How Important is Exercising to you?

About a couple of months ago, I said to my husband "Babe, I need to lose five pounds". He looked at me between confused and surprised and since I can read his mind I know he was thinking "She needs to lose more like twenty-five pounds" but instead he said: "No baby, you look beautiful the way you are". My husband is a very smart man, he knows that "Happy Wife, Happy Life".

But my husband was right! I needed to lose about twenty-five pounds but that is a lot of pounds and I did not want to stress thinking about it. So I decided to take small steps toward my goal. Just five pounds and once I reach my goal, another five pounds until I lose all the extra weight.

Growing up, exercising was always a priority in my life. I used to ride my pink bike, swim, play tennis and hit the gym at least five days per week. But five years ago when I left corporate America to open my own company, exercising became a thing of the past. My priority became to work 24/7 growing my new business. And of course, my body and mind suffered the consequences. Until two months ago, when I told myself: "Elga you need to go and start walking on that treadmill that you have not used in five years" - "Yes, ma'am", I responded to myself. Yes, I always talk to myself and respond too. That look on my husband's face when he asks me who am I talking to and I say to myself is priceless!

Just to name few things that happened to me for not exercising:

1. Of course, I gained 25-30 pounds.
2. I was always tired and hardly had the energy to work and do house chores.
3. I could not walk on my treadmill for more than five minutes.
4. I was suffering from severe depression and anxiety.
5. None of my clothes fit right anymore.
6. Most of the time, I was in a bad mood, literally became "Godzilla".
7. I was suffering from sleep apnea.

The transformation just two months later:

1. I lost twenty pounds.
2. I have so much energy that my husband keeps asking me "what are you taking?"
3. I am walking on my treadmill for two hours every day.
4. I feel so happy and life is so good that I don't know what anxiety and depression are anymore.
5. All my clothes fit again, yeah!
6. I find myself very content, and full of new ideas for my business.
7. I am sleeping like a baby and looking forward every morning to my exercise routine.
8. I am finding that I have a lot more time than I thought I had (I even made scrambled eggs for my son this morning, I had not done that in about ten years).
9. I have more time to talk to my family and my friends on the phone.
10. I am living the best years of my life!

It is well-known that exercise boosts your mood and reduces stress. When you exercise, your body releases chemicals such as endorphins in your brain that make you feel happy, but exercise also helps your brain get rid of chemicals that make you feel stressed and anxious. People who exercise tend to be happier and less stressed than those who don’t exercise (no wonder Godzilla was visiting my husband and my son on a regular basis). A consistent exercise routine can also help you control your emotions when you do feel angry or upset.

We have to take care of ourselves first before we can take care of others!

Alleluia for the endorphins!