You know that working out is good for your health, but if you’re like most people, it can be difficult to fit regular workouts into your busy schedule. Instead of making excuses, check out these health benefits that just might motivate you to squeeze a few more workouts into your routine.

• It regulates your weight. This one might seem like a no-brainer, but managing your weight is important for reasons far beyond your looks. Maintaining a healthy weight also helps to prevent chronic illness and help keep you feeling energized.
• It improves your mood. If your stationary lifestyle makes you feel sluggish and depressed, take a walk outside in the sunshine or hop on your bike for a ride around town. Even gentle physical activity stimulates the feel-good chemicals in your brain and helps boost your self-esteem.
• It combats existing health conditions. If you have heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes (or you’re just worried about getting them), regular exercise boosts your production of “good” cholesterol and decreases your production of harmful triglycerides.
• It prevents against cancer. That’s right: regular workouts have been proven to prevent against certain types of cancer, including breast cancer, colon cancer, and certain types of lung cancer.

Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity [Mayo Clinic]
The Benefits of Physical Activity [Harvard]
Chapter 2: Physical Activity Has Many Health Benefits [Health.gov]

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