Happiness

When you exercise, your body undergoes physical stress, and as a result your hormones release endorphins (anti-stress hormones), which make you feel happy. Several research studies have concluded that exercise is a more effective form of treatment for people suffering from depression than medications such as anti-depressants. Eating healthy food not only makes you feel fantastic emotionally, it also fills you with energy. Combine regular exercise with lots of good food and you can guarantee an instant boost in your level of happiness. Your mood will be naturally elevated and you probably won’t ever suffer from depression.

Improved relationships

When you feel good (and look good!) there will be an added zing in your personality that will affect everyone. You’ll feel closer to friends, family and significant others, and will eliminate stress from your life. Being in a constant good mood is infectious, and your positive vibes will rub off on those closest to you. Nobody wants to be around someone who is always moaning or nagging but never does anything about their problems. People will love having you in their lives because you will be such a positive influence. Being confident about and proud of your body will also improve your sex life dramatically!

Increased mental health

A healthy lifestyle will also help improve your mental health. Being in great physical shape will help you to concentrate at work, become more productive and cope better with deadlines. Taking care of your mental health will also keep your mind young, no matter your physical age.

Increased physical health

Exercise boosts your immune system and prevents diseases and other health concerns, including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and many others  As you get fitter and build more strength, you’ll notice that you hardly ever get sick anymore. With so many goals and so much to accomplish, who wants to waste time being under the weather?

Fight aging

Getting old is inevitable, but one way to fight aging gracefully is through exercise. Keep your metabolism revved-up as it starts to slow down, and look younger than ever by lifting weights and eating right. Many sedentary adults develop muscle or joint injuries, which can be prevented through strength training. You have the ability to choose NOT to grow old, be inactive and risk becoming overweight, which will only increase health risks. What could be more important than guaranteeing yourself a long and fulfilling life to spend watching your family grow up?

Eat (much) more and still be thin

It’s a fact that the fitter you become and the more active you are, the more you can eat to fuel your exercise. Having a lot of muscle also burns more calories even when you aren’t doing any exercise at all. This means you’re free to enjoy your life by eating more food with no compunction. When I was in training for my competition, I was able to eat almost 2000 calories on a daily basis and I still shrank down to a size zero. Had I wanted to maintain the same weight, I would have needed to eat no less than 3000 calories.

You won’t miss out on social outings

Many people don’t want to put in the time to exercise because they worry that they’ll miss out on social occasions. Likewise, they may not want to eat healthily for fear that they’ll have to deprive themselves of the food they love. The truth is: you won’t be missing out on anything. You can still socialize and choose not to make poor lifestyle choices. You can still indulge in moderation, but come to love eating healthy foods that won’t make you fat and frumpy. Stop seeing a healthy lifestyle as a sacrifice, or something that holds you back from things. The truth is that by getting yourself in shape you’ll be gaining so much MORE than you experienced while living a lifestyle full of unhealthy food and inactivity. Try it - if you achieve your goals, you’ll almost certainly never want to go back.

Discipline and satisfaction

When you’ve achieved your weight loss goals, you’ll wake up every day feeling like a true winner. The discipline and willpower you develop will create the inner strength and power needed to achieve the other goals in your life. Eventually there won’t be anything you aren’t able to achieve.