Exercise

No matter your age, strong scientific evidence exists to support the benefits of physical activity on our happiness, brain health (cognition and mood), plus exercise can improve or reduce the risk of most chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and some cancers.

Exercise

Summary

  • Exercise has numerous benefits include increasing brain function, memory, lowering blood pressure, and more

  • Remember the first and biggest step is going from 0 to any activity. After that, try to work your way up to 150 minutes of moderate intensity, and possibly higher. Working in 10-minute sessions is okay (e.g. dancing mid-day as a pick-me-up, completing a 10-min workout in the morning, etc)

    • Exercise intensity scale:

      • Mild = you can sing

      • Moderate = you can talk but not sing while exercising

      • Vigorous = you have a hard time talking

  • Make it fun! Do what you love. Add music. Add friends. Whatever works

  • The plan:

    • Try to do aerobic activity most days (planned exercise or strategies to just increase physical activity by parking farther away, walking up extra stairs)

    • Try for resistance training 2-3x per week

    • Try to do some light stretching, balance/stability actions, tai chi, focused movements etc 2-3x/week

    • Break up sedentary periods but standing or doing a short walk or stretch every hour or so

Don’t forget to track in RxFood: