If You Can Only Do One Thing For Yourself, Make It...

A recent article in a journal for psychologists urged them not to forget about taking care of themselves while taking care of others. The article cited an array of research to make a point that is as valid for you as it is for them. That point was: if you can do only one thing for yourself, then make it exercise.
We're not talking marathon-training exercise, or bodybuilding routines to turn you into an Arnold Schwarzenegger look-alike. We're talking whatever amount of exercise you can comfortably -- and comfortably is the operative word -- fit into your life. There are many reasons why.
One important reason is that exercise increases physical and mental health. Exercise strengthens the heart and blood vessels, it decreases blood pressure, and it combats diabetes.
The beneficial effect of exercise on susceptibility to diabetes is worth pausing over, because therein lies a major explanation of how exercise does something else that's important -- it decreases appetite. Exercise increases the body's sensitivity to the hormone insulin.
Loss of sensitivity to insulin is a common consequence of being overweight, and it explains why the overweight are often subject to diabetes. The body makes a heroic attempt to override decreased insulin sensitivity by pouring out excess amounts of the hormone. The trouble is, as a very versatile hormone, insulin operates on the brain to stimulate appetite independent of your resolve.
Even small amounts of exercise, on the other hand, retune insulin receptors, restore insulin sensitivity, and reduce the body's need for excess insulin. The upshot is, there's no excess insulin around to shift your appetite into overdrive.

There are other ways that exercise affects appetite, too.
Exercise boosts mood and a sense of well-being. It decreases the need to find comfort in food.
As anyone who exercises will tell you, exercise ramps up your energy level. The more mental energy you have, the easier it is to exert conscious control of your appetite.
Exercises decreases stress. It decreases tensions that might otherwise seek an outlet in eating.
It builds self-confidence and a sense of personal self-mastery, increasing the likelihood that you will make positive changes for yourself.
And physical exercise can be used as a positive substitute for between-meal snacking.
The effects of exercise are not limited to appetite. Exercise has such a healthy effect on mood it reverses depression. Researchers at Duke University found that for every 50 minutes of exercise a week, people with moderate to severe depression experienced a 50 percent reduction in the likelihood of being depressed. And exercise keeps on working, producing continuing reductions in depression symptoms.
Exercise also improves the ability of the body to tolerate stress and to meet changing demands. It appears to act on neurohormones that govern the body's stress response. Oh, and exercise makes you mentally sharper. It boosts your capacity for high-level thinking.
All that's left is the will to do it. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, only 25 percent of Americans are physically active.

So here's the best advice from the motivational experts on how to get into it.
Make it purposeful. It's hard to exercise if it means doing something pointless like running on a treadmill. Link exercise to meaningful activities like walking the dog, bicycling to work, building a stone wall.
Start small. Plan to walk for five minutes. Once you begin to move it will feel so good you're likely to keep extending the time you do it.
Be flexible. Yes, regular exercise is important, but schedule it in a flexible way so that you use whatever time is available to you. If you have only five minutes, do some stretches. If you have 45 minutes at lunch, grab a sandwich and then walk around your building a few times.
Make it fun. Do something you enjoy. When the exercise experience is satisfying, then the issue of motivation disappears.
Exercise with others. You're more likely to enjoy it and stick with it if you team up with someone else.
Start gradually.
Commit to the long haul. Think of exercise as a lifelong enterprise. And the benefits will play out over a lifetime.