How has the fulfillment of new year resolutions been going for you?
According to a survey done with over 2,000 people, 71 percent make up their mind to diet or eat healthier; and 65 percent set their new year resolution to exercise more.
And I’m not ashamed to share that I’ve also jumped on the bandwagon as one of the ambitious people setting regular exercise as a 2020 new year resolution.
However, unlike statistics which show that more than half will fail their resolution before the end of January – I plan to succeed in my resolutions, beginning with completing my 30-day challenge of clocking in cardio exercises daily.
First Step To Success: Understand the Benefits of your Resolution
Exercise For Health
Especially for us who are working and leading a pretty much sedentary lifestyle, exercise will help to strengthen your heart and improve circulation, thereby reducing your risk of heart diseases. The increased blood flow raises the oxygen levels in your body, and this helps lower your risk of heart diseases such as high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, and heart attack. Regular exercise can also lower your blood pressure and triglyceride levels.
Exercise can lower your blood sugar level and help your insulin work better, which will also cut down your risk for metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
Exercise for Stress Reduction & Happiness
One of the most common mental benefits of exercise is to relieve stress. Working up a sweat can help manage physical and mental stress. Exercise also increases concentrations of norepinephrine, a chemical that can moderate the brain’s response to stress. So working out is an extremely effective way to reduce stress and boost the body’s ability to deal with existing mental tension.
Exercise also releases endorphins, which create feelings of happiness and euphoria. Studies have shown that exercise can alleviate symptoms among the clinically depressed. For this reason, doctors recommend that people suffering from depression or anxiety (or just those who are feeling blue) clock in plenty of gyms or work out time. In some cases, exercise can be just as effective as antidepressant pills in treating depression.
But not to worry if you’re not a hardcore gym-goer just yet – a simple workout for just 30 minutes a few times a week is also sufficient to instantly boost your overall mood.
Exercise to Maximise your Brain Power and prevent Cognitive Decline
Various studies on mice and men have shown that cardiovascular exercise can create new brain cells (aka neurogenesis) and improve overall brain performance. Studies suggest that a tough workout increases levels of a brain-derived protein (known as BDNF) in the body, believed to help with decision making, higher thinking, and learning.
Regular physical activity also boosts memory and the ability to learn new things. Getting sweaty increases the production of cells in the hippocampus responsible for memory and learning. For this reason, research has linked children’s brain development with a level of physical fitness. But exercise-based brainpower isn’t just for kids; working out can boost memory among grown-ups, too. A study showed that running sprints improved vocabulary retention among healthy adults.
Exercise and a healthy diet may not be able to cure Alzheimer’s, but they can help to shore up the brain against cognitive decline that begins after age 45. Working out, especially between ages 25 and 45, boosts the chemicals in the brain that support and prevent degeneration of the hippocampus, an important part of the brain for memory and learning.
Conclusion
With these physical and mental benefits now in mind, it creates an even clearer vision and motivation for myself to surely achieve my new year resolution of regular exercise.
So let’s try this out: With any goal, you wish to achieve this year, begin with a clear vision of what motivates you, knowing the benefits and value of what you will achieve through the goal – and then pushing ahead to surely fulfill it.
Share with us how the fulfillment of your new year resolution goals have been going! We would love to hear more tips and ideas of what inspirational goals you have set for 2020. 😊
Source:
10 Top New Year’s Resolutions for Success and Happiness in 2019
