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Guest Post: The Benefits of Exercise

By Courtney 35 Comments

You guys are in for a real treat with today’s guest post, which comes from the hilarious Janae from Hungry Runner Girl. When I say hilarious, I am not saying that lightly. It takes a lot to get me physically laugh out loud when I’m reading something, and Janae is able to do this almost everyday that I stop by her blog.

Janae is just an all around amazing person, who has also made some phenomenal accomplishments as a runner. Just coming off of a femur injury, Janae is starting to work her way back into her love of running, but has continued to exercise her face off like a rock star the whole time. Today, she shares with you some of her reasons for loving exercise. Enjoy!

********

When Courtney asked me to guest post on her blog I felt star struck.  I am coming clean and telling her that I have stalked her and loved her to death since the beginning of her blog.  I am the head of her fan club.

I can’t wait to talk about something that I LOVE so much.  Exercise.

I didn’t always love exercise.  I thought of it as a chore.  I only saw the ‘benefit’ of it being that it burned calories which meant that I was one step closer to wearing my skinny jeans.  I got burnt out, bored and dreaded every. single. workout.

Magazines, tv, radio commercials, and everyone around us constantly talk about the benefit of exercise being to lose weight, we forget about all of the other AMAZING things that come with exercise.

Once I started racing competitively in running, I realized there were so many other benefits to exercise and I no longer dreaded my runs or gym time when I stopped focusing on burning calories or trying to look like the girls on the cover of fitness magazines.

Benefits from exercise that are my favoritest in the whole wide world Smile

1.  You are happy.  “Exercise gives you endorphins-endorphins make people happy and happy people don’t shoot their husbands….they just don’t.”  -Elle Woods, Legally Blonde (clearly a very reliable source).

We all go through rough spots in life and sometimes we wake up grumpy or depressed.  As soon as I get my heart pumping and sweat dripping off my forehead all of the sudden I see the world in a better light.  I instantly feel happier, probably a little too happy.

Photo#1

2.  Our physical health.  We are less likely to get sick, we sleep better at night, we lower our risks of cancers/heart disease/stroke/ diabetes (aka the leading causes of death in our country).  Plus, we will LIVE LONGER.  I am really loving life so you better believe I want to be running around eating cupcakes (preferably Courtney’s) until I am 111.

Photo#2

3.  Confidence.  Feel crappy about yourself sometimes?  I guarantee a good sweat will make you feel like you are thebomb.com.  The other day my niece told me that my face looked weird because their were big red dots everywhere.  It made me feel lamesauce.  I went to the gym and instantly felt better about myself.  Who cares if I had adult-onset acne that weak when I got a killer burn at the workout that day.

Photo#3

4.  The best stress relief in the world.   Whenever I feel like life is chaotic and out of control, if I just take 20 minutes to go on a walk with my hubby or do a quick Jillian workout DVD I feel so much more refreshed, energized and ready to tackle whatever projects I have ahead of me.

Photo#4

5.  Social reasons.  I have met some of my best friends along with my sis-in-law (met her at the gym, became bff’s and set her up with my bro) through running or the gym. It is amazing the community and support that you can find at your local running group or the people that you meet when you get ready for work at the gym or in the classes or the person on the elliptical next to you.  You find that you have so much in common, you are slightly addicted to endorphins and you support each other in your goals for fitness.

Photo#5

Bonus…..You get to eat more ice cream.

Photo#6

Question from Janae:

What are your FAVORITE benefits of exercise?

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Related

June 14, 2011 Filed Under: Guest Posts, Workouts Tagged With: benefits of exercise, guest post, Hungry Runner Girl

About Courtney

I'm a working mom of two beautiful little boys, Lucas and Alex, and I began writing Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life in April 2010. I enjoy chronicling my love of food (healthy and indulgent!), baking, motherhood, fitness, fashion, and everything in between!

