Snippets to Support Health & Fitness
The new year brings many of us making resolutions to exercise more and get healthy but after a few weeks, things get busy and the exercise routine gets squeezed out for other things. Perhaps you made a schedule with the best of intentions, and you stuck to it for a week or two and then, you had to make an exception... and another one... and soon you were not exercising at all. The goal is to exercise more, but you just don’t know where you will find the time. There are ways to find the time to meet your exercise requirements without blocking out hours to go to the gym.
Did you know that taking ten minutes here and ten minutes there of even just moderate effort can add up to considerable health benefits as well as make good habits that are easy to keep? Most of us can commit to that kind of schedule for improved mental and physical health.
You'll know you're getting reasonable, sustainable exercise in that short of time frame if:
- Your heart is beating faster than usual, but it's not racing.
- You're breathing faster than usual, but you can still carry on a conversation while exercising.
- You're warmer than usual and starting to sweat, but you aren't dripping excessively.
Here are some ways of adding exercise to your day:
- Walk part of the way to work if possible – get off a couple of stops before your usual stop if you take a bus, or park a bit further away. Make sure to walk at a brisk pace.
- Take the stairs, not the elevator.
- At the office, get up and walk over to talk to someone rather than calling or messaging them online. Move around in some way every couple of hours.
- Park on the far side of the parking lot when going shopping – or walk or bike instead of driving.
- When you're cleaning around the house, turn on some music and make a dance or a sport out of it.
- When you're sitting at your desk, exercise your stomach and back muscles by tensing, holding, and relaxing them.
- Whenever you walk anywhere for any reason, walk faster – you'll get better exercise (and you'll save a little time).
Keep track of how much exercise you manage to squeeze in. You may be surprised at how easy it is to get in the recommended 150 minutes of aerobic activity every week.
Need more time in order to fit in some more exercise? Try getting up 10 minutes earlier. Or watch less TV. Much of the time, people watch TV just to fill time. Why not fill some of that time with exercise instead? You can improve your overall relaxation as well as your health by skipping just one sitcom in favour of a brisk walk or run.
Want to get in even a little bit more? Make it fun. Take part in some sports. Skiing, biking, swimming, or team sports such as hockey and soccer can burn off 80 calories in just 10 minutes. You can work off the some of those dietary indulgences in a day of skiing.
Sports also have some additional benefits: team sports can be fun for the social aspect as well as for the exercise. While individual sports can be a great way to get away from everything and de-stress. Just think about sports or other activities you haven't done in a few years that you used to enjoy doing. why not get into one or two of them again? Or try something new that you've always been curious about? It’s another way to meet your exercise goals going toward better health.
We can help achieve your best performance whether you are fitting in exercise between life or in you choose to take part in more organized sports. We offer Sports Massage at Balance to help all levels of activity. Regular treatments from our registered massage therapy team can help you to maximize your training and recover quickly from your workouts. It aids in performance and assists in injury prevention. Massage prior to your events or games can have you at your peak performance and reduce the effects of delayed onset muscle soreness. Give us a call to make your appointment.
Staff Author
The Team at Balance Natural Health Clinic have many years of experience to help you live your best life. True Health, Genuine Care
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