The amount of evidence showing why exercise is right for your health, energy, and mental well-being is overwhelming, regardless of which age group you belong to. While it's normal to lounge on the couch, staying hooked for hours on Netflix, or searching the internet for funny cat memes, don't forget to move your bones from your comfortable sofa at home regularly. You can organize your workout time to match the demands of a busy schedule. If it's not possible to dedicate at least half an hour for exercise every day due to work or other obligations, make an effort that you engage in physical activity at least two or three times per week. Science shows us that 30 min a day is best10.
Why? The Benefits Are Enormous.
Health data shows a steady, incremental increase in obesity rates among the U.S. population over the past years. For instance, the annual report from the United Health Foundation2 suggested that some 31.3 percent of U.S. adults were obese at the end of 2018, compared to 29.9 percent in 2017. To give those figures a better perspective: one in three adults experience obesity today2.Engaging in regular physical activity on a daily or weekly basis can help manage weight problems. Beyond that, exercising can prevent a series of serious health conditions that could lead to premature death, such as:
Stroke, high blood pressure and heart disease (or those who already suffer from heart disease, exercise reduces the chances of dying from it)11
Exercise lowers the risks for type 2 diabetes4
Reduces the chances of getting some types of cancer, most notably colorectal cancer which is the third most common form of cancer diagnosed in over 140,000 Americans every year5
Exercising boosts the human body immune system12
Strengthens bones and joints, and prevents conditions such as arthritis8
Exercise is also good for your mental health, as it helps battle depression or anxiety. Evidence has suggested that exercise may be an often-neglected intervention in mental health care13. Even a simple walk in nature can help you improve your mental well-being, so imagine what a rejuvenating effect a more demanding form of physical activity can have. When you are physically fit, your chances to live a healthier and more independent life in your retirement years may significantly increase, too3.
How Can Different Exercises Boost Your Health and Stamina?
You can combine different physical activities in your exercise schedule:
Aerobic exercises such as running, cycling, and swimming
Flexibility and balance exercises (like signing up for a yoga class)14
Strength exercises such as weight lifting, push-ups, and squats with weights6
No matter if you are running, swimming, or just taking a walk, aerobic exercises can strengthen the heart and improve the cardiovascular system in the human body1, 11. Aerobic exercises should be the bread and butter of every training program. To experience the benefits, maintain a moderate pace (a "talking pace") while doing any aerobic activities can be enough.With regular practice, you can start to incrementally increase the intensity of your exercise program. Running can certainly help if you struggle with obesity, and swimming can help you with muscle tone. Both will strengthen your cardiovascular system.Balance exercises are easy and can be combined with other warm-up exercises. Yoga can exponentially help with this regards, as the balance is the cornerstone of any yoga practice. Free weight strength-training exercises are also known to improve balance. Regular balance and flexibility exercises strengthen the body and make it more resilient to accidents such as falls.For folks in retirement age, exercise becomes very important. A study from 20033, which included 163 people aged over 65 years and identified as at-risk-of-falling, has concluded that participation in a weekly group exercise program with additional home exercises can improve balance and reduce the rate of falling in at-risk older people. Last but not least, doing strength exercises contributes to a stronger and fitter body as a whole. Strength training can help you build muscle mass, improve bone density, and can reduce inflammatory diseases such as arthritis pain.Strength training impacts the entire body, making you feel generally more energetic, and more resilient to less serious conditions such as the seasonal flu to more serious ones such as cardiovascular disease.
How Can Light Therapy Boost the Effects of Your Exercise?
Light Therapy is a safe and convenient way to boost the effects of your exercise and training efforts. Combining your workouts with Light Therapy treatments can:
Improve endurance during intensive workout sessions9
Speed up recovery time and prevent exercise-induced muscle damage9
Significantly decrease muscle soreness, pain, and atrophy, as well as increase muscle mass, recovery and athletic performance in rehabilitation programs and sports medicine.7
These are some of the few benefits that Light Therapy can bring to your exercise program. Please see our Light Therapy and Exercise blog for more information.Taking care of your health doesn't have to be difficult, and using Light Therapy treatments will boost your training and exercise efforts. If you are an active person or a professional athlete, reach out to our team on Facebook or Twitter or email us learn more about the benefits of Light Therapy in greater detail. Whether you want to combine Light Therapy with your ongoing exercise routines, book a session here.