exercise

Health Tip of the Day ~ Add Sit to Stand Exercise to Your Daily Routine

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5 Reasons You Should be Doing Sit to Stand Exercises

Sit to stand exercises, which involve transitioning from a seated position to a standing position, are important to incorporate into your workout routine for several reasons:

    1. Improve Functional Mobility: Sit to stand exercises mimic movements that are commonly used in daily life. As we age, maintaining functional mobility becomes increasingly important, and sit to stand exercises help improve your ability to get up from a chair or other seated position.
    2. Strengthen Lower Body Muscles: Sit to stand exercises primarily target the muscles of the lower body, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. By incorporating these exercises into your routine, you can strengthen these muscles, which can help improve balance, stability, and overall lower body strength.
    3. Burn Calories: Because sit to stand exercises involve a full range of motion and use multiple muscle groups, they can be a great way to burn calories and get your heart rate up. Incorporating sit to stand exercises into your workout routine can help you achieve your weight loss or maintenance goals.
    4. Improve Posture: Proper form is key when performing sit to stand exercises. Engaging your core, keeping your shoulders back, and maintaining a neutral spine can help improve your posture over time.
    5. Reduce Risk of Falls: Falls are a common and serious concern for older adults. By improving lower body strength, functional mobility, and balance, sit to stand exercises can help reduce the risk of falls and improve overall safety and quality of life.

Health Tip of the Day ~ Signs You Are You Overdoing It at the Gym?

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How too Much Exercise can Hurt

To get stronger and faster, you need to push your body. But you also need to rest. Rest is an important part of training. It allows your body to recover for your next workout. When you do not get enough rest, it can lead to poor performance and health problems. Pushing too hard for too long can backfire. Here are some symptoms of too much exercise:

    • Being unable to perform at the same level
    • Needing longer periods of rest
    • Feeling tired
    • Being depressed
    • Having mood swings or irritability
    • Having trouble sleeping
    • Feeling sore muscles or heavy limbs
    • Getting overuse injuries
    • Losing motivation
    • Getting more colds
    • Losing weight
    • Feeling anxiety

If you have been exercising a lot and have any of these symptoms, cut back on exercise or rest completely for 1 or 2 weeks. Often, this is all it takes to recover.If you are still tired after 1 or 2 weeks of rest, see your health care provider. You may need to keep resting or dial back your workouts for a month or longer. Your provider can help you decide how and when it is safe to start exercising again.

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Health Tip of the Day ~ The Skinny on the Relationship Between Longevity & Exercise?

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Lace Up the Sneakers and Start Moving

Regular exercise has been linked to a longer lifespan and improved overall health. There is strong evidence that physical activity can help prevent chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, which are major contributors to premature mortality.

Studies have shown that people who engage in regular physical activity live longer and have a lower risk of death from all causes compared to those who are inactive. Exercise can also improve functional capacity, mobility, and cognitive function, which can help maintain independence and quality of life in older adults.

The benefits of exercise on longevity are thought to be due to its effects on various physiological systems, including the cardiovascular, respiratory, and musculoskeletal systems, as well as its impact on inflammation, oxidative stress, and immune function.

Overall, regular exercise is an important factor in promoting longevity and improving overall health and well-being.

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Feeling Good Tip of the Day ~ Quieting the Mind Down

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The human mind is designed to think and process information constantly. However, there are techniques you can use to calm your mind and reduce the number of thoughts you have, which can be helpful for relaxation and focus.

Here are a few techniques you can try:

  1. Mindfulness Meditation: Sit quietly and focus your attention on your breath or a specific sensation. When your mind wanders, gently bring it back to your breath or sensation without judgment.
  2. Deep Breathing: Take deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. Focus on the sensation of the breath filling your lungs and releasing through your mouth.
  3. Exercise: Engage in physical activities like jogging, swimming, or cycling to release pent up energy and clear your mind.
  4. Journaling: Write down your thoughts in a journal. This helps you to process your thoughts and clear your mind.
  5. Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Tense and then relax each muscle group in your body starting from your toes and working your way up to your head. This helps release tension and reduce stress.

Remember, these techniques take practice, so be patient with yourself. With regular practice, you can train your mind to focus and relax, which can lead to a more peaceful state of mind.

