Here's Hoping!

As many of you know, I am recovery from having both my feet operated on and therefore off training until most likely mid/end of September. I am dying to get back into it as fitness is not only my passion but my life. The gym is where I met so many of my beautiful friends and spend majority of my spare time, being active and outdoors is how the American and I spend quality time together and it is also my sanity! As much as I am trying to nourish my body correctly whilst being inactive, it is hard to adjust to so few calories and also to stay on track. It's amazing how when you train hard, you are so focused to fuel your body correctly!I've been filling my spare time with lots of little projects including studying for my Personal Training qualifications. I aim to sit my final exam at ECU at the end of October, so the pressure is on to learn as much theory as I can before then. Last night as I was studying exercise physiology, I came across an interesting article that I want to share with you now. I think it struck a chord with me as I am so keen to get back into the gym and have set a 10 weeks challenge for myself (and you if you're keen) when I can finally return.So the article was about training and the body's adaptations to aerobic exercise.The benefits of any type of exercise-training program follow a principle referred to as SAID. The concept of SAID is that the body will adapt to any challenge imposed upon it, as long as the program progressively overloads the system being trained. WAIT FOR IT..... AND when performed appropriately, a program can have significant physiological effects in as little as 8-12 weeks. WOO HOO!Many changes occur within the cardiorespiratory system, which amongst various other things, affects our breathing and allow us to perform everyday activities with less stress and strain.Benefits include: lowered resting heart rate, lowered blood pressure, improved body composition, promotion of bone density and the control of blood glucose and cholesterol, when consistent in aerobic and weight bearing exercise.Although most people partake in physical activity to control their body weight, there are so many other reasons why exercise is so important for our bodies, health and our lives. Exercise burns calories yes but more importantly serves to maintain or increase lean body mass, which is vital for maintaining resting metabolic rate. A decrease in muscle mass is what contributes to the fall in metabolic rate in inactive people, as people age or even when people go on very restrictive diets!No surprises really, the benefits of exercise are endless: socially, emotionally, physically and psychologically. It is PROVEN that people who exercise regularly have lower levels of anxiety and depression and a higher quality of life. What better reason do you need to be active today?