KAWARTHA LAKES-Exercise is one of those things we all know we should be doing daily. But how many of us are actually getting the recommended requirement?
We all know rigorous exercise boasts a TON of benefits including chronic disease prevention, keeping away pain and injury, maintaining mental health and balance, improving energy levels, the list goes on.
 I often refer to daily exercise as a ‘pill’ we must take every day to take care of ourselves. And it’s kind of true because the benefits listed above are actually dependent on the ‘dose’ of exercise we are getting.
Here’s a shocker for you: the daily dose is very attainable!
It’s 150 minutes per week.
Break that down, and you’ve got 5 x 30 minute sessions. That doesn’t seem like a lot does it? 

But the consistency is critical. You would take your blood pressure pills on Monday, Tuesday and Saturday-if you have time.
 You take that dose consistently because that’s the only way it works!
The same goes for exercise.
So if you schedule a quick 30 minute walk on your lunch break or after work on Monday through Friday, you will have hit the minimum requirement to see all those aforementioned benefits. It’s that simple.
Here’s another amazing fact: exercise has proven to be better than medicine in many cases-and with no side effects!

 I’ve heard clients complain that they started taking their cholesterol lowering drugs and they ended up with muscle cramping, and we’ve all seen those commercials with the endless list of side effects to most pharmaceutical drugs.

Well exercise has no side effects whatsoever, besides an improved quality of life, more energy, and even possible weight loss!

 Now I’m not saying to stop your prescribed meds today and start marathon training. But I am saying is that there’s this amazing thing called Preventative Medicine and it can help you to live a longer and better life-without side effects.

 Preventative medicine is more than just exercise. It’s those yearly cancer screenings you get, or choosing to eat more vegetables and drink water, it’s not overdoing it on alcohol, it’s managing your stress and having good social networks. We know preventative medicine works, but why is exercise so tricky to apply?
Here are few examples in case you need more convincing:
In a study examining knee arthritis, the group that did 1 hour of exercise intervention 3 times weekly saw a 47% decrease in pain.
In patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia, a 50% decrease in symptoms is noted when the patient has an exercise routine.
If you have high blood sugar or are on the borderline of diabetic, exercise can reduce the risk of becoming fully diabetic by 58%.
Anxiety and depression were both relieved through dose dependent exercise by up to 48%.
So does this mean you have to start running marathons? No!

 All of these results are measured in people who simply were walking at a vigorous pace for them.
 So you don’t need fancy equipment, you don’t need to go join a gym, you just need to get started!
Here are some tips on how to get motivated to exercise:
-Put on your workout clothes (or lay them out for the next morning)
-Plan it in your schedule
-Call a friend/get a workout buddy
-Hire a coach
-Picture how good you’ll feel after
-Reward yourself-but not with food! With a pedicure or massage or new Lululemons!
-join a group fitness class
If you need any help at all starting an exercise routine, please visit my website at http://www.sweathappywellness.com and check out my offerings. I offer very affordable private sessions, small group classes and even online programs.
Becky Sheehey is a Holistic Health Coach, and a Pilates and Movement Expert with a background in Kinesiology. She lives in Lindsay.
