"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two."
-St. Augustine

Get Going: Exercise

Originally published on SASSY 

Exercise 

Here are some of the benefits of regular exercise: 

  • Helps you manage your weight & builds/maintains healthy bones, joints and muscles
  • Improves your mood
  • Increases  your energy & can put back the spark in your sex life
  • Combats chronic diseases & reduces the risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure and some cancers
  • Reduces stress, depression and anxiety
  • Promotes better sleep
  • Increases the good cholesterol (HDL) while decreasing bad cholesterol (LDL)

(references: MayoClinic.com; Georgia State University, Department of Kinesiology and Health)

Tips for beginning an exercise routine or getting back into working out again: 

  1. Start slow! If you haven’t run in a few months, don’t try to run 5 miles at the fastest pace on a treadmill Day 1. Work up to your fitness goals so that you don’t overkill your body or put it in shock. You don’t want to injure yourself.
  2. Stretch! When I’m in a time crunch, I only stretch after I exercise, but many fitness experts recommend stretching before AND after exercising to better prepare your body for activity. It also helps make muscles leaner.
  3. Take it easy with the weights. If strength training or weight lifting is going to be part of your exercise regime, don’t start lifting 50lbs right away. When working with weights or weight machines, safety is key. It is easy to get hurt if you underestimate your limits or don’t know how to properly use a machine.
  4. Get a personal trainer. This can be an expensive tip but if you can afford it, try it out. Personal trainers can not only teach you how to do certain exercises and how to correctly operate machines but they can cater the exercises for your body and fitness goals.  (You can get one for free at the YMCA)
  5. Bring variety and FUN into fitness! Work out with your iPod, make an exercise playlist to keep you energized or bring a friend with you every now and then. Walking on a treadmill every time you exercise gets really boring very quickly. Work out outside of the gym once in a while. Go swimming, hiking, dancing (at a party or take a beginners dance class), play basketball, run around with your kids or young family members. I’ve learned that if you’re not having fun with it, the motivation will fade faster than you can say quadriceps.
  6. Spoil yourself! If you reach one of your goals, reward yourself. Do something you love but have been putting off for whatever reason, buy something for yourself, get a massage, treat yourself to a day of relaxation, come up with little (or big) ways to keep yourself motivated and excited about your goals.