Get fit for life tip #2: Don’t go it alone.
Joining a class or exercising with a friend will keep you motivated as you establish a regular fitness routine.
If you've never exercised before, establishing a regular fitness routine - and sticking to it - can be difficult.
Exercising with friends, with your spouse or joining a class will help keep you motivated and disciplined, day in day out. After a remarkably short time, habit will take over and the 30 minutes or more you dedicate to caring for your long-term health will become a highlight of your day.
A 2015 study of 3700 British adults over 50 showed that both men and women were three times or more likely to achieve their health goal when their partner joined in the challenge, whether it was weight loss, exercising or quitting smoking.
The researchers found that when half of the couple changed to a healthier lifestyle, the other person was more likely to make a similar lifestyle change. This reinforces the notion that your relationships play a key role in your health.
Research suggests that regular aerobic exercise boosts the size of the hippocampus, the brain area involved in verbal memory and learning. It also stimulated the production of chemicals in the brain that affect the health of brain cells and the growth of new blood vessels in the brain.
Additionally, exercise reduces stress and anxiety and improves the quality of your sleep, three factors that are known to contribute to cognitive impairment.
What's your top Get fit for life tip? Do you prefer to exercise alone or in with others? Email us at info@fitforlife.foundation and we may feature your tip in an upcoming post!
Influence of Partner’s Behavior on Health Behavior Change (JAMA 2015)