Today I’m going to talk about the benefits of exercise and why you should do it even when you don’t feel like it. Especially when you have a chronic condition.
Benefits
- It helps you control your weight
- Reduces your risk of heart disease and some cancers
- Improves mental health and mood
- Improves sleep
- Helps stabilize blood sugar levels
- Increases energy
- Reduces inflammation
- Produces endorphins, which are natural pain killers
Tips
- Start low and slow: this means to start with low effort and increase intensity slowly
- Have a backup plan: you won’t always feel well, and it helps to have an exercise plan for when you aren’t feeling on top of your game
- Have an exercise partner: when you have an exercise buddy they can motivate you when you’re not motivated
- Increase physical activity: physical activity includes things like gardening, cleaning, or even grocery shopping
Conclusion
With autoimmune conditions specifically, overexercising can INCREASE inflammation. So it’s imperative to pay careful attention to signals from your body. This is a balancing act that is well worth the effort.
