13 Reasons To Exercise That Will Motivate You To Start Today!

Do you want to start exercising or get back to it but weight loss isn’t a great motivator for you?

I personally hate that so much emphasis is put on weight loss as a motivator to work out.

For one, people have extra weight for a number of reasons. And second, exercise alone will not equal the loss of weight for most people.

Don’t get me wrong, weight loss is something to work toward if needed but it requires a whole body and mind approach and shouldn’t be the only reason to workout.

Plus, there are a lot of other great reasons to work out!

The reasons below will help keep you motivated when you hit those inevitable rough patches of exercise.

Listen to this blog post!

(Or scroll down to keep reading 😉)

Keep reading because I have 13 reasons to work out that will make you want to start today! (And not one of them is weight loss!)

Examine Your Goals, Expectations, and Perspective

I understand the need for a change in goals and perspective. I used to exercise almost every day and loved it!

Then life happened.

You know, the kind of life that kicks you right in the seat meat and makes you fall face first in the mud. Not good.

Anyway, I was hit with a number of stressful experiences and ended up with severe adrenal fatigue

Exercising was an outlet for me and all of a sudden I was unable to do even the easiest, shortest workouts. I was beyond sad.

While resting and recovering, I spent a lot of time reflecting. I learned that for the majority of the time that I was working out before I crashed, I was focusing mostly on weight loss.

This was really not helpful, motivating, or kind to me. I was basically telling myself that, above all, weight loss was the most important thing in life.

Not a very balanced or holistic view at all.

Now things are different, my goals are to increase strength and stamina, regain flexibility, and have overall health and wellness. Because my goals have changed, so has my perspective.

Being healthy is so much more than being thinner!

If you are looking for motivation that is about more than weight loss, you’ve come to the right place!

What Is Motivation?

Simply put- motivation is the “why” behind what we do.

It doesn’t matter if we are talking about working out, or something else in life, we do things because we are motivated in some way.

Motivation has been defined as, “a need or desire that energizes behavior and directs it towards a goal”.

These needs or desires may come from external sources (known as extrinsic motivation) such as praise, money, or recognition; or from within (known as intrinsic motivation) like feeling joy or pleasure from completing a task.

Why Is Motivation So Important?

Understanding and examining what is motivating to you and why is important because it could shed light on needs, desires, areas of difficulty, and give a more in-depth understanding of goals, choices, and possible rewards.

When you know what motivates you and why, more realistic and attainable goals can be set and the rewards will be more gratifying because they will be customized to you!

By taking the time to examine where you are in life right now, what your goals are, and what motivates you, your chances of success rise dramatically!

13 Motivating Reasons To Workout

So, you’ve taken the time to do some self-reflection and found out that weight loss isn’t a great motivator (or the only motivator) for you. I hear ‘ya!

Even if you (like me) would like to lose weight, it’s not your only goal.

Here are 13 Reasons To Workout that will help you get up and get moving!

1. Lower risk of cardiovascular disease

According to Mayo Clinic ” No matter what your current weight, being active boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good,” cholesterol and decreases unhealthy triglycerides”.

In addition to that, regular exercise can help lower blood pressure or keep it in a healthy range, and the overall risk of death from all causes is lowered.

2. Blood sugar balance

You don’t have to have blood sugar problems to take an interest in this one. Keeping blood sugar balanced is vital to good health and exercise is one way to do that!

Moderate exercise can lower blood sugar levels and help your body use insulin more effectively.

These benefits can even be seen hours after working out! Be careful not to overdo it though, more is not always better!

3. Lower rates of certain cancers

Yep! You read that right. People who regularly exercise may reduce their risk of cancer significantly.

Moderate exercise can help give you up to a 20% less chance of certain cancers!

4. Increase in blood to the brain

Exercise can actually help your brain to grow and become more elastic.

This means that when you exercise you will have better memory, mental alertness, concentration, and I find that my creativity soars after a workout!

That’s when I get my best ideas for work, decorating, or any other topic that’s been on my mind.

5. Improvement in mood and lessening of stress

Working out is a fantastic way to lower stress and improve your mood. According to Dr. Amen, ” Exercise activates the same pathways in the brain as morphine and increases the release of endorphins, your natural feel-good neurotransmitters”.

He goes on to say that exercise is “not only a fountain of youth but also the closest thing to a happy pill that you will ever find.”

Sounds good to me!

6. Energy boost

Exercise helps to strengthen your muscles, bones, lungs, and heart.

The more toned these are, the less winded and tired you feel.

Working out also helps the cardiovascular system work better and delivers oxygen and other nutrients throughout the body.

7. Improvement in balance and posture

Having strong muscles and good balance helps to keep the spine in alignment, thereby reducing the chance of herniated disks, sciatica, and other forms of back pain.

Keeping muscles strong and maintaining balance is so important as we age!

8. Assists the lymphatic system

The lymph system works best when a person is active.

This system has no pump like the circulatory system so in order to really get that lymph fluid moving (which is something you definitely want to do because its main job is to protect our bodies from infection, bacteria, and cancer) movement is needed.

When you work out, you keep your lymph system happy and circulating!

9. Better sleep

Regular exercise can help you fall asleep faster and experience better, deeper sleep. I don’t know about you, but I definitely ~~want~~ NEED good sleep!

10. Time to yourself

I’m sure you can relate, as a mom and a busy woman, I don’t get a whole lot of time to myself. This is one of the (many) reasons I love working out!

It’s not always easy to carve out time but I am always in a better mood when I get to listen to great music, work up a sweat, and take even just 10 or 15 minutes to exercise.

11. Connect with others

Finding forms of exercise that you like can have great social benefits too!

Meeting up with friends to go kayaking, play tennis, or join a team sport are all great ways to enhance your mental, emotional, and physical health.

Also, working out with others is much more fun and can be a great way to add some accountability if needed.

12. Teach good habits (Be a good example)

Making a habit of getting regular physical exercise is a great example for kids.

Showing them examples of healthy eating, exercise, and having conversations about the importance of these lifestyle choices will have positive, long-lasting effects.

Finding ways to incorporate fitness is a great way to spend time together so even though it’s great to have alone time, be sure to take a walk, bike ride, or pick some other fun activity and show those kids how to live a healthy life.

It’s the very best gift you can give to them!

13. Slow the aging process

Exercise and other healthy choices help to slow the shortening of your telomeres.

Telomeres are part of your chromosomes and control the aging process.

These little buggers naturally shorten with age, but the rate that they shorten is directly related to how you live your life.

So, good choices = slower aging.

Final Thoughts….

Motivation to exercise is not always easy to find.

That’s why it’s important to give some thought to what is inspiring you and why, and what rewards you hope to get.

Write this new-found knowledge down and keep it somewhere handy, there will be times when you need a reminder of why you started and what you hope to gain.

If you pick any of these 13 reasons to workout and you are off to a great start!

Good luck, I know you can do it!!