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Ask Bill has a master's degree in counseling psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi and has been a licensed professional counselor since 1987. He has 23 years of individual and relational counseling experience and serves as an adjunct instructor in counseling psychology at Mississippi College. He has been a reserve deputy for 10 years with the Madison County Sheriff's Office and is a ruling elder at Grace Chapel Evangelical Presbyterian Church. He adores his wife of 31 years and their two grown children. Self-improvement is a very broad topic, and it has been researched from just about every angle. Self-improvement involves doing things to increase the objective and subjective quality of one's experience. Fulfillment, satisfaction, contentment, confidence, enthusiasm, energy and initiative are just some of the qualities that strengthen when successful actions of self-improvement take effect. Having a positive opinion about oneself is the goal of self-improvement strategies and techniques. Exercise plays a big role in the development of a positive self-evaluation—physically mentally and spiritually. Our bodies are designed to do physical work, the same thing as exercise. Research supports that exercise can improve functioning and quality output in all aspects of your being. Exercise has been proven to: • Help control weight • Improve memory and other cognitive functions • Increase insulin sensitivity • Increase energy • Improve mood • Improve sleep • Reduce anxiety symptoms • Reduce risks of certain cancers • Improve cardiovascular efficiency • Elevate self-image and self- confidence • Increase lifespan and quality of life • Facilitate mindfulness and meditation • Slow the aging process • Improve overall physiological functioning Regardless of your initial fitness level, the benefits of exercise begin almost instantaneously, according to research by Michelle Olsen, PhD, Professor of Exercise Physiology at Auburn University at Montgomery. Research from the Cooper Clinic in Dallas indicates that 30 minutes of cardio three to five times a week will add six years to your life. Everyone has a starting point, so don't compare yourself to others. Any increase in duration or intensity of your workout is a new milestone to be celebrated. Reaching it should motivate you to set the next milestone in your quest for self-improvement. After a few weeks, your efforts will have you on the road to a holistic sense of well-being that cannot be achieved by sitting and thinking about it. A routine exercise program, be it walking briskly in the neighborhood or working out in the gym, will increase your effectiveness in other physical, mental and spiritual pursuits. Whatever your self-improvement goals, make sure exercise is included as a catalyst for positive results. EXERCISE: CATALYST FOR SELF-IMPROVEMENT 1 CORINTHIANS 6:19 DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT YOUR BODIES ARE TEMPLES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHO IS IN YOU, WHOM YOU HAVE RECEIVED FROM GOD, AND YOU ARE NOT YOUR OWN? 14 s t d o m . c o m LOCAL