It’s Not About Weight: All the Right Reasons to Exercise and Eat Right

By Charlotte Andersen

If the latest infomercials and magazine covers are any indication, it seems like weight loss is on everyone’s minds these days. And while a healthy weight is a good goal, when it comes to eating right and exercising, it shouldn’t be the sole focus. In fact, when you tally all the reasons to eat well and exercise, we’re not even sure it should make the top 10. Face it: The number on the scale is not a reliable indicator of overall health. Even worse, according to one study, people who diet or exercise just to lose weight quit a lot sooner than people who make healthy changes for other reasonsMotivations for healthful dietary change. Satia JA, Kristal AR, Curry S, Trudeau E. Public Health Nutrition. 2001 Oct;4(5):953-9.. Oh, and they really don’t lose weight in the long term. The researchers found that the most successful motivation for sticking to a healthy lifestyle was “feeling better about themselves” for women and “better health” for men.

And yes, those are both great rationales to exercise and eating right, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the good things you’ll bring into your life. Here are 45 science-backed reasons to start living a healthier life today that have zilch to do with your weight.

1. It works as an antidepressant.

Whether you suffer from the winter blahs or have chronic depression, the blues can make everything in life feel harder. Antidepressant medications have been a godsend for many people, but one study found that depression sufferers who did aerobic exercise showed just as much improvement in their symptoms as people on medication. In fact, after four months, 60 to 70 percent of the subjects couldn’t even be classified as having depression. Even better, a follow-up to the study found that the effects from the exercise lasted longer than those from the medication.

2. It reduces PMS symptoms.

Ladies, that monthly crying jag brought on by a commercial for a Nicholas Sparks movie or the hulk-like rage when your boyfriend slurps his soup may not be entirely your fault (hormones, holla!). But that doesn’t mean you can’t do anything to help it. In one study, teen girls—was there ever a moodier bunch?—performed 60-minute cardio sessions three times a week for eight weeksThe effects of 8 weeks of regular aerobic exercise on the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome in non-athlete girls. Zeinab Samadi, Farzaneh Taghian, and Mahboubeh Valiani.Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research. 2013 Jan-Feb; 18(1): 14–19.. Afterward they reported their symptoms from PMS, especially depression and anger, were markedly better, so much so that the researchers concluded that exercise should be prescribed as a cure for PMS.

3. It reduces …read more

Source:: Greatist