Exercise has great fitness and health benefits. Frequent exercise sessions have been shown to lower your risk of disease and improve you quality of life. These frequent activities become easier to perform because you tend to get stronger and develop endurance. Your body weight is positively affected as well as your body fat percentage. However, studies have shown that your mental health is also impacted by regular exercise. People that exercise often have higher levels of selt-esteem and a better body image than their less active counterparts, according to the Online Journal of Sports Psychology.

Self-esteem refers to how well you approve and like yourself. Positive feelings of well being are often associated with a much more positive outlook and less anxiety or depression. Your body’s image can be directly related to self-esteem in that it can be positive or negative. This refers to how you interpret your own body’s view and the feelings that arise from it. Appearance and body weight are important to your self-esteem and body image. If you feel uncomfortable with how you look you way very well have a low self-esteem. Exercise can change how your body looks and the way you fell about it. Cardio exercises tend to burn calories and lower your body fat as well as total body weight just like weight training exercises can increase muscle mass as well as tone.

If you are new to the exercise scene I advise you to start slowly but maintain diligence as this is key into reaching a positive outlook on your appearance and self-esteem.

– A.P.