Isn’t it crazy how quickly things can change? How one minute you could be thinking about dinner, the upcoming summer holidays or worrying about a deadline. And then the next, your whole world is turned upside down.
Life certainly has a way of reminding us that we are not in control. When everything we know and everything we’ve built crumbles around us, we come to realize how much we are not in control. And this realization can leave us feeling powerless, overwhelmed, angry and hopeless.
But what if we could weather our personal storms like nature: with humility, gratitude, strength and perseverance. We could learn to rise from the ashes of a fire with renewed hope and strength. We could learn to navigate the twists and turns and roadblocks like water, patiently and persistently finding a way around.
Learning new ways of behaving or thinking in a situation is no simple task. But perhaps, at this time, we are presented with an opportunity to redefine how we want to interact with the world and with ourselves.
In this series, we will look at small changes we can make in our life, so we can strengthen our immune system and live a long, healthy and happy life.
Exercise has amazing benefits for the body and mind
“Health is the greatest of human blessings and walking is man’s best medicine.” Hippocrates
Health comprises social, physical and mental aspects. Positive health is not simply the absence of disease but the capacity to enjoy life and overcome challenges. Only a few lifestyle choices have as large an effect on mortality as physical activity.
A single session of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity can reduce blood pressure, improve insulin sensitivity, improve sleep and reduce anxiety on the same day that it is performed. Most of these improvements become even larger with regular physical activity. Other benefits, which occur over days to weeks of consistent exercises, include decreased disease risk.
Exercise provides, not only physical benefits, but also mental benefits. Exercise improves memory, attention, the ability to plan and organize, to monitor, inhibit, or facilitate behaviors, initiate tasks, and control emotions. In youth, academic performance improves.
How much exercise is enough to get the benefits?
150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week or 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity are the recommended guidelines from the USA Physical Activity Guidelines 2019. Doing more is also okay and beneficial.
Even if you sit all day, your risk is the lowest for dying from cardiovascular disease or any other disease, if you do 60-75 minutes per day of moderate-intensity activities, or 30-40 minutes per day of vigorous-intensity activities.
Exercise periods of any length contribute to health benefits. Even short physical activity like climbing up a few flights of stairs counts towards your total daily and weekly amounts.
What is exercise intensity?
Intensity is different from one person to another. What is moderate intensity for one person, may be light intensity for another. As a rule of thumb, if you’re doing moderate-intensity activity you can talk, but not sing, during the activity. If you’re doing vigorous-intensity activity, you can’t say more than a few words.
Cardio versus strengthening exercise
Both aerobic exercise or cardio and muscle strengthening are beneficial.
When doing aerobic exercise, your heart beats faster and your breathing is also deeper and faster. It’s best to perform this kind of fitness activity at least 3x a week and best to spread it out over the week to minimize injury and fatigue.
Muscle strengthening or resistance training increases bone strength, muscle fitness and helps to increase or maintain muscle mass. It’s best to perform this kind of activity at least 2x a week and best to spread it out over the week to minimize injury and fatigue.
Bone strengthening exercises are important because they minimize the risk of fractures and help to keep your bones healthy! They can be aerobic or muscle strengthening exercises. The important factor is that the exercise is weight-bearing. Jumping jacks, walking, or running are all great examples of this type of exercise.
Balance and flexibility exercises are also good to include in your workout. Balance exercises help to minimize falls. Standing on one leg or using a wobble are examples of balance exercises. Muscle strengthening exercises also help to improve balance. Stretching exercises help to increase the range of motion at a joint allowing good movement.
Where to start?
If you’re missing some motivation or finding it hard to exercise alone, then virtual classes are another great way to get motivated and do an activity with a group. We offer Easy, Live Workouts to Get in Shape at Home. And it’s completely free! Join our community and let’s move and groove your way to release tension. These classes are designed so that anyone can attend, from beginner to experienced exerciser.
RSVP here: https://onlinemeditationevents.com/class/live-home-workout/
