Who would have thought that Madagascar out of all the movies would be offering us words of wisdom, however, the importance of “moving it” has got to be emphasized!

With heart diseases contributing to 22.5% of the total deaths in Sri Lanka and with the female obesity rate nearing 50% it’s time we Sri Lankans start taking our health seriously.  We now have more healthy dining options (Calorie Counter, Life Food, Paan Paan, Eat Right) and gyms than ever before, in addition to this there are services such as fitmeals.lk and superfood.lk who deliver all of your meals (healthy ones) right to your doorstep. Despite all of this we find it difficult to be physically fit and the underlying reason may be that we incorporate little to no exercise in our daily lives. We’re buried neck deep studying for finals or preparing presentations for work and sometimes even both, hence there’s very little time left to take care of our bodies. 

But as the saying goes “Where there’s a will, there’s a way”; it’s all about prioritizing what’s important, planning out your schedule and then sticking to it no matter what. This doesn’t imply that you need to go on a strict diet or squat a few hundred times (still not sure how Kim K does it on a daily basis), instead start by “moving it” or to be more precise by engaging in some form of aerobic exercise for a few minutes each day.

What is Aerobic Exercise?

Aerobic means to require or to make use of oxygen, hence aerobic exercise is any type of physical exercise that utilizes the oxygen in your body and increases your heart rate while making you sweat more and breathe harder. Some researchers have gone to the extent of labelling aerobic exercise as a miracle drug with the power to cure all of your health problems. From strengthening your heart to improving your mood to making your immune system stronger and promoting weight loss, the list of benefits is endless! You don’t have to spend hours walking or jogging to gain these benefits, simply going for a short walk, a quick swim or even choosing to take the stairs instead of the elevator can have a significant impact on your mental and physical health. 

Why is it so effective?
The reason why aerobic exercise is so effective is that it makes your heart more efficient and allows it to carry a larger amount of blood with every beat; hence there is more blood available to be transported to the rest of the body. With cardiovascular diseases being one of the main causes of deaths around the world, we can all benefit from a strong and healthy heart. Another widely spread disease nowadays is depression: adrenaline and cortisol are the body’s natural stress hormones and through exercise you can reduce the levels of these hormones in the body and feel much calmer and happier.