My Boot Camp Diary – Day 39

Come on, get happy

Another new camper joined us today. And every time someone new works out with us, we get to try exercises we’ve never done or some we haven’t done for a while. We also said goodbye to a summer camper who had to leave because of school starting back up. We hope to see her again in the future. And I hope she checks in here at the blog for workout and recipe ideas. (It’s harder to work out on your own, but we’re here if you need us!)

We did a lot of core work today — planks, planks with a knee to chest, medicine ball crunches, disk crunches — because it is so important to have a strong core. Yeah, that flat tummy looks great in a bikini or even jeans and a sweater. But a strong core is more than just a six-pack. Those muscles help us get around and do everyday movements. They help keep our backs from hurting when we’re carrying groceries or kids — or the weight of the world, sometimes. Being strong physically can help us feel stronger emotionally.

It’s proven that exercise improves your mood and can even help ease the symptoms of mild to moderate depression. When you exercise, your brain releases endorphins, adrenaline, serotonin and dopamine. Which all work together to make you feel good.

Plus, studies have shown that exercise can also increase your — shhhh, don’t tell the kids — sex life:

A big part of sex is feeling sexy. People who exercise have an improved body image over people who do not exercise. Being more comfortable with your body leads to better and more relaxed sex. A study showed that more physically fit men and women rated their own sexual desirability higher than less active men and women the same age. Eighty percent of men and 60 percent of females who exercised two to three times weekly rated their own sexual desirability as above average. As the number of days of exercise per week increased, so did the ratings of sexual desirability.

And, for those of you out there who love to check things off your to-do list, exercise will give you a sense of accomplishment. If you do nothing else all day, you worked hard at Boot Camp. Now, doesn’t that make you feel good?

Posted by Pam

Mad? Moody? Get to boot camp

Sometimes it’s hard to get out of bed to go to class, or to head to boot camp after work instead of collapsing on the couch — and it’s not just physical tiredness that lures us away from exercise. How often has a simple bad mood held you back?

Such was the black cloud I felt on Friday, when a combination of stressful life situations and hormones was making me cranky and cross. But guess what? 45 minutes of strenuous exercise later, the cloud had lifted and I felt genuinely better, a feeling that lasted me the whole rest of the day. At some unknown point in the middle of the workout, the mood went away and what would have been a long, cranky day suddenly became more manageable.

And no, it’s not just me…

Research confirms that aerobic activity reduces PMS symptoms, including a study by researchers at George Washington University who investigated the effects of a 14-week aerobic training program on the psychological symptoms of PMS. The conclusion: women with PMS who did aerobic exercise for 45 minutes, three times a week, showed decreased premenstrual depression and anxiety when compared with a sedentary control group. (Link)

Yet another reason why exercise is never just about losing weight — although that’s a great benefit, obviously. It’s about being your best self and living the best possible life. Life’s too short to not try to make it the best possible, right?

Posted by Kate