Signs That Your Workouts Are Effective
Often times people start a fitness routine with the sole purpose to lose weight. However, the evidence has been accumulating for years that exercise, while great for health, isn’t actually all that effective for weight loss.
Exercise can, however, help you lose body fat and build muscle. It also comes with a myriad of other health benefits-including living a longer life.
Check out the signs below that your fitness routine is effective that have nothing to do with weight loss:
1. You’re A Happier Human Being
Study after study has shown exercise provides a mood boost during and after a session, both for people with depression and similar disorders and those without.
Physical activity can be part of an effective plan to manage mood disorders and should be a part of your mental health routine.
2. You Are Stronger
In a progressive strength training program, you should gradually be able to do the same moves with a heavier load. This doesn’t mean that you won’t have “off days” where you are rundown and need to go lighter or back off, but eventually you should be getting stronger over time.
What’s cool is when you notice this during your activities of every day living. You might find that it’s easier to pick up your kids, carry groceries up a flight of stairs, or move furniture without pulling your back out. These small improvements can truly be life changing!
3. You Have More Energy
The fitter you get, the more mitochondria sprout inside your muscle cells. These tiny powerhouses convert glucose and oxygen into fuel, powering your body along.
Other changes—such as balanced levels of stress hormones and increased circulation of oxygen-rich blood—can also leave you feeling more energized.
However, your body needs time in between challenging sessions for positive adaptations to occur. If workouts that once left you feeling more perky start to leave you dragging instead, you might need to dial them back or incorporate more recovery (stretching, foam rolling, sauna, etc…) sleep, or fuel to reap the benefits.
But if you’re feeling fresh and ready to take on the world, that can mean your routine has hit that all-important balance of challenge versus recovery—so consider that one of the signs your fitness routine is working for you.
4. Your Endurance Is Improving
Consistent aerobic exercise strengthens your heart muscle, so it can deliver more oxygen-rich blood throughout your body with each pump. Your muscles, in turn, sprout more tiny capillaries through which that nourishing fluid flows.
Over time you’ll likely notice you can push harder, for longer—maybe walking or running for 15 minutes, then 20, then 30. That stamina can ultimately extend your life!
5. When You Skip A Day Or Two-You Miss It
You know your fitness routine is paying off when you don’t quite feel right without incorporating something physical each day. Please note-this is not shame or guilt that you might feel when you miss a workout-t’s a craving for movement that brings a sense of contentment when fulfilled.
Even if you don’t have a formal workout scheduled, make sure you take neighborhood walk, play a game of basketball with your kid(s), or do a deep stretch video—something that brings both physical release and emotional connection. Our bodies are designed to move so give them what they crave in a safe & healthy way that isn’t “over-doing” it.
6. You Are Mentally Sharper
Working out soaks your gray matter in a compound called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF. This can pay off in an improved ability to think, learn, and remember, and may encourage the growth of new brain cells and protect you from neurologic diseases like Alzheimer’s.
If you already have a form of cognitive impairment, exercise may slow its progression or improve your existing brain function.
Plus, working out relieves stress, which can leave you calmer, kinder, and more focused.
7. Other Health Markers Are Improving
Many other numbers tell you more about your heart health than weight, and physical activity tends to improve just about ALL of them. These include blood glucose levels, cholesterol, and blood pressure.
Consistent exercise can reduce both the top and bottom numbers of your blood pressure, reduce levels of LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, and boost HDL, or the “good” kind and cut your risk of developing diabetes by as much as 50%!
Sometimes those changes go hand in hand with weight loss, but they might not—and they don’t need to. Instead of focusing on the scale, find ways of moving that are comfortable and enjoyable for you, and your risk factors will improve over time.
8. You’re Doing More Of The Things You Love
Think about what is enjoyable to you and do more of it! Maybe there are hobbies that you used to not have the energy or strength to do, like hiking or skiing, that you now can incorporate into your life because you are healthier.
Measuring success is often not as complicated as we make it out to be. It can be finding what you value in life and doing more of that.
After reading this-is your fitness program working for you? I hope so!
If not, surely I can help. 🙂
Celebrating 3 Years Of ExcelFit
October is the official month, 3 years ago, that I decided to go off on my own and create ExcelFit With Molly. It brings me immense pride to see the culture that we have created together and all the really memorable events, fundraisers, and trips that I have had the honor of hosting along the way.
ExcelFit has helped raise funds and awareness for local charities like The Grahym Plan (helping fight Cystic Fibrosis), Nothing Pink (fighting Breast Cancer), For A Day (creating a special day for sick children in hospitals), The Fort Mill Care Center (local food bank), and Project Fight (aiding victims of Human Trafficking in CLT). Because members and friends of ExcelFit care so deeply, we have enthusiastically helped our community and I can’t wait to do it again!
Creating really unique & memorable experiences is one of my favorite parts of running ExcelFit. From silly theme classes, to wellness retreats & getaways, to hilarious social gatherings, to meaningful workshops, and outdoor endurance training-I just smile thinking of all of the amazing times I have enjoyed over the last 3 years and look forward to many, many more.
It almost brings me to tears to think of the supportive clients that have become friends and almost family to me over the last 3 years. What I love most about the ExcelFit community is that we are welcoming to anyone who joins a class or event, don’t take anything too seriously (spending lots of time laughing together), are there for each other through even the toughest of times, and know how to have a good time while still getting our butts’ royally kicked.
Even though ExcelFit doesn’t have the fanciest and most up-to-date equipment around-all of the workouts that we do together are challenging, innovative, energizing, creative, safe, and above all else-fun. With top notch music, a funny crowd of goofy friends, and people that come to “work” hard because we know we will reap amazing benefits after all the sweat is gone-I am SO thankful and proud of my 3 years of owning ExcelFit and am very excited for the future. I couldn’t even fathom my life without this group of incredible people and I encourage anyone looking for a switch up in their current fitness routine or a swift (but fun) kick in the rear to check out what we are all about.
I can say with confidence that ExcelFit isn’t just a place where you come to workout-it’s a community of caring, encouraging, welcoming friends that know how to have a good time.
Thank you for 3 wonderful years my friends!
