Mind, Body & Spirit

If you are even thinking about ways to fit exercise into your bursting-at-the-seams schedule, you are on the right track.

Research indicates that modest amounts of exercise—even just 15 minutes a day—helps ease depression, enhances self-image, relieves stress, and much more. That’s right, exercise makes you happy, and you don’t have to be a gym rat to do it.

By making “start slow” and “have fun” your mottos, you’ll be well on your way to using physical activity as a tool to make you feel better every day.

The life-changing benefits of exercise

Exercise is not just about aerobic capacity and muscle size. Sure, exercise improves your health and your physique, but did you know that it has even greater benefits for your energy, mood, and brainpower?

• Eases stress and anxiety. A twenty-minute bike ride won’t sweep away life’s troubles, but exercising regularly helps you take charge of anxiety and reduce stress. Aerobic exercise releases hormones that relieve stress and promote a sense of well-being.
• Lifts your mood. Did you know that exercise treats mild to moderate depression as effectively as antidepressant medication? Exercise also releases endorphins, powerful chemicals in our brain that energize our spirits and simply