Improving your health and fitness is an important step to wellness for anyone from the man in the street to Wimbledon champions. There are a huge range of lifestyle choices you can make that can both make your days more enjoyable and give you more to enjoy. Here are five of the best reasons why choosing to make a positive change to your lifestyle can lead to health benefits.
Getting into a habit of regular exercise and proper diet will boost your energy levels. Instead of having to catch forty winks during the day, you’ll find you can keep going for longer than you would have been able to do previously. It means getting more out of every day you have.
#2 Your mental health will improve
Studies have shown that becoming more active helps to produce more of the body's natural feel-good hormones. From a chemical level, this helps to offset the effect of depression, not to mention provides an outlet for frustration and stress. Let the treadmill or the punching bag take the rage – not you!.
#3 Protect yourself from heart disease
Larger people with greater than average BMIs are at significantly greater risk of heart disease and heart attacks. By choosing a healthier lifestyle that incorporates more exercise, you can strengthen your cardiovascular system, making it more resilient to problems. Combining this with a better diet, you can significantly reduce the risk of heart attacks by choosing foods that don’t block your arteries.
#4 You’ll be smarter
The stereotype of the big dumb high school jock aside, a healthier lifestyle is a boon to the brain as well as the body. Many foods, such as those with complex poly-saturated fats, are difficult for the body to process and leave you tired and mentally underperforming. Besides this, physical activity helps improve the blood flow to the brain, ensuring your grey cells are properly fuelled and ready to take on whatever challenge you might throw at them.
#5 You may discover new interests
What’ll you try next? A kayaking adventure down a local river? A bungee jump for charity or a trek into the wilderness at the weekend? On a dietary note, learning more about food and its preparation can give you a true appreciation for better eating without all the unwelcome extras that are often packaged into commercial food.