Dr. Eduardo Sanchez - the Chief Medical Officer for Prevention for the American Heart Association - described physical activity or exercise as "the magic elixir of health."
In a recent webinar (Physical Activity as a Vital Sign, Nov. 17, 2015 sponsored by Garmin), Dr. Sanchez explained that his "magic elixir of health" phrase stems from a statement he "just loves." The statement he "just loves" is, ". . . there is no single medication that can positively influence as many organ systems (cardiorespiratory, vascular, musculoskeletal, mental, metabolic) as can physical activity."
I love the holidays. I have over 30 pairs of Christmas socks to prove it. But December isn't all fun, games and socks :-) The holidays can be stressful, especially if you are trying to make healthy choices.
Temptation is everywhere, BUT that doesn't mean you have to totally throw in the health towel! December is not the month to try and lose a significant amount of weight or drastically improve your lifestyle, but you also don't need to gain 10 pounds.
You can maintain your weight, make mostly healthy choices and still enjoy the holidays!
This may come as a surprise, but even though I know stretching is important, I find it hard to make myself do it. After a workout I just want to shower.
My solution: I developed two quick, yet effective stretching routines. In a previous blog (make hyperlink) I outlined my dynamic flexibility routine. Below I have detailed my favourite static stretches.
For decades I travelled to a gym/club and had my work-outs. Then about 2 and a half years ago I moved to an acreage and travelling to a gym/club would have become problematic (at the least). So, I created a home gym.
We all have those days where your workouts feel sub par, and you feel
like this Where throughout your whole workout you are struggling to push harder, your tired and you honestly can not wait for it to be over...
If you do static stretches before you train, STOP! Static stretches downgrade the nervous system and cool the body down. Save them for after your workout.
Instead, use dynamic mobility exercises to warm up your body pre workout. Dynamic mobility exercises "turn on" the nervous system and prime the body for movement.
The holy grail of fitness – or anything for that matter - seems to be getting from thinking about doing something to actually doing it.
Now, if you think about why you started something in your life, there are probably only a few key reasons why (or why not in this case).
The following three reasons are what I see most. Yes, there are some critical exceptions, but be honest with yourself – you're the only one that needs to know.
For me there are just certain things that I 'need' in order have a great workout:
Good Running Shoes
This is an absolute must. If you are finishing your workout and the bottom of your feet are hurting or are extremely sore, chances are you don't have on proper shoes. For me I really like Asics running shoes but I found they fell apart in the heel quickly.
Thanksgiving: the Fall holiday where you get together with your family and visit, have drinks, and eat a lot of food!
Now, maybe not everyone in the fitness world will agree with me…but I am a firm believer in calories don't count on holidays.
The answer to "how to start into fitness" can be found within what we have already proven to ourselves, over and over again, which is: "What we are doing instead of exercise that brings us happiness?"