July 28th 2026
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WellBeing Magazine
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Fitness is so universally recognised as a desirable trait that the word “fi t” has become a slang term meaning “attractive”. And yet … according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 66 per cent of adults over age 18 are either overweight or obese. The Australian Bureau of Statistics figures from 2023 regarding physical activity indicate 77 per cent of adults aged 18-64 do not get the recommended 150-300 minutes per week of moderate-level exercise. In other words, we want to be fi t, but we aren’t fi t. The reason for that has to come down to two things: motivation and the right exercise. If you don’t know exactly why fitness is good for you, your willingness to find the time and make the eff ort will be reduced. Additionally, not every exercise suits every body or every mind. So the keys to fitness are finding your motivation and finding the exercise that is a fi t for you.
Finding your “why”
There are many reasons to build your fitness with regular exercise. With regular exercising your body adapts by becoming stronger, functioning more efficiently and developing greater endurance. At a basic level, exercise enhances transport of nutrients and oxygen into cells as well as improving waste removal.
Exercise is also an efficient way to burn fat. Muscle is built by exercise, and muscle tissue is the primary user of kilojoules in your body. To achieve your optimal body weight, you must exercise. Building muscle mass in turn keeps your body stable and holds obesity at bay.
Improvements in blood flow from exercise also reduce the incidence of many ailments that are associated with ageing, from varicose veins to cold hands and feet. Lung function benefits from exercise and the maximisation of oxygen-carrying capacity that exercise brings to your blood means that all organs and tissues benefit. Beyond these more obvious and basic benefits of getting yourself fi t, there are others that may be less apparent but are perhaps even more profound.
Winding back the clock
A six-month program of moderate exercise (including walking, jogging, or using a stationary bike for one hour, four to five times per week) can turn back the clock 30 years. This amount of exercise will increase aerobic power by 15 per cent, back to levels similar to 20-year-olds. Studies also tell us that people who engage in high levels of physical activity live more than three years longer than inactive people.
Brain benefits
Many studies suggest significant and sometimes substantial links between physical activity and later cognitive function and dementia. Exercise boosts brainpower by building new brain cells in brain regions linked with memory, such as the dentate gyrus. Research has also shown that exercise can help healthy young people perform better on cognitive tests.
Mood booster
As little as 10 minutes of moderate exercise daily can improve mood and reduce fatigue. Exercise can even be a treatment for depression. The mood-lifting effects of exercise come back to the capacity of exercise to boost levels of endorphins in the brain. One such substance, phenylethylamine, has been shown to rise by as much as 572 per cent after exercise.
Less aches and pains
You might think that a person who exercises will have more aches and pains than a sedentary person, but you would be wrong. Active adults’ pain-rating scores are consistently 25 per cent lower than their peers’. This might be due in part to the effects of endorphins released by the brain during prolonged exercise.
Soul fitness
Some forms of exercise like yoga or martial arts deliberately incorporate meditation and other spiritual practices into their workout. Yet other forms of exercise also feed your soul in less overt ways. The rhythmic focus of swimming is a meditation in itself. Communing with nature as you cycle, run or walk also replenishes your inner self. Then there is the pleasure of sharing exercise with a group of friends or the inner warmth that comes from knowing you are supporting your physical and mental self. If all of that does not motivate you to get your body moving and embrace fitness, then nothing will. All that remains is to find the form of exercise that suits you.
Walk On
Walking makes your fitness goals simple and achievable. There are minimal expenses involved and it can be done anywhere, anytime. Walking can be as varied as you like; choose a different route each day, adjust your pace according to your needs, make it a more meditative experience, or start a walking group with some friends as a way to exercise together. Walking can be beneficial in reducing the incidence of a range of health problems including heart disease, hypertension, stroke, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and even some types of cancer. Once you have taken the step of getting your body moving with walking, a range of other exercise options may also open up for you.
Run for your life
Running burns kilojoules, boosts mood, relieves stress, and is a great cardiovascular workout. If you are not already a runner, then start slowly with a routine of 60 seconds walking, then 30 seconds running, and repeat that 10 times. Then you can gradually start to increase your running time. Over several sessions, you might build up to two- or three-minutes running with one minute walking, then five minutes running with 30 seconds walking, and so on. If you get really serious about running, you might want to become a long distance runner and this can be a kind of meditation. The focus on breath and rhythmic movement in a long run is undeniably meditative, and studies have shown that distance running and meditation both lift mood through the same chemical mechanisms in your body.