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Comments

  1. Miranda says

    June 14, 2011 at 9:09 am

    More cupcakes and ice cream are my BIGGEST motivators. I love it!
    Reply
  2. faith @ lovelyascharged says

    June 14, 2011 at 9:09 am

    I love the rock-star feeling I get after a great workout...and the carboloading isn't half bad I!
    Reply
  3. Lauren says

    June 14, 2011 at 9:10 am

    I would be lying if I said my favorite benefit wasn't burning calories (so I can eat more chocolate - of course).
    Reply
    • janae @hungryrunnergirl.com says

      June 14, 2011 at 2:12 pm

      More chocolate is the best thing in the world!
      Reply
  4. Sarah says

    June 14, 2011 at 9:10 am

    Hahaha love this!!! I think my favorite thing about exercise is that it is one of the few times I am truly alone with my thoughts anymore. I've had some seriously awesome ideas while working out
    Reply
  5. Rachel @ The Perseverance Diaries says

    June 14, 2011 at 9:44 am

    Thanks for the list of benefits!! Exercise makes me feel even more energized. Sometimes I dread going for a run/to the gym but once I get in my groove and have some good music playing on the i-pod, I am energized and happier than I was before!
    Reply
  6. Carissa says

    June 14, 2011 at 9:45 am

    Love this guest post! When you love exercise it's not about weight loss, but feeling good! Then the health falls into place.
    Reply
  7. tina @ vanillandspice says

    June 14, 2011 at 9:50 am

    It's true, if I do a good workout, I don't mind eating ice cream or cookies, because I know I'll work it off the next day. I loved this guest post, it reminded me to stop taking exercise so seriously, and remember why I do it in the first place.
    Reply
  8. chloe @ 321delish says

    June 14, 2011 at 9:54 am

    I can totally get on board with the ice cream reason!
    Reply
  9. Liv @ The Salty n' Sweet says

    June 14, 2011 at 9:55 am

    Thanks for this post Janae! You are awesome :) And that Elle Woods quote is seriously one of my favorite. I love that exercise makes me stronger and more energetic. And bragging rights too. I love the look on people's face when I say I ran 7 miles!
    Reply
  10. Holly says

    June 14, 2011 at 10:08 am

    I love Janae- she ROCKS :D I love how I feel about myself when I'm done exercising..feeling of an accomplishment, especially if I know I pushed myself really hard.
    Reply
  11. Jordan P @ food, sweat, and beers says

    June 14, 2011 at 10:11 am

    Biggest benefits for me: -not killing people -allowing my competitive nature to come out in a healthy way -KICKING EVERYONE'S ASSES IN CLASSES! (whoah. sorry. that usually doesn't happen.) -guilt free appetizer samplers, yummmmm
    Reply
  12. Lindsay says

    June 14, 2011 at 10:19 am

    LOVED this post! I majored in exercise science in undergrad and so much of it was about how exercise benefits the person :) I love how much better I feel when I'm done with a workout- I feel happy and accomplished, and of course I love that tired but energized feeling
    Reply
  13. Gina @ Running to the Kitchen says

    June 14, 2011 at 10:28 am

    You guys kinda look alike :) Eating more is definitely one of my favs!
    Reply
    • janae @hungryrunnergirl.com says

      June 14, 2011 at 2:13 pm

      That made my day:) Thanks gorgeous girl! Eating more is probably the best!
      Reply
  14. Krissie J says

    June 14, 2011 at 10:31 am

    My favorite benefit of working out is definitely the "I am a bad ASS" mood I am in for the rest of the day/evening. Loved your pics! This was a great guest post! :)
    Reply
  15. Tichina says

    June 14, 2011 at 10:31 am

    Courtney, you were right I did laugh out loud :). These are all things that I also benefit from, I'll admit sometimes I get blinded by the numbers, both on the scale and on the tredmill but those are the times I don't usually enjoy my workouts, as you said. When I run just because I feel like it, time flies. When I realize I just climbed a flight of stairs and the person behind me is panting, I know I'm in good physical shape. And finally when I eat way to many spoonfulls of pb and I feel really crappy about myself I know that I'm one workout away from feeling confident and happy again so I'm able to shake off the guilt!
    Reply
  16. Char says

    June 14, 2011 at 10:43 am

    First of all, I'd just like to point out how pretty both the blogger and guest blogger are...can I please be a part of this club?! haha And second, Janae, my fave benefits of exercise are challenging myself, especially when I don't feel like working out - just to go and do something is a good way to challenge that! Also, it just makes me feel good - isn't that all we want?!
    Reply
    • Courtney says

      June 14, 2011 at 11:33 am

      Absolutely, Char! Btw....thank you! You are too sweet :-D
      Reply
    • janae @hungryrunnergirl.com says

