We all know we are supposed to keep ourselves fit and active but often we put barriers in our way to stop us from starting on our journey from relative slothdom into a fitter, more energized person.

As winter arrives these barriers often feel bigger, just at the very time when our bodies need extra help in dealing with reduced sunshine hours.

Multiple studies have shown that moderate, regular exercise (that is, an activity that lasts for 30 minutes taken 3 to 5 times per week) is an effective method of treating mild to moderate depression. Some studies have demonstrated that whilst anti-depressant medications are quicker acting as a treatment modality, after 16 weeks exercise was equally effective in reducing depression.
One of the substances our bodies release during exercise is endorphins. These are naturally occurring morphine like chemicals that are three times more potent than the prescribed morphine. That’s right! our body has the best pain relieving drug, free on-tap; all we need to do is exercise to keep accessing it. The second chemical our body releases is serotonin. This is the body’s “happy feeling”. Laughter improves our body’s circulation and brings balance to all components of our immune system, which helps us fight off diseases. Regular exercise improves our immune system. So, this linked benefit will reduce your chances of getting an infection or assist in the body’s fight to heal itself if it is infected.
Poor sleep patterns or insomnia can also be resolved by exercising at a time that is in accordance with your body’s own biorhythms. That is, for some people exercising 4-6 hours before sleeping will allow your body to be ready for a good sleep, as it helps reduce the stress hormones in our body. Others of you will need to exercise much earlier for it to have a positive impact on the quality (more important than the length of time) of sleep. If insomnia is an issue for you and you are unsure of your normal biorhythms, try exercising at different times of the day. You will need to keep to this timed pattern for at least 7 days to be able to decide which time zone works best for you. It is important during this period to expect to sleep well, whatever time you exercise. If you mentally (subconsciously) convince yourself that if you exercise at “X” time of the day you will never get to sleep, this is exactly what will happen to you, as you have subconsciously pre-programmed yourself for this outcome.
Concentrating on the barriers to our starting an exercise routine will only serve to keep us in the same place. From the above sample of benefits of becoming more active we can see that we may stand to financially gain if we did not need to visit our GP or buy over the counter medicines.
The barriers we put up to starting exercise is the perceived difficulty, or financial costs of some sporting activities. It is interesting to note that the Amish Community, which shuns modern industrial objects – such as cars, washing machines and tractors, manage to burn approximately 6,000 calories a day in working the fields using horse and plough and attending to all domestic chores. They do not need to find other ways of being active.
The lesson to be learned is that we do not need to spend a lot of money in becoming more active. Taking the stairs, doing household chores without using electrical, time saving gadgets, parking the car further away from the office and walking are simple but effective ways of becoming more physical.

Lynda Wheeler is a neurophysiotherapist working at Synergistics Wellness Centre.