Guilty Pleasures....Aerobic Exercise??

I consider this blog to be one of my guilty pleasures. How do I define that? In my mind, it is something I am always thinking about (there is SO much to write about), something I do on the sly (I feel like in my real life there are more pressing matters to deal with), and something I absolutely love doing (it's nice to get some of my MANY thoughts in writing). It's even nicer when people comment, can relate, etc. Thank you for that all who have done so.

One of my other guilty pleasures of late is ZUMBA. I label it as such because I am always wanting to work on a routine and for the above reasons. The good news is I FOUND IT. I found something that I love doing, that is good for me, AND that I can make money at. (i love eating chocolate chips cookies and drinking wine but that won't get me very far.) At this stage of the game, it is a good feeling to having something in my life that inspires (besides my family of course).

THE REALLY GOOD NEWS ABOUT MY ZUMBA (AKA AEROBIC EXERCISE) HABIT: Everyone knows that aerobic exercise significantly improves your cardiovascular health but did you know that it also helps to slow the aging process: (pay attention ZUMBA clients)

* It makes skin look younger because of improved circulation
*Reduces lenght of hot flashes (not there yet, but good to know :)
*Cuts your odds of getting ill (studies suggest that regular exercisers have higher levels of immune cells that can fight off certain cancers. Plus (knock on wood) I haven't been sick all winter!
*Sharpens your mind (jury still out on this one for me..:) helps to maintain the size of the hippocampus where memory resides
*Improves mood and staves off depression (TRUE). That will keep you thinking younger and more optimistic.
*Helps control weight
*Improves digestion (try to have not eaten at least 2-3 hours before you exercise though, or your food in your system will interfere with your workout, if you know what i mean :)
*May raise HDL, good cholesterol and improve other heart disease risk factors
*Keeps the body young: lowers the rate of telomeres (sites at the end of chromosomes on all cells) erode, which means overall body wear and tear happens at a reduced speed.
*Lowers Blood Pressure
*Normalized fasting insulin levels (reducing risk of diabetes).

IS THIS ENOUGH FOR YOU? Are you ready to commit to REGULAR exercise. I exercises on and off for years, but now that i found my exercise GUILTY PLEASURE I will never go back.

AS IF YOU NEEDED A FEW MORE REASONS: My facialist says my pores are very clean thus requiring very few extractions (if you have ever had these, you KNOW they are painful). She and I attribute it to sweating it out (the toxins, pollution) through regular exercise. The aerobic kind makes you sweat the most. IN MY OPINION, EXERCISE IS THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH. MY SKIN HAS NEVER LOOKED BETTER NOR HAVE I FELT BETTER, SO GET MOVING!