Exercise is WAY more than just burning calories

Back in my days of wanting to be skinny for the sake of skinniness, I used to think that exercise was just a way to burn calories so I could eat a little more. While it is true that you can burn off a brownie with 20 minutes of running, you get way more out of it than that!

Exercise causes your body to produce more growth hormone while you sleep. Growth hormone is sent off into your body like a messenger, telling your body's systems to replenish themselves at night. It tells your fat to burn. It tells your hair to grow shiny and healthy. It tells your skin to glow. It tells your muscles to grow stronger. It makes your body work!!! And most of this is done while you are sleeping!!!!

Regular strenuous exercise (4-5 hours a week for 3 weeks, followed by 3 hours a week after that) can regulate your body's production of insulin, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and cortisol. Do you know what cortisol does? It tells your body to store fat in your belly! You know that exercise is supposed to help you feel better, look better, and lose weight, but it is not just because of the calorie burn. It actually changes your metabolism!!!!

What should you do for exercise? Many will tell you to just take the stairs or park the car farther away in the parking lot. Those are GREAT choices, and sometimes it really is all we have time for (my friend, Lisa, recently had to spend several days in the hospital with her sick daughter and taking the stairs WAS her exercise, and I'm beyond proud of her for doing that). However, most of us have more time than that, and WE ARE WORTH IT. Figure out a way to get 4-5 hours of exercise in your week, and that exercise should be something that really makes you red-faced and sweaty. The more you work, the more you'll see and, more importantly, FEEL the results!