Give Yourself the Best Gift Possible – a Healthy Lifestyle

This holiday season, give yourself the gift that keeps on giving, a healthy lifestyle. Taking steps toward healthier living has several components to it. These include exercise, stress reduction and nutrition. In today’s discussion, we will focus on exercise. The benefits of performing a consistent exercise regimen are well documented. According to http://www.medlineplus.gov, these benefits include:

• Weight control
• Stress reduction
• Less risk of heart disease or cancer
• Controlling blood pressure and blood sugar
• Improved sleep and
• Improved cognition and alertness

Contributing to the challenge of maintaining an improved fitness level are our hectic schedules, never ending demands of work and family, dependence on driving as opposed to walking or biking, and poor eating habits, including over-indulgence of fast-food.

The Covid-19 pandemic has no doubt raised our stress level as we cope with ever evolving guidelines, restrictions, changes in how we socialize or travel, distance learning for our kids, work from home or possibly even the loss of a job or income.

The holiday season makes things even harder as we impose arbitrary deadlines to get things done, including shopping, decorating, cooking, writing out cards and other multi-tasking.

However, there are steps one can take to integrate more exercise into our busy and hectic lives. Before we discuss beginning a formal program, think about exercise in your every day routine. Examples include walking to a store or post office instead of driving, using the stairs instead of an elevator, biking to complete an errand, parking in such a way that requires more walking and even some modest yard work around the house, as in raking leaves.

Once you’ve made these simple changes, think about what exercise routine would work for you. Consistency is everything, so consider convenience and what would be considered fun. Most beginners abandon a program if it isn’t convenient and they don’t enjoy it. There are many options which can be performed at home and require minimal expense, including yoga, pilates, aerobics, stretching and weight training. If you’re willing to invest in equipment, consider an exercise bike or treadmill. Swimming is excellent if you have access to a pool. To find specific programs to guide you, consider “You Tube” or rent a disc at the library.

If you’re saying to yourself “I don’t have the discipline for a home-based program,” then consider what you could do outside the home, possibly either before or after work. There are pilates centers, yoga studios, kick-boxing programs and fitness clubs such as LA Fitness and Planet Fitness. Many senior centers, adult education programs, and libraries offer beginner fitness classes. These may include aerobics, yoga or Tai Chi. Often times you can begin a program on a trial basis to see how you like it. Consider partnering with a friend to share in the commitment. My wife and I love line-dancing. There is practice once a week and at least one dance every month, with a live DJ. Others prefer ballroom dancing, and for that consider a professional dance studio to take lessons or check your local adult education program. Dancing is great for mental stimulation as well as you learn and memorize new dance steps.

If you have health issues, or have been sedentary for a long time, consult your healthcare professional before you begin.

In the next installment, we will discuss nutrition, metabolism and healthy eating.