My Top FIVE Reasons for Staying Fit

I spend lots of my time motivating others to improve their level of fitness so I felt it was time to share my own reasons for working out and staying fit!

5. To Sleep Better

The fitter I am, the better I sleep. And now that my babies are all grown up, I do LOVE to sleep for the entire night. When your body is physically exhausted, it has no choice but to shut down and rest, which means that you can sleep all night and feel refreshed and ready to go in the morning. I still enjoy my cup of coffee first thing in the morning though!

4. To Feel Happy

Exercise helps release stress and makes me more patient. It's definitely what got me through my toddler and preschool days without losing it. Feeling less stressed = more patience = a happier mom. And, anyone who exercises regularly, KNOWS about those happy endorphins that are released each time you exercise. You may be hot and sweaty after a workout, but don't you also feel great? Everyone always seems to have a smile on their face after they've finished a fitness class. I know I do!

3. To Eat What I Want

I generally eat a well balanced diet, but I have a few weaknesses that I'm able to indulge every so often because I'm burning calories regularly. I don't have much of a sweet tooth (unless it's homemade!), but I do love to eat cheese and put cream in my coffee, both of which aren't terribly healthy! Being active most days allows me to indulge guilt-free.

2. To Feel Good About Myself

Being fit gives me confidence and energy, makes me stronger and helps me with my volleyball game. All things that I love. But, it also makes me feel good about my body and the way I look. We all have things we don't like about our appearance and I'm no exception. Being fit goes a long way to loving myself fully. I didn't really understand this until I had to lose over 60 lbs when I had my first born. Pushing my body through exercise made me feel so much better (and also helped shed that extra weight!).

1. To Stay Healthy

I want to live a long life. My dad died of heart disease when I was 21. He's missed graduations, weddings and grandchildren. I don't want to miss any of those things. He loved all sports (mainly watching them from his arm chair) and I miss having him on the sidelines watching his grandchildren play sports. He had a quadruple bypass when he was 46, followed by 2 heart attacks. He died before he was 55. At 46, I'm the same age he was when he had his first heart surgery and I REFUSE to let heart disease take me down also.

What are your reasons for staying fit? I'd love to hear why you work out and what your favourite workouts are!