8 Reasons Why YOU Should Get Off the Couch!

By: Neil Tejwani, “The Biggest Loser” season 4 contestant

1. Burn Calories: Physical activity is the best way for your body to continuously burn calories. The more active you are, the more calories you will burn. Household chores such as vacuuming, washing dishes, or even going up and down a flight of stairs are all great ways to stay active and burn calories away from the gym.

2. Avoid Plateau’s: Exercise is a great way to also avoid hitting the “notorious” plateau that is commonly seen with weight loss. Many people hit a stopping point in their progress, where diet and amount of exercise simply stop working. Your body can easily become conditioned to a specific type of exercise or workout routine. Increasing and
changing the types of activity you subject your body to may give your weight loss another push for continued results.

3. Build Muscle: Exercise can build muscle, but more importantly it will help maintain lean muscle mass. Anatomy studies have shown that the more muscle you have, the more calories your body will naturally burn. Strength training is the most effective way of building muscle and forcing your body to burn those unwanted calories.

4. Increase Metabolic Rate: Exercise increases your body’s metabolic rate, and it continues that elevated rate for an extended period of time even after you have stopped your physical activity. After exercising, your body naturally lowers its set point but keeps your metabolic rate elevated. By maintaining this rate, you continue to burn a higher rate of calories for periods even after your workouts are over. Perhaps this is why active people can "Eat anything and not gain a pound," and why other people "Gain weight by just looking at food!”

5. Sleep Better: Exercise, particularly in the morning, may help you sleep better at night.

Research has shown that the physical exertion, relaxation, and alignment of your biological clock experienced earlier in the day can cause a deeper night’s sleep.
Be sure, however, not to work out too close to your bedtime if you exercise at night. Physical activity in the late evening can keep you awake or even lead to sleep disorders, in some cases.

If you need to exercise within a few hours of going to bed, try limiting yourself to a brisk walk. Experts say you should allow yourself about three hours of down time between when you finish exercising and when you go to sleep. Save the high-impact aerobics and strength training for the morning, early afternoon, or early evening when possible.

6. Feel Good: Physical activity is good for your mind, body and soul. Exercising improves your mood with chemicals released in the brain called endorphins. The release of endorphins generally heightens an overall good feeling about yourself, and provides a better sense of well-being. These same triggers of satisfaction in your brain have also been found when falling in love” or eating chocolate to satisfy your craving. Exercise can also help you feel great by reducing and relieving your body’s stress levels. Let’s not forget that many people have also found a “steamier” sex life from the benefits that physical activity can provide.

7. Burn Fat: Exercise will increase production of enzymes in your body that are used to burn fat. As you work to get in better shape, your body will lower the amount of storage fat it has to hold on to, thus causing you to lose weight. A proper fat burning workout regimen consists of a good balance between low and high intensity cardiovascular and strength training exercises. This combination will allow you to lose the type of weight you are really seeking to shed—FAT!

8. Reduce Health Risks: Many medical studies have shown that a consistent exercise regimen of 3-6 days per week, for at least 30 minutes per day, can decrease your risk of heart disease by 30-40%. You can also decrease health factors such as high blood pressure, osteoporosis, sleep apnea, loss of balance, and arthritis, to name a few. Exercise naturally increases your cells’ response to insulin as well. This will strengthen your body’s ability to fight against diabetes.