In the swim
The health benefits of swimming are myriad. People who swim at least once a week are less likely to succumb to heart disease and heart attacks than those who do little high-intensity exercise. Swimming may also protect the brain from “silent strokes”, small brain lesions that can lead to mental decline and increase the chances of a future stroke. Perhaps more than, or at least as much as any other exercise, swimming can help you breathe easier. Swimming is one of the best forms of exercise for people with asthma, especially children. It’s less likely to cause asthma symptoms because swimmers breathe in air near the surface of the water that is warmer and more humid than normal air. Swimming training can increase the volume of the lungs as well as helping to develop good breathing techniques.
Dance, Dance, Dance
Research shows that dance improves cardiovascular health and increases muscle strength and endurance. Dance also boosts self-esteem, promotes weight loss, reduces the risk of osteoporosis, and enhances some aspects of memory. Whether it be jazz, ballroom, Zumba, hip-hip fitness, pole dancing or Barre, all dance styles have something positive to off er your fitness routine.
On your bike
Cycling promotes aerobic fitness, muscle strength, endurance, and it can be a social event as well. Three 30-minute rides per week can see you reap the rewards. If you are a beginner, start riding short distances of five to 10 kilometres three times per week and work up to longer rides. This will also help reduce bottom soreness. As your fitness improves, increase the kilometres. Remember, tired muscles are fi ne, although sore joints probably means the bike is not set up correctly.
Resistance is not futile
Strength training is not just for bodybuilders. Average female and male exercisers are realising its importance for healthy bones, muscles and ageing. Strength training always uses resistance of some form and so can also be called resistance training. The resistance may be a weight that you are trying to lift, or it might be your own body weight as in a push-up or squat. Weight training increases strength and it helps with weight loss by stimulating your metabolism and boosting lean muscle mass. In addition to that, it will build bone density.
Pilates People
What makes Pilates different to most other exercise forms is that it promises anatomically correct exercise. It seeks to develop controlled and safe movement from your core, the area between your bottom ribs and the top of your pubic bone. It includes the abdominals, the pelvic floor, the muscles around the hip joint, and the muscles of the lower back. Pilates movements can be difficult if you have back or knee problems, so a class situation with a qualified instructor is really the best forum in which to begin. When practised correctly, Pilates will improve your flexibility, strength, muscle tone, body shape, circulation, energy levels and concentration.
Make it martial
There is far more to martial arts than combat and self-defence. In learning martial arts, you’ll improve your cardio fitness, core strength and flexibility. Martial arts also embody spiritual development. Within the essence of martial arts training are core values such as courage, tolerance, and respect for all living things. Through martial arts you will also develop perseverance, discipline, loyalty and serenity, qualities that can benefit you in your daily life. Martial arts will enhance your understanding of the natural world you live in and help you to develop deeper more meaningful relationships with others. If the competitive aspect of martial arts is not for you, that does not mean you cannot engage in the discipline of learning the art itself. Tai Chi is an excellent example of this; no combat takes place but the controlled “forms” are a kind of moving meditation that promote physical, mental and spiritual health.
The yoga way
Yoga is a very personal practice and is suitable for almost anyone regardless of age, gender, weight or fitness level. It offers a unique range of benefits which make it a valuable addition to any fitness routine. Those unfamiliar with it may consider yoga to be a series of stretches that tone, strengthen and improve flexibility. That is a part of yoga, but the yoga postures or asanas make up just one aspect of yoga practice. On a physical level, yoga asanas are classified as isometric, meaning muscle length is constant and poses are static (the asana itself is steady although movement is required to transition in and out of it). This is beneficial for building muscular endurance and toning the body, including the internal organs. Yogic asanas, when combined with breath control and meditation, help still the mind and remove blockages to bring your physical body back into alignment.
Connecting the dots
As a final thought, whichever fitness pathway resonates with you, see your fitness routine as an act of connection. It is an act of connecting with your body and giving it what it needs to be strong and healthy. It also offers you the chance for real connection with other people as you share the highs and challenges of physical activity.
This article is featured in WellBeing Magazine 223
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