20 Reasons To Work Out

August 6, 2006

By Michael Stefano

Special for eFitness

With all we now know about the benefits of exercise, it's hard to believe more Americans don't work out. It's the closest thing yet to the fountain of youth, and truly the ONLY way to change the appearance, shape and strength of your body. In addition, the health benefits associated with an intelligently orchestrated strength, flexibility and cardiovascular training program can add quality years to your life.

Everyone exercises for different reasons. But no matter your motivation, you still get all the benefits. Below is a list of 20 reasons you should work out. If you can find even one benefit on this list, you'll have enough reason to begin an exercise program .

Regular exercise can...

1. Help you lose weight, especially fat
2. Improve your physical appearance
3. Increase your level of muscular strength and endurance
4. Maintain your resting metabolic rate to prevent weight gain
5. Increase your stamina and ability to do continuous work
6. Improve fitness levels, or your body's ability to use oxygen
7. Provide protection against injury
8. Improve your balance and coordination
9. Increase bone mineral density to prevent osteoporosis
10. Lower resting heart rate and blood pressure
11. Lower Body Mass Index (BMI), your fat to height ratio
12. Reduce triglycerides, bad cholesterol (LDL), raises good cholesterol (HDL)
13. Enhance sexual desire and performance
14. Reduce heart disease risk and stroke
15. Reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer
16. Increase insulin sensitivity, prevents Type 2 diabetes
17. Reduce your level of anxiety and help you manage stress
18. Improve function of the immune system
19. Improve your self-esteem and restore confidence
20. Help you sleep better, relax, and improve mood

A simple exercise, like the bench press, is a great example of a movement that, when done properly, delivers big results in less time.

Benefits: Tones the chest, shoulders and triceps while building strength and endurance in the upper body.

Instructions: Lie supine (flat on your back) on your bench holding dumbbells at your shoulders (elbows bent at about 90 degrees), feet planted firmly on the floor. Exhale and slowly press both dumbbells straight up and towards the ceiling. Inhale and in a slow and controlled manner, lower weights to the starting position. Use dumbbells that will allow you to hit muscle fatigue in the range of 10 to 20 repetitions.

Trainer's Notes: This bench press, a very simple but effective movement, has long been considered the No. 1 exercise for the upper body. It can be performed with dumbbells, with a barbell, on a Smith Machine or other chest-press machine at the health club.

Michael Stefano is author of The Firefighter's Workout , which features more than 50 exercise illustrations. To learn more about Mike Stefano and his fat-burning, body-sculpting programs.