My clients always bring a great attitude to the training studio. One day, I noticed that one of my clients was smiling more than usual. I was curious why she was “extra” happy. So I asked her. She said that she was in love with her life and happy to be exercising. Since she’d started working out six months ago, she said she’d noticed a lot of changes in her body, mind and health.

Like her, we all should be in love with both life and our bodies. When we are in love with our body, we take care of it. Loving our body and taking care of it is very rewarding, and exercise is a way of taking care of our bodies. Here are some benefits of exercise:

• Reduces cancer risk

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• Combats health conditions and diseases

• Improves mood and even sex drive

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• Boosts energy levels

• Reduces the risk of dying prematurely

• Reduces the risk of diabetes and helps control diabetes for those who have been diagnosed

• Reduces the risk of high blood pressure and helps reduce high blood pressure in people who already have hypertension

• Promotes psychological well-being

• Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety

• Helps control weight and lose body fat

• Rejuvenates the body

• Helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints

• Helps older adults become stronger and better able to move about without falling

• Improves the physical ability to drive a car in older adults

Aside from all these health and lifestyle benefits, there is also a financial benefit. Research shows that people spend billions of dollars on doctor visits, on pills to improve their sex lives and the quality of their sleep, as well as to boost their energy and lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Therefore, it is proven that a healthy lifestyle including exercise has the added benefit of saving money.

I have read that many people do not take care of their bodies, so they are lying down in pain watching those who took care of their body enjoying life to the fullest. Love comes back to us! There are no more excuses for not adopting exercise behaviors. Exercise is only a win-win behavior, hard at the beginning but completely rewarding, because the benefits of exercise contribute to a higher quality life.

Sandro Torres is owner of Custom Body Fitness in Basalt, Carbondale and Glenwood Springs and author of the books “Lose Weight Permanently” and “Finding Genuine Happiness.” His column appears on the third Wednesday of the month.