What are You Doing This Month to Stay Active?
Did you know that one in three adults over the age of 50 gets no physical activity outside of work? It’s time to make a change!
Physical Activity Tips and Tricks
You might ask, how much physical activity do I really need? Check out the American Heart Association’s recommendations below so that you can live a longer and healthier life.
Fit in 150+
- Get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate – intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity (or a combination of both), preferably spread throughout the week.
Move More, Sit Less
- Get up and move throughout the day. Any activity is better than none. Even light-intensity activity can offset the serious health risks of being sedentary.
Add Intensity
- Moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise is best. Your heart will beat faster, and you’ll breathe harder than normal. As you get used to being more active, increase your time and/or intensity to get more benefits.
Add Muscle
- Include moderate- to high – intensity muscle – strengthening activity (like resistance or weight training) at least twice a week.
Feel Better
- Physical activity is one of the best ways to keep your body and brain healthy. It relieves stress, improves mood, gives you energy, helps with sleep and can lower your risk of chronic disease, including dementia and depression.
Make Your Steps Count!
When you move more every day, you can reach some pretty big goals over time. Remember, small steps can add up to huge strides — in your physical health, mental health, stress levels, sleep, productivity, relationships and more. Let movement take you places you never thought possible!
- 10 minutes of stretching is like walking the length of a football field
- 5 hours of walking every week for a year is like walking across the state of Wyoming
- 30 minutes of singles tennis is like walking a 5K
- 1 hour of dancing every week for a year is like walking from Chicago to Indianapolis
- 20 minutes of vacuuming is like walking one mile
- 30 minutes of grocery shopping every other week for a year is like walking a marathon
Remember, fitness and health journeys can often times be frustrating, but they don’t always have to be. Taking a simpler approach versus implementing unrealistic fitness goals and enrolling in expensive gym memberships, can take you a long way. Remember moving more can create an overall healthy lifestyle for your stress, mental health, social connections, sleep, and so much more!
Original Source: https://austinblog.heart.org/april-is-move-more-month/