One week down....

I have officially survived week one of the new & improved exercise plan! Woo Hoo! Five days in the gym this week and my rear and thighs can attest to the fact that I worked hard. (or worked things that hadn't been worked in a while) Why is it that something that is supposed to be so good for us, is so hard and painful?
A lot of people exercise for different reasons: health (blood pressure, cholesterol, etc) vanity (trying to look & feel younger), because it's the "in" thing to do(social time at the gym)....

Well, I can honestly say I exercise for 2 reasons. The first is for my mental health. Exercising consistently has kept me sane and off anti-depressants. It is true what they say about all the good endorphins that come from exercising. I had to look it up to make sure it was right before I posted here--gotta give good info you know. Here's what I found:
Two primary chemicals involved in making exercise feel good are cortisol and endorphins.
Cortisol is a hormone produced by the body under stress such as anger, anxiety or fear and it ultimately inflames and damages our organs. Exercise burns cortisol, and thereby makes us healthier and happier.
Endorphins are morphine-like hormone molecules that enter the brain's neurons and park on receptors that normally send pain-signaling molecules back to other parts of the brain. Some say endorphins are even more powerful and yield a more euphoric feeling than opiate drugs such as morphine and opium, which park on the same receptors when introduced to the body.

So maybe it's the cortisol thing helping me more than the endorphins.....cause I definitely had all the stressers mentioned up there. Ok, enough of this science lesson. I exercise because it makes me feel good. Now the 2nd reason I exercise......it's all about the way my booty looks in the blue jeans. You all know it's true--we all want to look good in our blue jeans. So I guess I could officially fit in the vanity category for exercising--but I don't really look at it that way. :-)
If you've ever had your husband tell you "your butt looks good in those jeans", you know what I'm talking about. Enough said!

Have a great weekend. Oh, and about 3-4 people have said they have tried to post a comment. The easiest thing to do is click on comments, write your comment-signing you name if you want, then choose "anonymous" and it should work. Let me know if it doesn't and we'll go back to the drawing board.

Love,
Tricia