Health Tip of the Day ~ The Importance of Maintaining Good Health

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Staying healthy is an important part of life. Eating a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep are all key components to maintaining good health. Additionally, avoiding unhealthy habits such as smoking, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, and engaging in recreational drug use are all important steps to take in order to stay healthy. Taking daily vitamins and supplements can also help to ensure that your body is getting all the nutrients it needs to stay healthy and strong. Finally, monitoring your mental health is just as important as taking care of your physical health. Taking time to relax and de-stress, getting enough sleep, and engaging in activities that make you feel good are important aspects of mental well-being.

Health Tip of the Day ~ Exercise Enhances Brain Cognition

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Exercise to Think Better

Part of the reason exercise enhances cognition has to do with blood flow. Research shows that when we exercise, blood pressure and blood flow increase everywhere in the body, including the brain. More blood means more energy and oxygen, which makes our brain perform better.

Another explanation for why working up a sweat enhances our mental capacity is that the hippocampus, a part of the brain critical for learning and memory, is highly active during exercise. When the neurons in this structure rev up, research shows that our cognitive function improves. For instance, studies in mice have revealed that running enhances spatial learning. Other recent work indicates that aerobic exercise can actually reverse hippocampal shrinkage, which occurs naturally with age, and consequently boost memory in older adults. Yet another study found that students who exercise perform better on tests than their less athletic peers.

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Today’s Health Tip ~ The 4 Pillars to Good Health

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Health fads come and (thankfully) go. Despite the shiny promises that one particular superfood/workout/biohack will get you in the best shape of your life, the truth is, you don’t need to overthink (or overpay) to get healthy.

The Four Pillars to Good Health

  1. Diet ~ The secret to simple, healthy eating? Variety. Choose different kinds of veggies, fruits, and other plant-based foods, since they all have phytonutrients that contribute to good health in unique ways. The same goes for protein foods. Try new kinds of fish, poultry, meats, beans, and legumes. And don’t overlook nuts and seeds.

  2. Exercise ~ No matter if you’re thin, it’s still important to keep working out. Research has even found that people who are obese and cardiovascularly fit have better health outcomes than people who are slim and not fit. Aim to be active 150 minutes each week, spread across five or six days instead of just one or two. Your body benefits more from daily increases in your heart rate and oxygen consumption—just like your system benefits more from food and water that’s consumed over the course of a week, rather than a giant feast eaten in a single day.

  3. Stress ~Stress is inevitable. But its cumulative effects over time are what damage your health. Chronic stress has been linked to a host of issues, including anxiety and depression, weight gain, inflammation, digestive issues, fertility problems, even poor memory. The way to avoid repercussions is by dealing with stress in the moment, as it happens.

    The idea is to become psychologically flexible—or in other words, to learn to balance your exposure to stress with self-soothing efforts. I often equate this to standing on a surfboard, on top of a bowling ball. You can lean into your uncomfortable emotions, and then discipline yourself to pull out of that discomfort. Being able to toggle back and forth like that will make you more resilient.

  4. Sleep ~ Your brain is pretty binary when it comes to sleep. It has to rest. When you sleep, your brain rids itself of waste products and consolidates memory. Sleep also keeps your heart and circulation working, and your digestion regular. It’s not yet known why we have to be unconscious for these things to happen, but we do. On average, people need 7½ to 8 hours of sleep each night. Lots of people say they do “fine” on 5 hours. But they’re more likely to be functional despite mild sleep deprivation. “Functional” and “doing what is best for your body” are not synonymous.

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Today’s Health Tip ~ A Mattress, Toothbrush, & Salmon – Your Partners for Good Health

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A mattress, a toothbrush, and a salmon dinner: on the surface, those items don’t seem to have much in common. But they all represent healthy lifestyle habits that help fight chronic inflammation, a persistent state of the immune system that’s linked to many health problems. And the more healthy habits you practice, even simple ones, the better chance you’ll have at thwarting chronic inflammation and disease.

