The obesity and heart disease rates are really scary in the USA, especially in the south where the diet consists mostly of heavy deep fried foods with little to no fiber. Living a sedentary lifestyle combined with an unhealthy diet is going to cause some major imbalances in your body. The condition of the mind is also affected by how your physical body feels. We are one body comprised of different parts. The physical, mental and emotional are all tied together. In order to regain balance, all three must be aligned. When there is an imbalance in one, the others also become imbalanced.
The Culprit
When we regularly eat junk foods, we can become overweight and lethargic, our mind becomes sluggish and we start to feel depressed. I think this is why depression medication does nothing for depression. It is only designed to mask your symptoms and does nothing to treat the cause.
Simple Solution
This simple but highly effective activity can cause positive dramatic changes in your life. Exercise is the key to feeling and looking the best you possibly can. Regular exercise not only reduces body fat and keeps your heart in healthy shape but it also significantly reduces stress. The USA is a fast food eating, depressed and anxious country in general. This does not have to be the case at all. All of those negative conditions and behaviors can be helped by simply exercising.
There is No Excuse!
The biggest reason that people choose to skip on exercising is because they are too tired. While this is obviously an excuse, I can understand how working long overtime hours, having children or having multiple jobs can make you really tired. It is much easier to grab the TV remote and plop yourself down on the couch with a fast food combo meal. There is a misconception about exercise that many people have. Benefiting from exercise does not mean you have to sweat on the treadmill or stair machine for an hour and a half four to five times per week. Simply taking a half hour walk after dinner every night can have profound effects on your health. It will increase circulation and cell oxygenation, aid in losing weight and you can let the stress accumulated dissipate into nature. The trees will listen if nobody else wants to. They do it better because they won’t judge you or talk back.
Other forms of subtle exercise that can have great benefits if done often are:
- Gardening – even a few hours a week can be beneficial. Gardening also helps you to sustain your own homegrown foods.
- Try dancing to your favorite song while cleaning the house. It is a fun way to burn some calories.
- Taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work is priceless.
- Riding a bicycle to run close errands instead of driving is my personal favorite because it combines exercise with chores while lessening my carbon footprint.
- Deliberately parking farther away in a parking lot can be a lot harder than it seems. I struggle with it myself sometimes because it is so convenient to take the first empty spot. In doing this though, you are forced to walk further to get to the store which will burn a few extra calories
It’s all up to you
Enjoying all the benefits of regular exercise is easier than you think. Taking small steps is better than not walking at all. Starting with subtle activity can generate noticeable improvements. Your mind will thank you and your body will acknowledge your efforts. It’s time to stop making excuses and start feeling and looking great.
