Fitness
Our health is important to us, and it’s important that we take the time to make sure that we’re doing everything well for it. The different ways in which someone can exercise are many-running, biking, hiking or even playing sports. These are all great ways to stay fit and healthy!
Benefits of Regular Exercise
Make You Feel Happier
The happier people feel, the less likely they are to suffer from stress and anxiety. Exercising is a great way for people to release endorphins, which can improve their mood and therefore reduce symptoms of depression and sadness.
Reduce Risk of Disease
Regular exercise can reduce your risk of heart disease, type II diabetes and even cancer! It gives you more energy because it allows your body to work more efficiently. Exercise also strengthens your immune system because it increases blood flow, allowing different types of white blood cells such as neutrophils and lymphocytes to travel further in order to reach infections faster.
Improve Your Sleep Quality
Exercise is a great way to help you get better sleep at night ! When you have trouble sleeping, try exercising earlier that day to tire yourself out. It can be extremely relaxing and even emotionally calming for some people.
Keep Your Brain Healthy
Exercise is great for the brain! It increases oxygen flow, which helps promote neuron growth allowing you to stay mentally sharp throughout your whole life. Exercise helps increase blood supply to the hippocampus, an area of the brain responsible for memory function.
Help You Loose Weight
Exercise has many benefits for weight loss. Aside from the fact that you’re burning calories, exercise also increases your metabolism so after you work out, your body will continue to burn more calories than normal even at rest. This is called ‘afterburn’. Exercise can help reduce cravings by releasing hormones that make you feel full.
Tips to Get Started with Fitness
Exercise is important for your mental and physical health. It can be hard to find the time in a busy day, but here are some tips that might help:
Break up exercise into smaller chunks of time
You don’t need to go all out at once! If you’re only able to do five minutes at a time, then set aside five minutes every day and gradually work up from there. Don’t wait until later when it’s too late or you’ll never start!
Find an activity that suits your style
Running? biking? hiking? Find something you enjoy so it doesn’t feel like such a drag. Try different things until you find what works best for you! And remember: no matter what, just do it.
If you’re still having trouble finding the time in the day, consider taking up jogging or biking to work! It’s a great way to sneak in some fitness throughout your entire day so that hopefully by the time you get home, you’ll be too tired to sit on the couch and watch TV.
Because honestly, who has time for that? Be serious with yourself about sticking to your goals. If exercise is important to you, then give it priority in your life instead of letting other things push it out of the way.
You deserve it! Take care of yourself and show yourself some kindness; even if that means waking up at 6am every morning in order to fit in a run before class. Don’t wait until tomorrow. You can do it!
Ways to Work Out at Home
Play Indoor Sports
Playing sports is one of the best exercises someone can do! It’s a great way to get fit and stay in shape all year round.
A good sport to try out if it’s something new would be badminton or ultimate Frisbee because they both require little equipment and are fun alternatives to traditional cardio exercises like jogging or running.
They also require you to use your brain so it’s great for improving memory function!
Do Yoga
Yoga is a very gentle form of exercise that helps increase flexibility, which can help prevent injuries. It also has calming effects-the breathing exercises used in yoga are known to reduce stress and anxiety by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system.
You don’t need much space or any equipment either, just some comfy clothes and maybe a yoga mat if you want one!
Dance
Dancing is another fun way to get fit at home ! Dancing provides all the benefits of cardio exercise without feeling like you’re actually exercising. You don’t even have to pay for a gym membership or anything! Just play some music on your phone and start moving!
Do Weight Lifting at Home
Weight lifting is a great way to build muscle definition. If you have any equipment, you can just do a workout in your living room with dumbbells and a barbell. If you’re new to weight training it’s advised that you get some guidance from someone who knows what they’re doing-it can be dangerous for beginners!
But if you don’t know anyone who knows about weights, there are plenty of YouTube videos available on how to lift them properly. You can even follow along with an online personal trainer like the ones on Fitocracy !
