Mental health benefits

• Regular exercises improve your mental health significantly. Your self-esteem, confidence and overall feeling of well-being improve. Your brain starts functioning better with improved memory, concentration and better decision making. It helps to cope better with mental conditions like depression, anxiety or general stress.

Despite all the benefits of exercising regularly, why is it hard to practice? Why do we struggle to make exercise a regular habit? Lets look at some common excuses not to exercise and see how we overcome these excuses and make exercise a routine practice.

I dont like to exercise because:	I will exercise anyway because:
I have no time.	I just need 10-15 minutes to exercise everyday. Squats, push-ups, march or jog in place, planks, high knees and others can be done daily and easily and do not need much time.
I feel tired always.	Regular exercise gives me more energy by improving body circulation, muscle tone and cardiovascular health. During exercise, hormones like dopamine, serotonin and endorphins are released that improve my energy and mood.
I dont have motivation to exercise.	I will start with simple exercises like stretches, push-ups and squats. Once I start these and make a regular habit, I will get motivated to do more regularly.
I am not sure what exercises to do.	I will start with simple exercises like walking, push-ups, and lunges and gradually incorporate other exercises as I feel more confident.
I dont like exercise, I find it boring.	I will try other exercises that I like and gradually make it a routine. Like so many other people, I will start with simple dancing, sports, swimming, cycling and others that I like.
I am not fit to exercise.	I do not need to be fit to exercise, in fact I will start exercising to be fit. I will start with body stretches, squats, push ups and others and increase gradually.
I do not have money or time to go to gym.	I do not need to go to gym to exercise. I can walk, jog, do push ups or squats at home.
I am mother of 2 children, do not have time for exercise.	I can do home workouts, go for a walk or play with my children. If I have a treadmill at home, I can work on it while I am in the kitchen or watching TV.
I am too old to exercises.	I know there is no age limit for doing exercise and I can choose the ones that is suitable for me.
I have tried several times before but it failed.	I will create a new plan and start all over again. I will be more determined and strat slow and increase gradually.
I am sore and dont want to hurt further.	Even when I am sore I can still do many exercises but I will do stretches and warm ups first and do only low impact exercises until I feel better.
I am too embarrassed at the gym.	I can do most exercises at home. I will try them first until I build confidence and start going to the gym.
I will start next week or very soon.	I have said this many times in the past but I need to start today. I will start with stretches, push up and perhaps go for a walk as well. Today is the best day to start exercising.

In conclusion, exercise has many benefits including medical, mental and spiritual health and it is a good practice to do it consistently and incorporate it in your daily routine. It is a good idea to start with low impact exercises and increase gradually. Simple home workouts like walking, push ups, and squats are easy to start and continue. If your target is also to lose weight, make sure you eat a healthy balanced diet.

There are hundreds of reasons not to exercise (it is hot today, it is cold today, weather looks gloomy, it is raining, did not have a good sleep last night, had a big night, im already fit, I dont see any benefits) but it is important you understand the benefits of exercise, make a regular routine and be consistent. You may not see the benefits in the short-term but you will definitely be rewarded in the furture.

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