threatened by it. Its effects brought about different mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts.
Exercise and constant physical movement help a person fight against mental illness by keeping one preoccupied to achieve and remain productive despite the present circumstances. Exercise motivates a person to become better holistically by giving one specific goal to work toward. A healthy support system from the network one can build as they decide to take that journey-to-fitness challenge.
If you want to survive and even thrive during this pandemic, you should make time for regular exercise. It doesn’t just make you fit and healthy, but it also lifts your spirit, boosts your confidence, and gives you a better outlook on life.