It has often been said that laughter is good medicine. However, in my opinion, exercise is by far the best medicine! Not only does exercise do some of the same things as laughter, but it also does more, and the body and mind will benefit from regular, proper exercise. John Cardillo
Living in the 21st century means we have busy lifestyles that leave little time available for recreation activities that we would like to participate in that promote good health.
The great thing about exercise as medicine that we advocate in the Premier Fitness Health & Wellness Program is that you can take a heaping helping dose of medicine in the form of training any time you want to. We recommend that you get started on an exercise routine with simple practices. Your age will affect the amount of exercise you need and before you plan to hit the gym or go for a nice long run, look into what it takes for a person of your age to get the exercise you need to stay healthy and strong long into old age. Let’s look at the age brackets for activity and how they are relevant for the person engaging in an exercise plan
Exercising: what to do and time you spend on exercise
Our Premier Fitness Health & Wellness guidelines recommend that adults should get at least 3 hours of moderate to intense exercise per week. It is recommended that the exercise/workouts are of a high intensity nature in order to challenge your aerobic and anaerobic systems. Remember, too, that as an adult, you need more time to recover after an intense workout, therefore workout on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday split system. With rest and recuperation days off in between.
For children under the age of five, the Premier Fitness Health & Wellness Program recommends that vigorous physical activities should be a staple of their daily activities. Muscles and bones will need to be stimulated to develop correctly, and nothing like fun at the playground or riding a bike to get the necessary activities to help kids get off on the right foot.
Children over five years old up to teens need to get at least 60 minutes of exercise per day to keep their physical development on par with their aging cycle. Like adults, physical activity that sees a basis in aerobic exercise is preferred, and at minimum, three times per week should be the bare essentials for a teen/young adult. This is further explained on Ventsmagazine.com where John Cardillo explains the surprising benefits of joining a gym.
Older people, women that are pregnant, and those who have chronic health problems should discuss their workout routines with a healthcare professional. The professional will take into account their condition and recommend activities and timelines for exercise activity.
The benefits that exercise as medicine provides:
Weight control is essential for any human being. Weigh too much and you create health problems that come with obesity or being overweight. The way to look at things is to ingest enough calories that you can sufficiently burn daily. If you overeat and don’t exercise, weight gain is in your future, and the pounds will pile on in no time.
Premier Fitness Health & Wellness Program considers heart disease a serious issue and exercise will help to strengthen your heart and stimulate circulation. When improving your circulation, you add more oxygen to your system and lower the risk factors in other areas. Conditions like high cholesterol, coronary problems, and heart attacks can be forestalled if not prevented when regular exercise is part of your lifestyle. If you want to lower your blood pressure or triglyceride levels, take time out of your day to perform a proper exercise program. It will add years to your life.
Blood sugar and insulin are essential components of your blood chemistry. Managing them is the challenge, and exercise can help insulin work more effectively while keeping your blood sugar levels in check. Exercise will help reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes and other conditions associated with elevated blood sugar counts.
Add exercise to your life!
Minor changes are the beginning:
- use the stairs more instead of elevators
- walk to the associate’s desk instead of sending an email
- park the car a little further away from your office entrance
This adds some physical activity that you usually wouldn’t get – it gets the blood moving and the heart pumping.
Friends and family are a great source of activity partners. Let’s not forget that humans are social animals, so the interaction you get when exercising with somebody else is mentally stimulating.
Exercise is predicated on results, and don’t hesitate to monitor your progress. Premier Fitness Health & Wellness believes that goals keep you working out, and nothing like an achievement to drive the competitive juices.
Make your workout fun, and don’t hesitate to find activities you can do when the weather is less than cooperative. Music soothes the savage beast and can be what keeps you working long after you are tired.
Exercise, by far, is better medicine than laughter, and it is worth a lifetime of good health when making a healthy lifestyle one of the keystones of your existence.
