Sedentary Lifestyle, No More!
How much do you walk? Did you walk more than 1,000 steps today yet, how about 2,000 steps? Did you know that walking just 1,500 steps a day still deems you as a couch potato? Did you know that a sedentary lifestyle is not a healthy lifestyle? Being sedentary is not only linked to depression, anxiety, high blood pressure and obesity, it has been linked to an early death throughout the entire world. It is imperative to be physically active to prevent heart disease and stroke, after all they are the nation’s #1 and #5 killers. To improve overall cardiovascular health, The American Heart Association proposes that people get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise (or a combination of both moderate and vigorous activity). Now that you know, don’t you think it is time to do something about these horrible statistic, by getting you and your love ones to move more each day?
According to World Health Organization (WHO), physical in-activity has been identified as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality causing an estimated 3.2 million deaths globally. Regular moderate intensity physical activity – such as walking, cycling, or participating in sports – has significant benefits for health. For instance, it can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, colon and breast cancer, and depression. Moreover, adequate levels of physical activity will decrease the risk of a hip or vertebral fracture and help control weight. These statistics alone should be enough to get you to act by starting a get moving regime, if not now, for sure come January 2018. As you take the time to reflect on the year of 2017 this month via our previous article, consider how much moving you are not doing and how much moving you could be doing or would like to do and ask yourself the question what is stopping you. You know you should be doing more to move and you know you could be doing it, but you, yourself are indeed the only barrier in the way of not acting. You are the one who keeps coming up with excuses on why you will wait until another day, month or year to start what you know you could be doing now. Should(s) are always hindrances to hide the could(s) in one’s life. If you know you should be doing it, that just means you know you could do it. So today, think about how you will stop procrastinating and making excuses why you can't make more time to live a more physically active lifestyle in the coming year.
What is Physical Activity?
WHO defines physical activity as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure – including activities undertaken while working, playing, carrying out household chores, travelling, and engaging in recreational pursuits.
The term "physical activity" should not be confused with "exercise", which is a subcategory of physical activity that is planned, structured, repetitive, and aims to improve or maintain one or more components of physical fitness. Beyond exercise, any other physical activity that is done during leisure time, for transport to get to and from places, or as part of a person’s work, has a health benefit. Further, both moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity improve health. If you enjoy dancing, swimming, hiking, biking, golf or any other sport get more involved. If you are not familiar with any then sign up to a local club, like an YMCA and find out what physical activities may be of interest to you. Ball room dancing and getting your boogie-woogie on is indeed a wonderful way to keep the body in motion as well.
Why Physical Activity is Important?
Whether you can walk jog, run or ride a bike, use an elliptical, swim, golf, hike or dance; movement is imperative for all living human beings to have descent health. Physical activity can pro long-life spans, fight off degenerate diseases, slow mental decline, lower blood pressure, cholesterol and take away depression by improving one’s mood. Physical activity has been known to perk one up when they are feeling down and change your entire world around for the better. Something as little as a 20 or 30-minute brisk walks 3 to 5 times a week is better than not doing anything at all to start. You want to work yourself up to an hour a week, 4 to 5 times a week. You may be saying, I don’t have time to do that, but all you do have is time when you look at the statistics of people using walkers and canes before they are 40/50 or those with a type 2 diabetes and various cancers. You can break down your walks to something like 20 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes at lunch time and 25 minutes in the evening if you are seeking to get an hour in a day without it being an arduous task on your lifestyle. The key is to set an intention to make time for you and then you will achieve what you set out to do. As we wrote in the December Reflection Blog, write down your goals. Feeling yourself write it and then read what you wrote, can move mountains to spark a new-found energy within you to get you movement. Look at it as way to encourage yourself via your desires. If you find it difficult to do on your own, hire a Health Coach, A Personal Trainer or someone in the Health and Wellness Industry to hold you accountable for starters.
If you've been living a sedentary lifestyle, working in a job where you sit all day; start to get up more, take your breaks, park far, take the stairs, stretch your arms and legs or do a few jumping jacks if able to change things up. Don't let working a desk job be the thing that comes between you and optimum health. You have choices, choose wisely, decide that moving more is imperative to longevity.
Water Facts
The human body is made up of 60% to 75% of water, this means that throughout the day one should stay hydrated no matter what the temperature is outside with water. Water helps the total body function properly. Water helps with both physical and mental fatigue and the more you drink to remain hydrated the better your skin looks; it appears plumper, not sagging and wrinkled. Blood can’t move around without water it become stagnant, food is hard to digest without water and that leads to painful constipation that surely won’t make anyone feel good. If you do not drink water for an entire week, you may not be around to tell about; so, make water and walking a cohesive partnership on your journey to end a sedentary lifestyle. If you are not able to commit to ending your sedentary lifestyle this month, try to make it a part of you moving your body protocol for the beginning of 2018. Let's go for the goal of taking 10,000 steps a day, start where you are today and try to hit that goal regulatory by March 31st, 2018, but no later than June 30th 2018.
Water Bottle Slings
To start your walking journey, stop by our online store (shop page) and pick up a water bottle sling so that you do not have to ever carry a water bottle ever again in your hand while you are walking the streets, the track, the malls or any store. Just sling it around you and you are good to go hands free. This apparatus not only allows you to be hands free, it is eco-friendly, sustainable and pushes forward great health for the environment. The water bottle slings are made from recyclable plastic water bottles, this helps to alleviate plastic disturbing natures eco-system by using it for more than just drinking and throwing out the plastic water bottles when finished with it. Now, it is reused via recycling for other purposes; in this case to make a green versatile, handy bag.
Physical Activity Guidance/Help
Kay is a Certified Health & Lifestyle Educator/Coach, Personal Trainer, Behavior Change Specialist, Fitness Nutrition Specialist among other things. She can help to set-you up on the right track, so that you can start your 2018 off on the path to achieve your health and wellness goals. If you do not have any health or lifestyle goals yet and/or need help crafting some; Kay will work with you to assist you to set some for yourself. Kay is excellent at helping people achieve their planned goals, she will stretch your thinking, but you will be thankful she did when it is all over. Kay can be reached at (929)35-CLEAR or at beclearinc@gmail.com or at k@earthynaturalsandthingz.com if you have inquiries about her services in full or would like to set-up a consultation.
Physical Activity Disclaimer: