Why you should move more today for a healthier tomorrow

This is a commercial collaboration with GMHBA.

You can't predict the future, but you can make plans to help improve the wellbeing of your future self.

According to GMHBA, an Australian not for profit health insurance company, there is no denying that exercise is an excellent strategy for improving your long term health, delivering a wide range of benefits for both your physical and mental wellbeing.

As American philosopher Henry David Thoreau once wrote, an early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.

A conscious exercise plan that feels good for your body can be a blessing for decades to come.

So, to help get you motivated to move, here are five reasons why getting more active today can help your health tomorrow and for many years to come.

Exercise helps to improve your mood

We're all familiar with the physical benefits of movement, but exercise is also a powerful medicine for many common mental health challenges.

According to the experts, movement increases the blood flow in our brains which in turn alters brain chemistry, which is why it makes us feel better.

This is reportedly why regular exercise can have a profoundly positive impact on depression and anxiety. The best part?

Even a little goes a long way, with research indicating that even modest amounts of physical activity can make a real difference.

Exercise increases your concentration

You may have noticed that exercise makes you feel more alert, that's because it activates biochemical changes in our brains that boost one's ability to learn.

Simply put, physical activity immediately boosts the brain's dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels-all of which can improve focus and attention.

Exercise can help you maintain a healthy weight

Incorporating exercise into your routine will not immediately equate to weight loss, but it definitely helps. If you've recently lost weight, moving more can also help you to maintain your physique.

As an added benefit, exercise can help you to metabolise glucose, a function that lies at the heart of keeping cells healthy.

This in turn can assist with the management and prevention of metabolic diseases such as diabetes.

Exercise helps your quality of sleep

If you have trouble falling or staying asleep, exercise may help to settle your erratic slumber. Experts believe that even short bursts of exercise in the morning or afternoon can help regulate your sleep patterns, helping you to rest easier, particularly if you're middle-aged or older.

Leaving your workout until just before bed may be a little too stimulating for some, however, so be sure to find the time that suits your body's rhythm best.

Exercise is great for enhancing self-esteem

It's a benefit that's less spoken of, but it's still one worth mentioning.

The art of physical activity, whatever the discipline, requires an investment in your mind, body and soul. In time, this investment of energy becomes routine, which in turn helps to foster a sense of stronger self-worth.

Many larger goals sometimes feel as though they can only be achieved well into the future, but moving more is something that we can all achieve in the present moment.

It's these micro milestones that help us to realise the power of the small steps we can take for ourselves every single day.

Need a little more motivation? GMHBA can help. Believing that together we are stronger and healthier, the Australian provider has partnered with AIA Vitality, the globally renowned health and wellbeing program that rewards you for healthy behaviours.

Explore GMHBA health insurance with AIA Vitality today to move your way to greater wellbeing.

To learn more, visit www.gmhba.com.au