It will cost money but it will definitely be worth it because personal trainers basically give you all the information you and help motivate you more in a shorter amount of time.
Exercise to Music
It’s not a workout if you don’t have your favorite songs playing in the background! If you know that you have a hard time getting motivated to exercise then turn on some music and start dancing!
It will definitely help improve mood because it stimulates the prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain responsible for emotional control. Just pick up the pace along with the beat and before you know it, 30 minutes have passed !
Ways to Exercise Outdoors
This is not an exhaustive list by any means-it only has things that I personally enjoy doing so feel free to add more in the comments section below. There are so many great ways to stay fit and healthy without going near a treadmill!
Hiking
Hiking is one of my favorite ways to exercise because it’s so refreshing-walking through nature while you take in all the sights and sounds of your surroundings just gets me into a state of flow that I can’t really get anywhere else.
It also uses muscles that don’t usually get much attention during regular cardio workouts like your calves and quads. Hikes are better for cardiovascular fitness than running on flat surfaces because you’re constantly going up and down, which means more oxygen intake without the risk of taking too many trips to the ground (unless there are roots or rocks jutting out along your path).
Most people find hiking very relaxing too! Definitely do some research on trails around where you live . Many parks have hiking trails that are free to use!
Biking
My second favorite outdoor exercise is biking because it’s fun and doesn’t require you to go anywhere if you’re just trying to get fit. Plus, biking is excellent for your cardiovascular system because it requires a lot of endurance.
It can be quiet hard on your quads too but I don’t really mind the soreness after a long ride ! There are also some ways to amp up your biking workout which will definitely help you out.
If there aren’t any hills where you live then try using an indoor bike trainer. You can set one up in front of your TV or computer and watch a movie as you pedal away!
The equipment used for cycling indoors cost more money than regular exercise equipment but you might be able to find it on sale if you look hard enough.
Playing Outdoor Sports
Playing sports is a great way to switch up your workouts and have fun outside! Most major cities offer adult recreation leagues for just about every sport out there. Even some smaller towns may have adult co-ed volleyball teams !
If you’re not interested in playing competitively then join an outdoor rec league that plays on the weekends where you can make new friends without any of the pressure! Plus, most rec leagues are very affordable or even free depending on what they offer.
They usually don’t cost anything more than covering the cost of renting school gymnasiums…sometimes even less! And the best part about joining a team is bonding with your new teammates!
Get Moving
The easiest way to stay fit and healthy is to keep moving throughout the day. It doesn’t even have to be intense-just take the stairs instead of the elevator or do some light cleaning around the apartment.
You might notice that you become more active without even trying too hard! If you want to go all out then just start walking whenever possible. Go for a stroll around your neighborhood after eating dinner or before taking a shower.
I’ve noticed that even 10 minutes of walking can make me feel better if I’m feeling tired or stressed out. Walking has also been found to improve memory function in adults over 50, which means it’s never too late to reap amazing health benefits from something as simple as walking!
Going Beyond Any Fitness Goals You’ve Ever Had
If regular exercise sounds like something you aren’t too keen on doing, why not take it as a hobby? Go running with friends or sign up for a tennis tournament-there are many ways in which you could turn this into a fun activity you do regularly rather than endure once every so often.
There are lots of ways you can stay fit and healthy, but most people aren’t aware of just how many benefits they bring to the table. Whether it’s hiking or playing soccer with friends-find an activity that makes you want to get out there and be active! Having fun is good for your health too!
Doing exercise as a hobby is not only great for your health, but it’s also something to look forward to every day. It doesn’t have to be hard or take up a lot of time either. Remember- any movement is better than nothing, so don’t beat yourself up if you didn’t want to work out today.
Just try again tomorrow! Maybe this time you’ll succeed in fitting in that run between class. Even just an attempt at getting active is worth it because it’s step one toward being healthy and happy! Give yourself credit for the small things, and slowly build your confidence by rewarding your successes instead of berating yourself for small along the way. After all, it’s not about being perfect. It’s about giving yourself the health you deserve, so go get it!