Do you often find yourself feeling less than satisfied about the shape you’re in? You’re not alone. You certainly aren’t the first, you definitely won’t be the last, and it’s something that virtually everyone goes through. And, while we fully believe in promoting body positivity, it’s also not wrong to want more. There are some who view the pursuit of fitness as something that’s vain, but in reality, the opposite couldn’t be more true. Being fit and healthy is a blessing in many ways, and to some, the difference is so astounding that they feel like they have superpowers!
At Regen Pilates, we offer several types of fitness classes that help people to become the best versions of themselves. Whether you’re on our reformer machines doing Pilates exercises, pushing your flexibility to its limits with yoga classes, or getting an intense full-body workout with the Lagree Fitness program, your body will thank you for coming to our fitness studio. And, on our team, we’ve seen countless students acquire those superpowers we mentioned above.
Are you looking for motivation to start working out? There are many benefits to being fit — here are some of them:
Exercise Literally Makes Your Brain Happier
While it’s easy to focus on the physical benefits of exercise, most people fail to consider the mental benefits. Did you know that exercising releases up to five different “happiness chemicals” in your body? Endorphins are chief among these, but you also get a little dose of other chemicals, such as serotonin and dopamine. When we have these things flowing through our brains, we tend to naturally feel happier. That is, after all, their job.
Not only do we get happy chemicals when we exercise, but our stress chemicals are also reduced. Exercise has been shown to decrease the amount of cortisol in our body, which is often referred to as the “stress hormone.” Due to the effect of giving us something good while also reducing the bad, exercise is a major double-whammy against sour moods.
Fitness Improves Confidence
Let’s move onto the main reason why a lot of people work out — looking totally hot. Look, there’s nothing wrong with having this as a motivator! Exercising to look good is far better than not exercising at all, and many people, when they reach this point, find that there’s a whole lot more to it than just physical looks.
When you’re fit and healthy, it tends to improve self-confidence and self-esteem on multiple fronts. Looks are the most obvious factor — it’s a good feeling when you look at the mirror and love what you see. But there are other confidence-building aspects too.
When you’ve gone through the immense amount of work that’s required to get in shape, you’ve naturally cultivated a sense of independence and follow-through. Becoming fit is a long-term commitment, one that many people fail over and over. Just the act of losing weight alone speaks to your capabilities of determination and perseverance. That’s definitely a confidence-builder.
Exercise Makes You Stronger
What qualifies as a valid superpower, if not super strength? Okay, so it’s true that you might not become Superman or Wonder Woman when you work out, but you will still feel a measurable sense of improvement in your physical capabilities.
It’s really easy to get lost in complacency with your physical abilities. It takes a lot of time to become weaker through inactivity, and it happens so gradually that you might not notice if you’re not paying attention. So, when you’ve slacked on working out and eating well, it’s easy to assume you’re at the limits of your physical capabilities, but that’s not true at all.
At Regen, we love the feeling of our body rewarding us for hard work. It’s a great feeling being unintimidated by the stairs at work, or staring up at a rock wall and feeling confident instead of nervous. Physical aptitude is far more important for daily life than most people give it credit for.
Fitness Extends Your Lifespan
You know what’s a superpower we’d all like to have? Everlasting life. People have been chasing this dream for millennia, conducting endless research in labs or venturing out to go find the fountain of youth. Well, exercise isn’t going to expand your lifespan by thousands of years, or even hundreds, but you could definitely squeeze out a few more decades if you keep yourself healthy and fit.
This isn’t, of course, a guarantee — heart attacks, cancer, and other tragic conditions can unexpectedly come to people who are as healthy as a horse. However, let’s just say your odds are a whole lot better if you’re frequently exercising and eating well. And living longer isn’t the only benefit, it’s living better. Sure, you could compare two people side-by-side who both live to 85 and pass away. If one was healthy for most of their life and the other wasn’t, their quality of life in those final decades would probably look strikingly different.
Fitness Provides Community
Having close friends isn’t a superpower, but it sure seems like one sometimes. Adulthood is busy and full of crushing responsibility, and many times, close friends only find a few days a year to spend together. One thing we love about fitness and exercise is that it provides a lot of easy pathways to friendship and community.
Working out isn’t inherently more or less lonely than the rest of life — but when you commit yourself to fitness, you’ll often find yourself in the company of like-minded people. This is something we love about our fitness studio — it’s easy to see how much of a boon a close friend or family member can be for one’s personal fitness. Those who exercise together stay together!
Exercise Builds Self-Discipline
We briefly mentioned this above in our point about self-confidence, but this deserves a point of its own. Getting fit requires a lot of hard work. By seeing it through, you will have achieved something that many other people struggle to do.
The importance of self-discipline cannot be overstated. One beautiful thing about getting fit is that it empowers you. If you could achieve such a tough goal, what else are you capable of? This line of thinking can bring you to amazing heights.
Stop By Our Fitness Studio Today
Do you want to unlock the incredible superpowers of physical fitness? We want to help. At Regen, we offer Pilates, yoga, barre, and spin classes, as well as the widely acclaimed Lagree Fitness program. If you’re in Prosper or surrounding areas, stop by today!
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