To many people, the word “exercise” is offensive. In fact, a significant percentage of people find little reason to exercise at all.

According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 28% of Americans are meeting physical activity guidelines set by the agency.

However, talk to anyone in the minority and they will tell you that regular exercise improves the quality of their lives dramatically. Exercise is a mood booster that helps you think more clearly as well as feel better physically.

In addition to having a significant impact on mental health, exercise has been scientifically proven to increase levels of motivation. Read on to learn the four ways exercise can help motivate you:

Improved Health

The most obvious reason people exercise is to improve their health. Exercise strengthens your body, helps you manage your weight, and enhances your everyday abilities. While every routine is different and every person has unique needs, those who work out generally feel healthier.

Being fitter and healthier is a great motivator. Often, people do not jump out of bed in the morning ready to work towards their goal because they simply do not feel well. Physical problems can have an enormous impact on our mental health so living a healthier, more active life can eliminate many of the issues that rob us of our motivation.

By living a fitter, healthier lifestyle, your improved strength and agility alone will be a huge boost to your motivation. The link between physical strength and mental strength is well established as is the link between a healthy diet and mental health.

Boosted Mood

Aside from the obvious health benefits, just the act of exercising can feel good and give you a boost. During exercise, your body produces dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins, which are the chemicals released in your brain whenever you experience something pleasant.

These mood boosting chemicals also improve your ability to focus and alleviate negative emotions as they are an essential part of your brain’s reward system. These hormones are also produced when you do things you love such as eating your favorite food, laughing at a funny joke, getting positive recognition or watching a film you enjoy.

However, because exercising can be so difficult, many opt out of it in favor of easier alternatives, or in extreme cases, riskier substances and activities. When you first start out, it may be difficult to feel gratification from exercise. But the more you do it, the more your brain will recognize it as a source of these hormones and eventually, your brain will be rewired to experience these higher levels of these hormones more often. This also has the effect of making your brain more sensitive to positive stimuli, which ultimately leaves you in a better mood.

Reduced Stress

Stress is not always a bad thing. It can help us gather the energy to perform a difficult task or survive through our fight or flight response. However, stress can also overwhelm us and strip us of motivation which can eventually create a downward spiral that leads to burnout.

Ask any doctor and they will tell you one of the best ways to reduce unhealthy levels of stress is exercise. Stress causes your brain to create stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol while exercise essentially burns through those hormones and lowers your overall stress levels. Additionally, the previously mentioned happy hormones produced while exercising will further reduce the negative effects of your stress hormones producing a greater positive effect.

Increased Success

Boxer Muhammad Ali once said: “I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.”

Sure, when you first start out, exercising can make you feel horrible and the desire to quit can be overwhelming. The good news is it gets easier, and you will eventually reach a point where the more you do it, the more you will want to do it.

This, in turn, leads to higher levels of motivation and drive which eventually results in higher levels of success in all areas of your life.