Seven Reasons to Keep Your Blood Pumping this Season
With the shorter days and cooler nights it can be hard to stay motivated about our fitness. Warm blankets, hot chocolate and our favourite slippers create a “cuddle up” mentality – we snack more and our activity levels drop. Our spirit animal becomes the bear and it is easy to gravitate toward a state of hibernation. Here are seven reasons to get our blood pumping this winter and shift that spirit animal over to a Cheetah.
Cardiovascular Endurance:
To have an efficient circulatory system we need to build it up through endurance activities. This can be achieved simply by staying active every day. Regular physical routines like taking a walk to the park each morning have massive benefits to our health.
Healthy Immune System:
Regular exercise strengthens our immune system and in the winter months this can help prevent us from getting sick or catching the flu. When our blood is pumping white blood cells (that are part of our immune system) circulate more rapidly. This can help them detect illnesses earlier than they might have been able to before. It can also increase the speed at which our bodies flush out bacteria from lungs and airways.
Energy is Increased:
Exercise helps deliver oxygen and nutrients throughout our bodies which can help increase our energy levels. When muscles are not being used simple tasks like carrying grocery bags can become exhausting. Keeping active means that our muscles stay “switched on” and feelings of being tired or worn out are less likely to occur during the day.
Endorphins are Released:
It might sound strange but when we start exercising our brains interpret this as stress on our bodies. Our heart beats faster and the brain thinks we are in fight or flight mode. As a protection mechanism the brain releases a protein called BDNF which helps protect and repair our memory neurons. Our brain also releases endorphins, which is another chemical to fight stress. The main purpose of endorphins is to minimise discomfort or pain and improve our mood.
Top Up on Sleep:
Daily physical activity can help us sleep better at night. As a bonus, studies have shown that those who exercise everyday sleep “deeper” feeling more rested and reset when they wake. Getting more sleep will help us wake up motivated and ready to take on the day.
Avoid Weight Gain:
One of the main reasons we exercise is to burn those calories. The best part about exercising is that we do not have to be spending hours each day in the gym. Keeping a consistent daily physical routine is all it takes. Consider a walk outdoors – make it a daily routine and remember the more time we spend being active the more calories we burn.
Happiness:
Keeping those calories in line, feeling healthy and the constant release of endorphins will have a noticeable impact on how happy we feel. Our confidence increases, self-esteem improves and with extra energy our moods follow suit and increase how happy we feel.
Ready to get active? Ready to help others get active? We have curated some popular fitness products to help promote great health and fitness this winter. Take a look here