6 Dimensions of Health: Exercise

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Exercise doesn’t have to a painful, excruciating or even boring process. You don’t need fancy clothing or designer gear to have a successful exercise regimen. Incorporating small steps (pun intended) can make a big difference in your goal to achieve a healthy lifestyle.

What is exercise?

Exercise can be defined as any type of physical activity that exerts the body, increases heart rate and maintains overall health and wellness. The Department of Health and Services recommends 150 minutes a week of moderate activity or 75 minutes of aerobic activity. And while many experts recommend 10,000 steps per day, the actual magic number falls anywhere between 5,000 and 7,500 so long as you are increasing your heart rate when walking.

Why do you need exercise?

Exercise has many long-term benefits. Not only will it improve your over-all physique but will also increase energy and overall lifespan. Like many of the 6 Dimensions of a healthy lifestyle, regular exercise helps to avoid cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, as well as depression and anxiety.

Regular physical activity boosts confidence while also deepening sleep and improves your over-all mood. Feeling stressed at work? Go for a walk. Feeling overwhelmed by the world today? Do a quick yoga sesh. By doing exercise, you are increasing serotonin (the feel-good chemicals) in your brain, instantly making you feel and look good.

5 Exercises You Can Do in 10 Minutes

Exercise is not always a fast beat, sweat dripping, all-consuming project. There are many simple ways to incorporate physical activity into your daily grind. If you’re a Craver, stress will cause you to gravitate towards a bad habit. The only way to break a bad habit is to replace with another habit. Replace your Craver response with one of these quick easy ways.

Walking

Regardless of your climate, you can easily add more steps into your waking time. Start your day by taking a lap around the house or backyard. Then, set a timer for every hour to get up and take a lap. Before the end of the day, you’ll meet your 12-hour stand goal and have achieved additional blood flow and increased focus.

Yoga

Yoga doesn’t have to be done in a studio. It can simply be wherever you or your mat is. And your mat, can be a folded towel. Find beginner Yoga courses streaming through YouTube, Instagram or other online platforms.

Weight Training

Like yoga, weight training doesn’t require a gym. Start with items you have at home, lifting gallon jugs to complete bicep curls or use a chair to complete body lifts and oblique bends.

Stretching

While most of us hunch over a computer all day, stretching can help to relive muscle soreness in the back and shoulders as well as improving posture. In addition, a good stretch can improve range of motion while keeping muscles healthy.

Chasing your kids or dog

Exercise can be fun! Chase your kids for a fun game of tag or grab the tennis ball and play fetch with your pupper. Either option will get your heart rate up and burn some good exercise.