After the first few weeks, you may be slipping from your New Year’s resolutions. Here are a few reminders on why exercise is so important. 

First of all, remember that our luxurious lifestyles do not require much activity.  Cars, household appliances, elevators and remotes for everything have significantly reduced our daily caloric output. We no longer burn many calories doing daily activities, so we must add exercise to our lifestyle. So with all of these modern inventions helping us save time, we should have plenty of time to exercise, right?     

Our daily activities now play a large part in the quality of life we will live later. Long term, our bodies cannot function properly living a sedentary lifestyle. Skipping workouts today denies you the reward of long term health benefits you could get later. Being able to prevent high blood pressure, high cholesterol, osteoporosis or even diabetes will greatly improve your quality of life as you age.   

Making a resolution to go to the gym to lose 10 pounds is a great idea. Most people lose focus and get frustrated when it does not happen in three weeks. If you are going to lose weight, and keep it off, you must incorporate exercise in your lifestyle for the entire year, not just January. If you did that, you could finally not have the same New Year’s resolution each year.

Unfortunately, we tend to want instant gratification in this country, and working out once will not give you instant results. String together a few vigorous workouts for a few weeks and you will notice increased strength, energy and self-esteem. Continue for a few months and you will notice fat loss as well as firmer muscles. Do it for several months and your blood pressure and bone density will improve. Be successful for a few years and you will be able to enjoy life with a healthy weight and without medications.

Prevention of health problems is better than reversing health problems. Don’t wait until a doctor tells you that your blood pressure is too high to incorporate an active lifestyle. If a doctor has already told you your blood pressure is too high, try diet and exercise. You may be able to avoid taking medication, or at least prolong the time before you have to take it. If you are on a medication for blood pressure, try exercising regularly to get your body to its ideal weight. Chances are you may be able to decrease or no longer even need blood pressure medication. Always check with your doctor before changing medication.

There are consequences for all of our actions.  You can either choose to take care of your body or let it fall apart from neglect. A great book to read if you or a loved one has been diagnosed as diabetic or pre-diabetic is Diabetes Danger by Walter M. Bortz. Some tidbits from the book include a study which showed that unfit men were four times more likely to become diabetic than fit men over 14 years. Another survey revealed that in women “any” amount of physical activity lowered the incidence of new diabetes by 30 percent.

This is the year to take responsibility for your body and your health. Keep your New Year’s Resolution to exercise going by focusing on the long term benefits of exercise. Excuses are always available to those who don’t want to workout. All those good intentions don’t burn any calories.

The people who are successful at weight loss, and keeping it off, are the ones who stopped making excuses. Being active is a choice. You are responsible for what you eat and what activities you do. Skipping one workout is not the end of the world, just make sure it is not three months before you get back in the habit!