Skip to main content

The Moderate Exercise Defense

Alright, so maybe you aren’t a “Go for the Gold” type of person, but that doesn’t mean you need to “sit it out” when it comes to your physical health. Recent research shows that even moderate intensity activity such as walking a mile in 30 minutes can provide substantial health benefits for sedentary individuals.

These benefits include: weight loss, reduced risk of heart disease, improved cardiovascular fitness, and reduced risk of diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis and depression.

The exercise recommendation guidelines issued by the American College of Sports Medicine, the Centers for Disease Control and the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports suggests that when exercising for health, "Every adult American should accumulate and average of 30 minutes or more of moderate intensity physical activity daily.”

Under these particular guidelines, you can improve your health by:

•    Mowing the lawn for 20 minutes and raking the grass for 10.
•    Walking at lunch for 15 minutes and vacuuming that night for 15.
•    Walking to the bus or subway for 15 minutes before and after work.
•    Going out for a night of dancing - and being on the dance floor for at least 30 minutes.
•    Walking through a street fair for 30 minutes.

If you are exercising for a higher fitness level or if obtaining a sleek and toned body is the goal; I suggest adding 20-60 minutes of weight bearing exercise, three to five days a week to the above recommendation. To step it up further, include an additional variety of activities for stretching, strengthening and cardiovascular fitness on alternate days.

As always – Live Your Life Well,

John Aaron Villarreal
johnaaron-massage.com

Facebook / Twitter


The content and information on this site is not intended to diagnose,
cure, treat or prevent disease. Please consult your physician
prior to starting any exercise or diet program.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

When Should I Get a Massage and How Often?

This is a question I get often… Let’s face it, if it were up to massage therapists we’d say that you should get a massage every day, but in reality – very few people ever have the means or time to make this scenario play out in their lives. So technically speaking, your frequency should depend on how much you like massage, how often you experience chronic pain, and your budget. If you’re able to afford it, getting a monthly or weekly massage works best at helping prevent injuries by catching tight areas before they become problematic. With my more athletic clients (runners, weightlifters, gymnasts), I usually recommend timing their massage to coincide with the times they are training their hardest. For example, runners can develop tight hamstrings and hips, gymnasts and weight-lifters can get tight shoulders. These tight muscle groups can elicit injuries over time if they aren't treated by massage. If you are physically active, I recommend getting a massage within 24 hours ...

Coffee Has Health Benefits

Anyone who knows me knows I love my Joe…. err, “cup of joe” that is. In fact, I’m enjoying a cup as I write this post. However, as a wellness professional that little admission of guilt has gotten me a few sneers and looks of condescension. Caffeine is BAD for you, they say! Well, perhaps abusing caffeine may be “bad” for you, but ‘caffeine’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘coffee.’ Despite this fact, coffee has gotten a bad rep over the years after a few health experts linked it (or rather, linked caffeine abuse) to several diseases. But is coffee actually that bad? Probably not; new research shows that drinking coffee in moderation provides numerous health benefits. Antidepressant It might seem a little odd to find that coffee could help with depression, but new research has shown that it does just that. Now, don’t go throwing out your prescriptions or quit counseling just yet though, coffee is not a cure for depression. Rather, the caffeine in coffee helps regulate your mood trans...

What To Do When You’re Chronically Stressed

Of all the modern-day ailments that seem to affect us, none is more pervasive than stress. Everywhere you turn, there are factors lurking to redirect you from your peaceful pursuit of happiness and lock you in the clutches of “stress.” What exactly is stress—and what more insidious effects does it cause? The dictionary defines stress as “great pressure or force; strain.” In today’s world, we think of stress as the result of too much pressure laid upon us by life, causing mental worry or anguish. This, in turn, manifests itself in tight neck and shoulders, headaches, nervous stomach, etc. But these physical and mental conditions are really only the beginning. Studies show that stressful situations can develop into more threatening health conditions. For instance: A sudden or unexpected stressor can activate your adrenal glands, which sends adrenaline and other hormones into your bloodstream. This brings about an increase in your breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, and blood f...