Fit For Life: Looking for That Perfect Gift?

Sunday, December 18, 2016

Matt Espeut, GoLocalWorcester Health +Lifestyle Contributor

Almost to the end of 2016, so that’s over 50 articles I’ve authored about fitness, health, nutrition, exercise, and mindset. Ideas and topics sometimes flow – sometimes they become harder to come up with. My very first articles were finished a week early, but now I find myself finishing late on a Thursday night while lying in bed wound up from my day. And, this week was no different. However, after discussing with my friend how good it feels when you get more than three workouts in in a week’s time, or after talking with another hard core fitness fanatic that told me that he was bummed out that work was busy and he missed the gym last week, the wheels started turning.

I reassured him that you couldn't tell he missed a beat, but then he replied "but I notice and feel it”. I shared his feeling right away, because I knew what he was talking about. Because when I opened my gym, I hit a patch where I was missing workouts too. And I started to think about a client I haven't seen since Thanksgiving who came in today and said, after our session, how much better he felt after our session. At that moment, I knew what I wanted to say to y’all today. It hit me like a ton of bricks.

I found the number one most important reason to exercise.

Not for health, not for aesthetics, not for performance, and not for longevity, but because it makes you feel good. Both physically and mentally you just feel good after properly performed exercise. Physically, it gets your blood pumping, lubricates your joints, and stimulates endorphins. “Endorphins ("endogenous morphine") are endogenous opioid peptides that function as neurotransmitters. They are produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus in vertebrates during exercise, excitement, pain, spicy food consumption, love, and sexual activity, and they resemble the opiates in their abilities to produce analgesia and a feeling of well-being.” – I copied that definition from a medical journal. But the bottom line? Endorphins elevate your mood, and give you more energy.

And let's not forget the "pump" you get after a bout with the weights, or the clean feeling of fresh air in your lungs after a nice metabolic workout. And one of the best physical benefits is that your posture improves as your core gets stronger, which makes you stand taller, alleviating many aches and pains.

Mentally, it takes away the stresses of the day. If you have been sitting in one place all day, your mind needs to unwind, and working out can put you in another place. When you are working out your main focus is on breathing and lifting with proper form – it’s not on the laptop you left in the car.

Physical Health. Mental Health.

I had an extensive talk with a client who had a lot of negative things happen recently in her life. She had been through a lot of mental stress, and she told me the thing that kept her from going over the edge was my gym, and being part of the community here. She maintained her sculpted physique, while handling a boatload of outside stress. I always thought she was an impressive woman, but after hearing that she went through a rough patch, and still maintained her health and fitness routine, I commend her even more. Fitness not only kept her physically fit, but mentally fit as well.

It also builds your self-esteem, thinking that you are looking better makes you feel sexier, and helps build confidence. You will be more likely to splurge on nicer clothes and you will feel like a million bucks wearing them. I see it all the time, people start working out with loose baggy sweats and t-shirts, and after a few months of working out at Providence Fit Body Boot Camp, they are investing in Lu Lu Lemon and putting their hard work on display. I love watching people build their self-confidence after shedding some body fat, and developing some muscle.

So put aside the sculpted arms and washboard abs. Those are the physical benefits. The most important part of fitness is that it gets your mind right, and makes you feel better overall. So come on down, and get your sweat on. I guarantee you will feel better both physically and mentally. It’s the perfect gift you can give – to yourself.

Matt Espeut, GoLocal's Health & Lifestyle Contributor has been a personal trainer and health & fitnesss consultant for over 25 years. He is the owner of Fitness Profiles, a one on one, and small group personal training company, as well as Providence Fit Body Boot Camp, located at 1284 North Main St., on the Providence/Pawtucket line. You can reach Matt at (401) 453-3200; on Facebook at "Matt Espeut", and on Twitter at @MattEspeut. "We’re all in this life together – let’s make it a healthy one!

Related Slideshow: The 7 Best Health and Fitness Apps

Here is a list of some of the most obsession worthy health apps.

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MapMyRun

MapMyRun is the number one selling running app for a reason: it is easy to use, offers community support if you want it, and tracks and stores your exact routes for you. If you are training for a race or a serious runner, users say that the extra perks in the upgraded paid version are well worth it.

Made for iPhone, Android and Blackberry

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MyFitnessPal

MyFitnessPal seems to be the clear favorite amongst everyone polled. It is helpful not only for the fitness tracking aspect, but everyone polled mentioned how much they loved the food/diet aspect as well. From carb counting for diabetics to recipe ideas to complement your fitness goals, users love this app.

Made for iPhone and Android

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JeFit

JeFit is another fitness app that has rave reviews. It not only tracks progress for you, but offers a huge database of workouts. While many apps offer community support, JeFit allows you to sync workouts with friends who use the app, offering a (real) virtual buddy system.

Made for iPhone and Android

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Strava

Strava gets the highest mark of all the cycling apps. While it is also great for runners, the cyclers seem particularly inclined towards the fierce competition that can be ignited by this app. You can track all of your rides via GPS, then you can compare your efforts to those logged by others in the community on the same stretch of road. You can also join ongoing challenges that can net you great prizes (in addition to bragging rights).

Made for iPhone and Android

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YogaStudio

YogaStudio gets the top vote for Yoga apps. It has a lengthy collection of full class-length videos available at your fingertips. Unlike many other apps, this one also allows you to customize your own video yoga class. All of the poses are done by qualified yoga instructors, and you can find classes suitable for all levels of yogis.

Made for iPhone only

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SimplyBeing

SimplyBeing meditation app offers the best of both worlds. You can choose to run this app as a background for your meditation with soothing music or natural sounds that run for a set amount of time. Conversely, for those of you who have trouble focusing during meditation, you can choose a soothing voice-guided meditation.

Made for iPhone and Android

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Fooducate

Fooducate is an app all about educating people so that they make healthier food choices. Although not perfect, this app is easy to use (you can even take pictures of bar codes to instantly find foods in their database). It gives food a letter grade, tells you the pluses and minuses, and gives you better ranked alternatives. You can also use it as a weight loss tool by tracking your daily calories.

Made for iPhone and Android