There is a prevailing perception that exercise is for burning calories. The more calories you burn, the more weight you’re likely to lose. This is why often normal–weight or thin people never do any sports, because “why bother when you aren’t looking to lose weight, right?” Well, not really.

Moving your body might help with weight loss, but most importantly it improves your overall health and reduces the risk of developing diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. It also offers a number of other wonderful benefits that many people are not aware of. Here are a few:

• Better sleep. People have recorded sleeping significantly better and feeling more alert during the day if they integrate exercise into their schedule.

• Better mood. Looking to beat those back-to-school/work blues? Move. Exercise is known for helping to release endorphins and relieve stress. In fact, exercise and anti-depressants are proven to have the same effect on mood.

• More energy. Exercise has been proven to help people feel less fatigue during the day. Forget your cup of coffee or your Redbull. Put your sports shoes on and go for a walk instead!

• Better digestion. Moving alters the bacterial composition of your digestive system, helping to prevent disease and maintain overall good health. It can also help relieve constipation.

• Less headaches and even migraines. Exercise can help prevent migraines for patients who do not benefit from or do not want to take daily medication. Also, the endorphins that are released are our body’s natural painkillers, which can help with headaches.

Do you hate going to the gym? (I do!) Do you dislike being water, so swimming is out of the question? (me too!) You will notice that in this blog post I use ‘exercise’ and ‘movement’ interchangeably. This is because exercise doesn’t necessarily mean running on a treadmill, going to gym classes, lifting weights or playing football. It can be anything that gets you moving and makes your heart beating faster, including walking.

I work with my clients to help them think of and try out new ways to integrate more movement into their everyday lives.  What are some ways you like to move your body?

This website is for information purposes only. By providing the information contained herein we are not diagnosing, treating, curing, mitigating, or preventing any type of disease or medical condition. Before beginning any type of natural, integrative or conventional treatment regimen, it is advisable to seek the advice of a licensed healthcare professional.