Working out is hard work. Even when we learn to like (or love) exercise, we all have those days when working out feels like a punishment. We'd rather be in bed than at a 6 a.m. Spinning class. We'd rather be at the movies than on a 5 mile run on Saturday afternoon. And we'd certainly rather be doing anything else except crunches. Thankfully, we usually fight the temptation to skip our workouts. For one woman in Britain, dedicated workouts saved her life! After a paragliding accident in Spain, Peggy Williams was lucky to be alive. Though her liver and pancreas were torn and her body bruised and scraped, doctors said her well-toned abs and overall fitness level prevented more serious injury. According to ABC News: "Dr. Lisa Callahan, medical director of the Women's Sports Medicine Center at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, said the stronger your "musculoskeletal system" is, the more your internal organs will be protected. But in general, healthy people like Williams are better able to recover from serious injuries because their heart rates tend to be lower, which reduces the risk of internal bleeding. They can heal faster too because their bodies are better at processing oxygen." I don't know about you, but I think that's reason enough to squeeze in a workout today! When we embrace a healthy lifestyle, we often focus on the aesthetic advantages of exercise: a slimmer, more toned body, a more defined waist, smaller clothes. However, exercise benefits us in ways we'll never see. While I first started working out to lose a few pounds and firm up, those are secondary motivations now. For me, exercise helps me keep general anxiety in check and relieves stress. Why do you exercise? Do you think more about the internal or external benefits of working out? |
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