fitnesstips – Be Well Solutions

Outdoor Fitness: Turning Nature into Your Gym

Take advantage of the seasonal weather and bring your workout outside this summer. Whether you are walking down your neighborhood sidewalk or meeting friends for pickleball, being active outdoors comes with a variety of benefits. Let the great outdoors bring variety, motivation, and fresh air to your exercise routine. Moving in nature has been shown to improve both physical and mental health. It is low- to no-cost and widely accessible. Let’s explore ways you can use your environment with minimal equipment for a balanced workout. Outdoor Cardio Workouts Outdoor environments provide numerous opportunities for cardiovascular exercise. Nearby sidewalks, bike paths, and trails can be used for heart-pumping activities like walking, hiking, running, and cycling. Many community pools offer space for lap swimming and water aerobics at this time of year. Get your family or friends involved by meeting at a [...]

Unlocking the Benefits of Short Workouts

Finding the time to fit regular exercise into your schedule can feel daunting, but it doesn’t have to. Even small bouts of activity can be beneficial. Don’t worry about clearing your agenda for an exercise session. Instead, let’s dig into the benefits of short workouts. What is Recommended? Before diving into the benefits of short exercise, let’s review the most recent recommendations set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In 2018, the HHS updated the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans1. The recommendations for adults for the most health benefits include at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise accumulated weekly, plus strength training for all major muscle groups at least two days per week. In addition, the guidelines include minimizing overall sedentary time. One of the updates to this current edition is that bouts [...]

Exercise and Your Immune System

Regular exercise has many physical and mental benefits, including keeping us healthy. Recent studies have examined the correlation between physical activity and our immune system. While many theories still need additional research, there has been encouraging movement in understanding the relationship between the two. How Exercise Benefits Our Immune System Exercise improves circulation throughout the body. This improvement allows significant immune cells, like white blood cells, to move about more freely. When immune cells can travel to more areas, they can quickly identify and act upon invaders. Research has also found that this increased circulation of immune cells can last up to three hours after an exercise session, which makes consistent exercise key (Gunderson Health System1). Exercise also promotes adequate, restful sleep, which is a necessary component to keeping the immune system strong. Finally, it helps manage and prevent other [...]

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