Healthy Habit #3 BE A MOVER & SHAKER

How privileged we are... We can buy gadgets and gimmicks to do just about anything for us - washing machines, lawnmowers, blenders, mixers, dryers. We don't even have to step out of the house to be entertained or to stay in touch with friends and family. With Facebook, web albums, mobile phones, home entertainment systems, laptops, Twitter and iPads, these days being social doesn't necessarily mean putting yourself out there. And when we do leave the house, most of us drive or are only minutes away from the nearest tube or bus stop. Even relaxation these days involves a comfortable spot on the sofa and a hand firmly resting on the remote control, rather than a walk in the nearest park.

But something is worryingly wrong with this picture.

Our modern sedentary lifestyles are wreaking havoc with our general health and well-being. Ask anyone who has ever tried to lose weight and keep it off - following a strict diet only gets you so far... the rest depends on how active you are and whether you can incorporate exercise into your everyday life. And weight loss is not the only benefit of regular exercise.

Exercise improves efficiencies in your body

Aerobic exercise like running, walking, swimming or cycling, will improve your stamina by training your body to become more efficient: it will use less energy for the same amount of work and extract more oxygen out of each breath you take.

Exercise will speed up your metabolism

Our bodies use a basic amount of energy (or calories) to function each day (and night). Exercise will raise this resting metabolic rate by reducing body fat and increasing lean muscle mass, which has a higher metabolic rate and therefore uses more calories. Aerobic exercise has the added bonus of speeding up your metabolism for 4 to 8 hours after you stop exercising.

Exercise helps prevent illness and disease

Regular exercise strengthens the heart muscle, lowers blood pressure and "bad" cholesterol (LDLs), and increases blood flow and the level of "good" cholesterol (HDLs), all of which reduces the risk of heart disease. Being active also reduces the risk of cancer, diabetes and other diseases.

Exercise strengthens and tones

Resistance training, including any kind of weight-bearing exercise, develops your muscles, bones and ligaments for increased strength and endurance. Your posture will improve, and your muscles will be more toned.

Exercise enhances flexibility

Improving your flexibility through exercise reduces the chance of injury and improves balance and coordination.

The psychological benefits of exercise

Studies have shown that exercise releases endorphins, which lead to a "natural" high. Endorphins, the chemicals produced in the brain that bind to neuro-receptors, are believed to relieve pain, enhance the immune system, reduce stress and delay the aging process. Even moderate activity can therefore help you unwind, combat depression and improve your sleep.

If all of this is not motivation enough for you to start taking exercise more seriously, remind yourself that using the stairs rather than the elevator, walking home rather than taking the bus and playing hide-and-seek with your children rather than watching TV are all small, easy changes you can make to reach your weekly target level of activity. Even doing tedious household chores will burn calories. So bring on the broom!