When I first meet with a client, I typically ask them what’s going on and what their health concerns are. 

Then I ask questions.

I normally start with, “How’s your diet?” which is usually followed by the client looking at the floor or saying, “Um, not that bad.”

Okey-dokey.

This is followed by what I’ve observed to be the most dreaded question of all—“”What do you do for exercise?”

As you can probably surmise, that’s when the eye-rolling starts, and/or a variety of reasons are given as to why exercise has not been a priority as of late.

I don’t do this to make people uncomfortable—on the contrary, I want you to feel BETTER! 

There’s no way to sugar-coat it—regular exercise is not optional if you want anything that even resembles good health and a normal bodyweight!

That being said, let’s look at the positives here—otherwise known as…

The amazing world of regular exercise

Most people know that exercise burns calories and that means excess weight comes sliding off (and stays off!).

But that's just the tip of the exercise iceberg!

Here are 6 other amazing reasons to get moving:

1- Heart health

Not only does exercise help improve your circulation, but it also strengthens all your muscles, including your most important one--your heart.

It can also help lower blood pressure, improve cholesterol and help prevent against heart attack and stroke.

Sounds a heck of a lot better to me than taking dangerous statins or hypertension meds, or dying of heart disease.

2- Joint pain relief

The stronger the muscles are around your joints, the more pressure they take off the joints—which is great news for anyone with joint pain and stiffness, arthritis or fibromyalgia.

As a matter of fact, in a Tufts University study, arthritis patients who did strength-training exercise reported a 43 percent decrease in pain!

So, if you're popping pain pills on a regular basis, you could feel a whole lot better if you just get moving.

3- Squeaky clean on the inside

Your lymphatic system is your "inner vacuum."  It's an amazing filtration system in your body designed to pull out and eliminate wastes around your cells.

One of the ways it “dumps out your inner trash” is through your sweat.

Therefore, if you say you "don't like to sweat" as your reason not to exercise, you are likely harboring a whole lot of cell wastes and garbage inside of you.  (This can give you some nasty BO, by the way.) 

But unlike your circulatory system, your lymphatic system doesn’t have a “pump” like your heart to keep lymph flowing around and cleansing you.

So, you must be the pump with regular exercise.

4- Natural depression and anxiety relief

Exercise encourages the release of feel-good neurotransmitters and endorphins in your body.

They're Nature's anti-depressants and they have absolutely NO side effects!

Plus for those of you with anxiety, the increase in body temperature and release of stress during exercise can have a calming effect on your mood.

5- Stress relief

Exercise is far and away the most effective stress-reliever in existence. 

Stress is an underlying factor in most sickness and disease because it hampers your immune system functioning. 

6- A healthier gut

Two studies out of Finland have shown that doing endurance exercise three times per week can help improve your gut health!

The researchers noted a decrease in proteobacteria (gut bacteria that can cause inflammation) and an increase in beneficial bacteria called Akkermansia, which is associated with a stronger metabolism!

Where do I start?

Now that you see that exercise is SO much more than just burning calories, you may be overwhelmed and not quite know where to start. 

First of all, it's important to get your doctor’s OK, especially if the couch and you have been BFFs for quite some time.

Then here are 4 tips to help ensure your success:

1) Improve your digestion

Many people claim to not have energy to exercise, but what they don't realize is that their energy level is a direct result of their how good (or bad) their digestion is.

Nothing your body does demands more energy than digestion.  So if yours is not going along so well, your body is using up lots of energy just to get the job done…and that can mean very little remaining for you!

The best ways to promote good digestion are to eat meals that your body can more easily break down and make sure you have the enzymes for the job.

The Great Taste No Pain system can show you how to structure easier-to-digest meals that taste positively fantastic!

When you eat meals that can be broken down more efficiently by your stomach and intestines, your system doesn't need to use up as much energy for digestion.

That can mean lots more energy for YOU!

Having enough digestive enzymes is crucial too.

Unfortunately, people who have a poor diet history may have diminished their body’s ability to produce adequate enzymes for digestion because their bodies have expended so many trying to break down highly processed foods for so long.

Plus people who are over 50 or have had gastric or gallbladder surgery are also behind the 8-ball.

If you suspect you have an enzyme issue, Digestizol Max can give your body the boost it needs.

Digestizol Max’s complete blend of 15 enzymes helps your body tackle whatever you’ve eaten and encourage smooth, efficient digestion.

2) Boost your energy

Vitamin B12 is crucial player in your metabolism that generates your body's energy from fats and carbohydrates.

Unfortunately, it's also a very common deficiency--especially with vegetarians, people who use antacids, people who have had gastric surgery and the elderly.   And when you’re low in B12, trust me, you’ll be dragging.

To ensure that you have enough of this vital nutrient, a vitamin B12 supplement like Hydroxaden 2.5 is just what you need.

Hydroxaden 2.5 is a convenient vitamin B12 spray that gives you the 2.5 mg of B12 suggested by many health experts.  Just five sprays under your tongue each day is all it takes.

3) Start smart

One of the most common reasons people don't stick with an exercise program is they go gung-ho in the beginning, get hurt, then quit.

Start slowly and build up.  Remember—whether it takes you 16 minutes or 6 minutes, a mile is still a mile.

I’m a perfect example here.  At this point I’ve run three full marathons, but I didn’t run 26.2 miles right out of the gate. 

Instead I started with walking on a treadmill in the morning before work.  Eventually I incorporated a few intervals of jogging, and then it just built up from there.

And by the way, I didn’t start running until I was 30 and ran my first marathon right after I turned 50!

It’s never too late, my friend.

4) Make it fun!

Here are some proven ways to make exercise more fun:

• Pick an activity you like.
• Get a buddy. You're more likely to stick with exercise if you have someone else counting on you to show up.  If you can’t find a buddy, let the dog be your buddy and take him/her for a brisk walk every day.   
• Join an exercise class. You’ll meet people in the same boat as you and make new friends.  I experienced this when I started karate 18 years ago and to this day, my martial arts brothers and sisters are dear friends of mine.
• Multi-task. If it's TV you love, watch TV while you're on the treadmill, stationary bike or elliptical. 
• Play your favorite music to motivate you.

Open up YOUR whole new world

Once you begin moving your body, a whole new world can open up for you...a world where you can feel (and look) better than you have in YEARS!

Don't procrastinate any longer.  Don't slip into a sick, overweight, and medicated existence, when there is so much you can do to turn that around. 

Nothing is more important than your health.

Time for me to get on the treadmill now!  Bye.

To your health,

Sherry Brescia