I recently met the famous Dr Robert Rey, who was in South Africa to launch his beauty range. For those of you who don't know, Dr Rey is the famous television personality in the Dr 90210 reality show.

Although being a plastic surgeon, Dr Rey is also a 2nd degree black belt in Taekwondo. I met him at my Karate Dojo in Johannesburg and we trained together with my instructor and fellow students. What impressed me was Dr Rey’s emphasis on living a healthy lifestyle. He says that, when he is stressed and under pressure he exercises, he pumps weights and does martial arts.

If Dr Rey can stay fit and healthy and have a really busy lifestyle and full schedule, we all can. So today, I want us to be reminded of the benefits of exercise in leading a healthy lifestyle. Here's what can happen when you make exercise a regular part of your life:

  • You'll start to appreciate your body. It doesn't take much time to see improvements in strength and endurance when you start exercising. As you feel that strength grow, you may get excited about your workouts, wondering how much you'll lift next time or how fast you'll walk or run.
  • Everything gets easier. Carrying groceries, taking care of kids, going up and down stairs — all of these things get easier and you may even get more done with your new found energy.
  • Your confidence grows. The more you work your body, the more your body can do and following through on your exercise goals lets you know you can trust yourself. That self-trust is a key ingredient to a healthy life.
  • You'll try things you never imagined. I've seen my clients go from being couch potatoes to running races, hiking up mountains and enjoying life more. The stronger you get, the more confidence you'll have to branch out.
  • You'll be inspired to change other areas of your life. This is exemplified by one of my clients in his 40s. When I met him, he worked up to 16 hours a day. As he started exercising, he looked at other bad habits that affected his energy and stress levels. He cut his hours, hired more people and started to enjoy his family and his life.
  • Your health improves. Exercise can help with diabetes, heart disease, depression, anxiety and high cholesterol, as well as protect your body from some types of cancer.
  • Your children will have a better chance at being healthy. As with healthy eating, being a good role model when it comes to being active gives your kids the know-how to be active themselves.
  • You'll have more energy. You be more alert, focused and an annoyance to all those people in the office who are dragging towards the end of the day.

These are only a few of the many amazing health benefits of exercise. If you would like more information on how to start an exercise programme email me and I will help you get started.