      June 14, 2011 at 2:14 pm

      Girl, you made my day! You are so right...there is nothing like challenging ourselves and reaching our goals!!
      Reply
  17. fsugirl! says

    June 14, 2011 at 11:21 am

    I love the feeling, like I just kicked some MAJOR BOOTAY! :D Also I love Janae, she is the bomb.com! Two of my favorite bloggers on one blog = the bestest day ever. :D
    Reply
    • Courtney says

      June 14, 2011 at 11:33 am

      WOOT WOOT!! :)
      Reply
  18. Khushboo says

    June 14, 2011 at 11:52 am

    Love this post! Exercise is so much more enjoyable when u view in terms of the feel-good factor as opposed to X cals burned! Oh and hell yes to more ice cream :)
    Reply
  19. Andrea (Run. Learn. Repeat.) says

    June 14, 2011 at 11:53 am

    You pretty much summed up all my favorite benefits of exercising! Being a stay-at-home-mom, exercise has been the major factor in helping me with patience, energy, feeling productive, and enjoying my two-year-old!
    Reply
  20. Cait @ UrbanFencepost says

    June 14, 2011 at 12:05 pm

    I love the way I feel after a great workout, both physically and mentally! Nothing can bring me out of a funk faster than exercise endorphins!
    Reply
  21. Mac says

    June 14, 2011 at 12:09 pm

    I agree Janae is the greatest lol! Exercise = stress reliever + money saver on health bills
    Reply
  22. Colleen says

    June 14, 2011 at 12:28 pm

    I started exercising for the health benefits and stayed for the endorphins and social reasons :)
    Reply
  23. Liz @ IHeartVegetables says

    June 14, 2011 at 12:35 pm

    I love the feeling I get after exercising like I can majorly kick some butt, at work, at the gym, at LIFE. I basically feel invincible. Mwahaha.
    Reply
  24. Niki (Life's a Payne) says

    June 14, 2011 at 12:36 pm

    Great post! Can't wait to check out your blog after this! My favorite part of exercise is that post-exercise high! Give me a hit of adrenaline and I can conquer the world!
    Reply
  25. Jamie aka "Sometimes Healthy" Girl says

    June 14, 2011 at 1:17 pm

    Yay Janae! So good to see you on Sweet Tooth. I am a member of the Hungry Runner Girl AND Sweet Tooth fan club. Love ya both! My favorite part of exercise is one of things that you listed: It gives me confidence. I used to be a skinny shrimp in high school and then I got all buff and decided I was cool (haha) ;-)
    Reply
  26. Keely (Sky Blue) says

    June 14, 2011 at 1:46 pm

    Love this post--so fun!! Thanks Janae:) My favorite part of exercise is really how it makes me feel. It keeps me motivated, makes me feel alive, gives me a sense of accomplishment and a challenge, makes me feel good. If I just need an escape, a run is the perfect way to have some quiet time and get my thoughts in order. I think I've solved some of the stickiest problems in my life on the trails where I run, just praying and thinking. Because I'm doing something I love, no problem seems as bad any more.
    Reply
  27. Lee @ in the pink of condition says

    June 14, 2011 at 1:51 pm

    Love it!! By the way, the 2 of you look very much alike!
    Reply
  28. chelsey @ clean eating chelsey says

    June 14, 2011 at 8:29 pm

    <3 JANAE! She's seroiusly one of my favorites. I love working up a sweat and being active. If I'm not, I feel like a bump on a log!
    Reply
  29. Jessica K. says

    June 15, 2011 at 8:53 pm

    Hey - I found this post totally motivating, I might go hop on the treadmill right now! Plus I just drank a regular caff coffee so I may need to burn some energy of or I'll NEVER fall asleep tonight! Janae - Count me in as one of your new blog followers!
    Reply
  30. Tim Frechette says

    October 30, 2018 at 10:33 pm

    Thanks for this post! Personally I love to keep fit by playing soccer, but I love that you shared here all the benefits so that hopefully it could inspire others to do the same! More power to you and your blog!
    Reply

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Sweet Tooth Sweet Life
Court Profile CircleI'm Courtney, a 30-something wife and working mom living in upstate NY. I'm a food lover, fitness enthusiast, baker extraordinaire and lover of all things sweet.
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