You already know plenty of reasons why you should exercise.

You’re inundated with media messages about it.

All kinds of tips and tricks and reasons all over every magazine and website. All those shopped bodies beckoning you to just do a little more, lazybones so you can be like us. It can actually be so overwhelming (or annoying) that you don’t even want to deal with it. I get it.

So, in the event that the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition falls short in motivating you… I thought I’d give you some real world reasons why moving is going to make you healthier, happier and fill your pockets full of cash. Really, exercise can be key to hard work, new ideas, and running a successful business. Because it really does make such a difference.

Allons-y! 

1. Core strength

Core strength is more than just tight abs, it is about alignment. Everything in its place, top to bottom, working properly. A well oiled machine. Its about having a strong center, and strong muscles around your spinal column which is the freeway of your central nervous system. Your central nervous system is pretty much the hard drive of your body moving crucial information to and from every single part of you. Keep your core strong and your whole body and all its systems are protected.

2. Exercise makes you kinder 

I mean it. It gives you endorphins and gets the angst out, it gets the stuck stuff moving and helps you sweat out the literal and metaphorical toxins before you do something rash. Happy people don’t shoot their husbands. They just don’t.

3. You’ll be more productive

Really. You may think you don’t have time to exercise, but really, you don’t have time not to. Exercising will increase your energy so you can do more things more effectively. Plus, time will expand to accommodate your genuine intentions. Time is awesome that way. Read this about time.

 4. Deeper sleep 

Which means you get to feel rested and refreshed when you are awake. Also, dreaming is cool.

5. You’ll have great ideas while you are away from your desk and moving around

Platinum ideas. Money ideas. Life changing ideas. The world needs your ideas.

6. Exercise is an insurance policy for your creative sanity

A strong body equals a strong mind. You put a whole lot of your heart into your art, darling, and being a creative powerhouse who puts yourself so fully out there all the time can leave you emotionally drained and vulnerable. A strong back and body helps protect you from being crushed by the bigness of it all.

7. Exercising saves time and energy 

Seriously, the amount of of time and energy it takes not to exercise when you know it will serve you, is like a program constantly running in the back of your mental hard drive. It’s always on, draining your battery. And it takes a lot of your life force to resent and/or compare yourself to all the people you see exercising when you aren’t. Constantly feeling like you aren’t doing enough is exhausting. Go exercise for 15 minutes and save yourself all of that trouble. Go. Seriously. You can read the rest of this later.

8. Sex is better  

And then you saw the word “sex” and you’re still reading, right? Well good for you, kitten, because this is important and we’re almost done. The thing about sex is, if you get out there and exercise, you’ll feel better about your body and better in your body, which makes you feel sexier, which will actually get you out of your knickers and into the sack more often. And once you’re between the sheets, exercise gives you the strength and stamina to make the earth move, fireworks ignite, blow minds, etcetera. (And then there’s this study, which says some women actually orgasm during exercise. Just saying. That’s kind of like a reason number 8b.)

9. It will heal your broken heart

That sweet heart of yours works so hard pumping blood all the way down to your toes and back. Do you realize that when you use your leg muscles rhythmically—for example, when you’re walking, running or riding your bike—that those muscles become like extra pumping hearts sending blood back up to the big guy? Your calf muscles are giant hearts! Who knew!? So do your part to cure heartbreak by giving your heart a little break.

10. You

No one else is you and you are absolutely perfect. And a powerful way to be really, truly grateful for all the perfect that you are is to take excellent care of you. Exercising makes you more you. And that’s just good for everyone. Oh, and if you have extra weight to lose, you will lose it. But that can be a  side effect of all of the other amazing things that happen to your life when you’re strong and healthy.

And just incase the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition does inspire you, here’s a reminder that you shouldn’t exercise because…

1. You are torturing yourself for eating too much.
2. Everyone else is doing it and they seem like they have life way more in order than you.
3. You think that if you exercise you will be magically thin and therefore loveable, finally and forever. Blech. No.

So what are you going to do to get moving this week? Let me know in the comments. (Saying things out loud to another person makes them way more powerful, you know.)

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Ed: Lynn Hasselberger

photo credit: Meg Worden