Exercise is an essential part of your well being and losing or maintaining weight. When working with clients I have found that the very idea of doing regular exercise sometimes stops some people from committing to a healthy eating program to lose weight because the idea of regular exercise, for many, conjures up pictures of sweating it out at the gym or fitness center, lifting weights and doing aerobic classes of some nature or other. Don't let that stop you from starting a good lifestyle program.

There are plenty of other ways to exercise that do not involve the gym. This could include dance, playing a sport, swimming, horse riding, playing golf, going bowling etcetera. I am sure you get the picture. Choose something that excites you and that you have either enjoyed doing in the past or would like to try out now. To really have effect exercise needs to be done on a regular basis and for a sustained period of time at each interval; enough time to get the heart rate up. It is recommended that any session to be for a minimum of 30 minutes and for at least 4 times a week. This is a good starting point and you can always work yourself up from there. But the idea is to start and start somewhere.

Working out is not only good for health and weight maintenance, but it really does relieve stress. Everyone talks about this fact, but have you tried it out? You will be surprised at how going to the gym or running around the block a few times knocks stress right out of the ring. It is not a mere fallacy. There are real reasons for this. Moving your body releases endorphins, which are the essential feel-good chemicals found in your brain.

Researchers are not really sure how exercise triggers the release of endorphins. There are two thoughts around this namely; is it because of the positive emotion you feel when you meet and overcome a physical challenge or is it from the exertion itself? Whichever one, it does not really matter. What does count is that we know that physical activity can provide a rush of good energy. It can ease anxiety, panic and stress, even mild depression and on top of that it is a good way to keep healthy and increase the quality years of your life.

If you are still not convinced, do an experiment and compare the lives of people who exercise on a regular basis to those who do little or none. Compare their general outlook on life, levels of personal and other success, body tone and the color or look of their skin. Observe to see who manages to keep a positive outlook on life in the face of adversity and who tends to walk around with an innate air of confidence and pride.

How do you feel when you commit to regular exercise? Personally for me it always lifts my spirits, problems become more manageable and less catastrophic and physically I look and feel much better. Each time I follow through on my promise to work out, I feel good about myself. I have developed trust in myself to follow through and this alone has helped to develop a more authentic feeling of confidence in myself and my abilities.

Start to work some exercise plan into your week, move your body and gain a new lease on life.