Have you ever wondered how workout (in any form) affects not only your energy levels and mood, but also your health? I have always been very active – started playing tennis at the age of 4, and up to this day I stay active every day. But it was only at the age of 25 or so that I started seeing and feeling the benefits of working out. Before that I always had the feeling that I have to do it, or that I was doing it for somebody else, and I wasn’t seeing the many benefits it brings along. But after a year of not doing any kind of sport, I started to realize that my energy and motivation levels were low, I wasn’t sleeping as well, my skin was not at its best, and the list goes on and on. So, I started working out again, but this time for myself. Thirteen years and two kids later,  jogging has become my favourite workout activity. Before I had kids I used to go jogging about 5-6 times a week, meanwhile I have cut it down to 4 times. When I feel stressed out, or have had a difficult day I would go jogging in the evening! This helps me clear my head, get all the negative thoughts out and just remember that there are so many things to be thankful for.

Over the years I have tried different types of workouts and in addition to jogging, I also love hiking, pilates, mountain biking, swimming and still play tennis every now and then. And what I have realized is that by doing any of these activities not only my mood gets elevated, but also I feel much healthier – I sleep much better, I feel much more energized and motivated, I feel like my body digests the food much better, even my skin feels better, and the list goes on and on.

Throughout my experiences with workout, I have learned 2 main things that I always keep in mind:

• whatever type of activity I decide to start with, I make sure that I am listening very closely to my body and how I feel mentally and physically after each workout
• if I have to mentally push myself to do a particular workout, then maybe this is not the right type for me and I should try a different type

Working out should help you boost not only your health, but also your mood, performance, energy levels, etc. I believe that if working out turns into something that you HAVE to do, then it is not serving the purpose it should. 

I am by no means a workout expert, I am only sharing my observation of the experiences I have had so far. I am open to trying out other types of workouts and I am encouraging you as well to just give different workout activities a try. I know that it could be overwhelming to decide what workout activity to start with, this is why throughout the year Slow·o·lution will be working together with workout experts giving you insights into the different aspects of working out. In addition, we will be giving you the opportunity to try many different workout types…….stay tuned, more information to come!

In the meantime, share with us what kind of workout experiences you have had so far and what workout you would like to try – we are always interested in hearing from you.

Stay healthy,

Anna

Photo by © blas / Fotolia.com