    1. Eat fatty fish twice a week.  Salmon and other fatty fish (such as anchovies, halibut, sardines, and tuna) contain omega-3 fatty acids that reduce inflammation. “Omega-3s disrupt the production of chemicals that cause inflammation by certain immune system cells. They may even help lower the risks for stroke and for the type of brain inflammation associated with Alzheimer’s disease,” says Dr. Robert Shmerling, a rheumatologist and medical editor of the Harvard Special Health Report Fighting Inflammation (/ui). “But our body doesn’t make omega-3s. We need to get them from food.” Other ways to fight inflammation with diet include minimizing processed foods and added sugars, and eating lots of fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains, poultry, fish, and healthy oils (such as olive and canola).
    2. Get a new mattress. Does your mattress make you toss and turn? “Even one night of disturbed sleep can spark inflammation,” Dr. Shmerling says. “It increases inflammatory substances in the blood. Regularly missing sleep contributes to obesity, which is also linked to inflammation.” If you suspect that the fix for your poor sleep is a new mattress (or maybe just a mattress topper), it’s worth the investment. Getting seven to nine hours of sleep per night is associated with reduced risks for many chronic diseases, including dementia.
    3. Brush your teeth regularly. We’re all supposed to brush our teeth twice per day, and floss them at least once per day. It’s necessary to brush away the bacteria that can inflame the gums, lead to infection, and cause inflammation or infection elsewhere in the body.
    4. Go for a walk. Aerobic exercise — the kind that gets your heart and lungs working, like brisk walking — is an important way to fight chronic inflammation. “It helps reduce body fat, which contains inflammation-promoting substances. Exercise may also increase the production of hormones that help keep inflammation in check,” Dr. Shmerling says. We all need at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity per week to stay healthy. If you’ve been inactive for a while, start with a five-minute daily walk and work your way up to 20 or 30 minutes a day. If you have heart disease or are at increased risk for it, check with your doctor about your best exercise program.
    5. Do some deep-breathing exercises. Feeling stressed? Chronic stress promotes inflammation and is linked to several chronic inflammatory conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, depression, and inflammatory bowel disease.

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Today’s Health Tip ~ Struggling with Constipation?

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Exercise is your Friend when Struggling with Constipation

When you’re battling constipation and struggling to get things moving, one of the best solutions can be to literally get moving. A research review published in the Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterologyfound that exercise can improve symptoms of constipation. Studies have even linked regular exercise to significant relief from irritable bowel syndrome symptoms, including constipation. . . . So how does it work?  Regular exercise reduces the amount of time it takes for food to move through the gastrointestinal tract. This reduced transit time means that the body has less opportunity to absorb water content from the stool during the digestive process.

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Today’s Health Tip ~ Ease Burnout & Exhaustion

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3 Ways to Feel Emotionally Better

 

  1. Carve Time Out for Yourself – Taking time for yourself isn’t a luxury; it’s essential to self-care. “You need to slow down and give yourself the opportunity to rest and rejuvenate,” Dr. Chanoff says, “Schedule it if you have to, starting with 10 or 15 minutes, a couple of times a day.” . . . Give yourself permission to say ‘no thank you’ to things that deplete you or don’t serve you,” Dr. Chanoff says.
  2. Commit to Better Health – A strong body helps balance the stressful situations that have caused your burnout. The basic recipe for good health includes:Exercise. Moderate intensity exercise, the kind that works the heart and lungs, releases important chemicals that help regulate mood, sleep, and many body systems. Aim for at least 150 minutes of exercise per week, which amounts to about 22 minutes a day. A good diet. Choose more unprocessed foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, lean proteins (fish or poultry), and unsaturated fats (such as avocados or olive oil). Sleep. Insufficient sleep affects overall health, concentration, and mood. Try to sleep seven to nine hours per night. “It helps to wind down an hour or two before you fall asleep. And practice good sleep hygiene: turn off your phone, keep your room cool and dark, and go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day.
  3. Surround Yourself with Comfort – Hygge (pronounced HOO-ga) is the Danish concept of cozy comfort that brings happiness and contentment. Folks in Denmark know a thing or two about finding sunshine in cold dark months. To practice hygge, surround yourself with people, activities, and things that make you feel cozy, loved, happy, or content. Go simple: spend time with your favorite people, add a small vase of flowers to your space, don fuzzy slippers once home, eat a treasured comfort food, or listen to a favorite song.

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