The benefits of regular exercise

Luana Marchi, an avid runner, nutrition & content guru, explains why we should all be creating healthy, regular exercise habits. 

A healthy diet is only one step of a healthy lifestyle. I like to say that a healthy lifestyle is based on three important pillars: Healthy eating, being active and emotional health.

Have you ever thought of how much those pillars are correlated?

A negative person never seems to find time to exercise and finds healthy eating too much work.

Good food = good mood. A well-balanced diet provides you with the energy and nutrients necessary to function well, grow and repair after training.

When we exercise regularly, it gives us the extra incentive to stick to a balanced diet. And, exercising regularly can help boost your mood by increasing your endorphins (the “feel good” hormones). It boosts physical, mental and emotional health.

Let’s talk more about the benefits of exercising regularly:

• It can improve your sleep;
• Exercise helps improve your brain function and reduce symptoms such as depression and anxiety. It also protects your  brain from Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia;
• Exercise can help prevent osteoporosis by improving bone density;
• Strength training increases lean muscle mass, which not only helps your body burn more calories efficiently (the higher your muscle mass, the more calories you’ll burn when you rest) but also improves your quality of life;
• Regular exercise contributes to better digestion and reduces constipation as bowel movements increase with exercise;
• Better heart health – Exercise helps with weight loss and body weight management; lowering blood pressure, reducing bad cholesterol and increasing insulin sensitivity.
• Exercise improves our metabolism and speeds up blood flow. Oxygen and nutrients are carried to cells throughout the body and waste products are moved out more efficiently.

Creating healthy habits is something that is developed over time. Start small, if you can commit to going for a 30 minutes walk or doing 10 minutes of exercise at home, three times per week, you will be benefiting your healthy lifestyle. Make a plan that includes small, reasonable goals and specific actions you’ll take to move toward them. Get up and Get Moving

Post-Workout Coconut Yogurt Parfait

Ingredients

3 strawberries chopped

¼ cup quick oats

4 tbsp natural Coconut Yogurt

1 Eimele Cacao & Coconut Snack Bar

Dash of Cinnamon

How to make it:

In a glass add the chopped strawberries, top with the quick oats, and dash of ground cinnamon. Add the coconut yogurt on top of the oats. Serve with one Eimele Cacao & Coconut Snack Bar crumbled on top.