So you say you want to be in shape?

“Our bodies are our gardens – our wills are our gardeners.” - William Shakespeare

Getting to the gym:

Do you find it hard to get motivated to work out? You’re not alone. Here’s a powerful incentive: Exercise is the single best way to make yourself sharper, happier, healthier, and better looking.

At Peak Zone Fitness, which has been named “Best Gym in Dallas” by Best Business', we are all about wisely using the power of exercise to get great results – tangible results that you will enjoy and others will notice.

Exercise is a magic bullet:

It’s far more effective for enhancing your memory and ability to learn than playing brain games, taking nutritional supplements, or meditating. That’s because exercise increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor, (BDNF), which strengthens synapses in the brain, according to Justin Rhodes, Ph.D, a neuroscientist at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland

Feeling sad and mopey? Exercise releases endorphins, and that improves your mood. For some people, exercise is as effective as antidepressant medications, according to Dr. Michael Craig Miller, assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Working up a sweat even helps prevent people from relapsing into depression. Three exercise sessions of 30- to 45-minutes per week were enough to reduce the risk of relapse, according to SMILE (Standard Medical Intervention versus Long-term Exercise) studies at Duke University.

Exercise boosts your immunity. “The risk both of catching a cold or the flu and of having a particularly severe form of the infection ‘drop if you exercise moderately,’ says Mary P. Miles, PhD, an associate professor of exercise sciences at Montana State University and the author of an editorial about exercise and immunity published in Exercise and Sport Sciences Review. But the risk both of catching an illness and of becoming especially sick when you do ‘jump right back up’ if you exercise intensely or for a prolonged period of time, surpassing the risks among the sedentary,” reports The New York Times.

Exercise enables you to work more effectively. Corporate employees who took an aerobics class, lifted weights, or did yoga during lunchtime were more productive and reported feeling more energetic and less stressed, according to a study by Leeds Metropolitan University in England

Getting to the gym boosts self-image. “The simple act of exercise and not fitness itself can convince you that you look better," according to a study released by the University of Florida.

“This is an important study because it shows that doing virtually any type of exercise, on a regular basis, can help people feel better about their bodies,” comments Kathleen Martin Ginis, a kinesiology professor at McMaster in Ontario, Canada. “With such a large segment of the population dissatisfied with their physiques, it’s encouraging to know that even short, frequent bouts of lower intensity exercise can improve body image.”

When you become stronger, you feel physically and mentally better about yourself, which boosts confidence.

Exercise helps you sleep better, and getting enough sleep, as we all know, is critical to optimal health and performance.

“We have solid evidence that exercise does, in fact, help you fall asleep more quickly and improves sleep quality,” says Charlene Gamaldo, M.D. , medical director of Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep at Howard County General Hospital.

Having trouble sleeping? “Exercise significantly improves the sleep of people with chronic insomnia,” according to the National Sleep Foundation.

Want to make more money? Regular exercise yields a six- to nine-percent pay increase, according to a study by Vasilios D. Kosteas of Cleveland State University.

“In addition to the positive impacts on heart health, weight and a variety of other medical issues, studies in the psychology and biology/medicine literature show that exercise leads to improved mental function (Hillman et al 2008), psychological condition (Folkins and Sime 1981) and higher energy levels (Puetz 2006),” Kosteas writes. “All three of these traits can translate into higher earnings by raising productivity.”

Simply put, regular exercise has fantastically positive impacts on your life.

According to the Mayo Clinic, regular exercise

• Improves your mood

• Combats chronic diseases

• Helps you to manage your weight

• Strengthens your heart and lungs

• Promotes better sleep

• Can put a spark back into your sex life

• Can be - gasp - FUN!

What are you waiting for? GO FOR IT!