The Importance of Exercise

http://runner-guides.blogspot.com/2011/05/my-brain-running-provides.html

     When we here the word exercise a lot of us probably groan out of dislike.  You probably think exercise is hard and boring and I don't have anytime in my schedule, but exercise can actually be really fun and it is really important.  Exercise is not only good for your heart and body by keeping you fit and building muscle and endurance, but it is also good for your mind. According to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17050486/ns/health-fitness/t/boost-your-brain-power-exercise/ exercise can decrease stress and improve your mood and attention which would lead to you being more successful. The article also talks about how exercise can improve thinking and even prevent certain diseases like: high blood pressure, diabetes, strokes, high cholesterol, and even Alzheimer's disease.

    When begining to exercise you need to find something that you enjoy. It could be a sport like football or tennis, you could swim or do aerobics, or you could jog or even just walk.  I personally like a variety of exercise activities but my four main ones are jogging, walking my dog, swimming laps in the summer, and tennis.  I think its important to have a variety of activities that you like to do because it keeps you from getting bored.  It is also very important that you enjoy the exercise you are doing because then you will want to do them and you will want to improve.  Set goals for yourself. They don't have to be huge, for example if you start running and you've never ran before set a goal like in two weeks I'm going to run half a lap around the trail and then when you accomplish your goals make them bigger and bigger and eventually they may be goals like in two months I'm going to run a 5k race or next summer I'm going to run a half marathon.  When you can accomplish those goals you feel good and boost your self-confidence.  Don't worry if your friends have goals that seem bigger than yours.  you have to set goals that are reachable for yourself and any goal no matter how big or how small is an accomplishment  to be proud of.

    You also don't have to exercise for hours a day, it is reccomended that people get about 30 to 60 minutes of exercise a day but even if you can't do quite that much I feel that any exercise is better than none.  I hope after reading this you feel more motivated to start exercising and just remember it may be hard at times but just enjoy yourself and accomplish your goals!