I know that spring isn't around the corner but...it's 70 today...sunny and warm and by Friday we are forecast to get 18 inches of snow!!! Not happy. Don't get me wrong, I love snow but this up and down weather is really frustrating. Spring...no winter coming...then back to warm weather and the promise of spring.
The saga begins internationally and it looks like all out war is just about to happen. Can anyone talk some sense into the dictator...he is only going to get exactly what he doesn't want with this move!
So back to exercise...yesterday we talked about the benefits of exercise including memory/brain function, weight management and lower blood pressure. More benefits include improving your quality of sleep. And sleep is very important...it gives your body time to recover from the day's events and get ready for the next day.
Exercise reduces the possibility of contracting a chronic diseases like diabetes and heart related. And if you already have a chronic disease, exercise can help reduce the effects. Of course, as with all exercise, you should check with your doctor to find out what level of exercise would benefit you.
Finally, physical exercise can reduce both anxiety and depression by producing and releasing endorphins which are the feel-good transmitters.
There are so many benefits from exercise that it's hard to believe that so many folks resent taking time to do it. And yet, we do.
One way to increase your exercise is to make it a habit. Start out slowly (with doctor's permission), say fifteen minutes every other day. Then increase it to fifteen minutes daily and go from there.
There are many ways to exercise from walking outside to going to a gym. I happen to enjoy exercising at home with either online activities or dvds.
Right now, my go to exercise regime is using Senior Planet online activities. I do their Tuesday and Thursday strength exercises which are an hour long. I do their Morning stretch on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays which are 30 minutes long. I like both of these routines because they change from day to day. Then I either use a walking dvd or YouTube video for another 30 minutes...usually Leslie Sasone. So my aim is a minimum of an hour a day. I also do a yoga floor routine each day basically so I can get up and down on the floor easily!
Senior Planet is free to use for everyone. There is another site called Silver Sneakers which is available for folks with certain (actually, almost all) health insurances. You can easily find out if you qualify. And if you do, you can use exercises there also.
Talk with you tomorrow....