February is the month of love: a time to share love and devotion with the people who are most important in our lives. While Valentine’s Day is traditionally a celebration for lovers, it is also a great opportunity to share your love with family members, friends, and yourself!

How are you showing yourself a bit of self-care this month? While you are enjoying flowers and chocolates, also consider the habits you can be implementing that will help you feel great now and in the future.

A consistent exercise routine is one of the best things that you can do to protect your health, stay slim, and feel confident about your body. When you are working out regularly, it promotes good health – both physically and mentally.

But it can feel like a challenge to fit exercise into your busy schedule. If you are having a hard time staying consistent, then look to friends and trainers to help you find the reasons to keep going. Hearing the views and motivations of other people can help you find the motivation you need to stay consistent with your own goals.

Fitness: Focusing on What You Gain, Not What You Lose

One way you can shift your perspective is by focusing on what you will gain through a consistent exercise routine. Often, people are talking about their desire to lose weight. While fat loss is one benefit, it is a small piece of the benefits that come.

The truth is that being motivated by physical appearance alone can make it hard to keep going with your goals. If you are only thinking about getting the perfect beach body or losing the baby weight, then it can sometimes be hard to stay motivated when you aren’t feeling the desire to go to the gym.

Instead of focusing on the scale, shift your focus to the way you are feeling. This change moves your motivation from pleasing other people because of the way you look, to taking care of yourself because of the way you feel.

Here are a few others things to consider that can help to boost your fitness motivation and keep you focused on the things that matter most:

Disease Prevention

The data doesn’t lie: maintaining a regular fitness routine is an excellent way to reduce the risk of many common health diseases. Maintaining a healthy body weight and exercising regularly decreases the likelihood of:

• Heart disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• Many types of cancer
• Dementia
• Depression
• Anxiety
• And more

You want to live a long, healthy life, which is why it’s important to prevent chronic disease. Make sure that exercise is on your priority list, as well as a healthy diet, stress management, and other factors that can affect the risk of chronic disease.

Boost Energy Levels

Do you find it hard to get through the day because you don’t have enough energy? While the initial desire is to take a nap, the truth is that you might need more physical activity to support the necessary energy levels.

Getting up in the morning and starting the day with exercise is an excellent solution to get your blood pumping. Plus exercise generates happy endorphins that make you feel good, which can bring a sense of energy and vitality to your activities throughout the day.

Reduce Stress Levels

Stress is inevitable in our modern world, which is why it’s necessary for everyone to take a proactive approach to reduce stress as much as possible. When stress levels go up, hormonal changes happen in the body. For example, stress can increase cortisol levels, which can change the body’s metabolism and increase fat retention.

Working out is a proven method for stress reduction. When you are exercising, it promotes healthy hormone balancing and gives you an “outlet” for the stress that you are feeling. Instead of holding the stress and emotions inside, you can move your body and let go of the tension and worries through physical activity.

Improve Functional Movement

Whether you want the strength and flexibility to play sports with your kids or you want to be able to handle DIY projects around the house, it’s important that you have a strong and functional body. Regular exercise helps to improve your ability to function in many different situations. This functional strength is essential at home, work, and in your favorite extracurricular activities.

Include strength training and cardio in your exercise routines. These things help you strengthen both muscles and bones, and at the same time you are keeping the joints moving. These exercises are important for people of all ages, but especially for older adults because the risk of losing muscle mass is more common with age.

Reduce the Risk of Injury and Falls

When a person gets older, there is an increasing risk that an everyday activity could cause injury. Something as simple as walking up the stairs or playing with grandchildren could potentially cause a broken bone or hip injury if the person doesn’t have function strength and falls during the activity.

On the other hand, regular exercise is helpful to improve balance and strength. When these physical activities are happening regularly, then the person is able to maintain the physical function necessary to prevent these injuries.

Weight Management

It goes without saying that working out is often a necessary tool when a person is trying to lose weight. When you are moving, then you burn more calories, build muscle, and contribute to many of the functions in the body that govern weight gain or weight loss.

Not only is exercise an essential part of a weight loss routine, but regular movement is also important for weight maintenance in the future. Once you lose the extra pounds, when you can continue with an exercise routine to maintain the results that you’ve reached.

For best results, pair exercise with a healthy diet. When you are managing your eating and moving your body, then it naturally creates the conditions you need to maintain your ideal weight.

Working Out: Feel Better Now & In the Future

Are you already following a consistent exercise routine? If not, then it’s time to show yourself some self-love by working out. If you need help on your fitness journey, then join Fitness Nation today. We have a strong community and excellent facilities to support your health goals.