Have you ever wanted to build your endurance to run 5 km? Doing so requires training, motivation, determination and a plan to get there! This sort of goal can seem daunting. Yet, with a regular and methodical training plan like we outline here, this undertaking is achievable for almost everyone! Not only will you work towards satisfying the American Heart Association’s recommendation of fulfilling…
We need to get moving! Social, or physical distancing which is recommended to reduce the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19) has altered our daily work and recreation patterns, leading to a much more sedentary lifestyle for many of us! Presently, I am working remotely like many of you, which requires less walking, and my gym and swim classes are cancelled. The number of steps I take in a typical day have been reduced by one-half. We know that Exercise (even a single…
Keeping Active While Social Distancing | Challenge 1 In this time of social distancing and self-quarantining that helps slow the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19), how do we keep active and mentally healthy? This is especially challenging in many parts of the world as schools, workplaces, gyms, and fitness classes are closed. Exercise (even a single bout) can boost your…
One of the great benefits of regular exercise is the boost it provides to the immune system. Regular exercise protects against sickness for all people, but particularly in older aged people and those with chronic diseases (1). This is shown to be the case with large population studies for both communicable diseases, such as bacterial and viral infections,…
Being active is a very good indicator of overall health and wellness. It’s recommended that we exercise at a moderate intensity for 150 min a week at about 30 min for 5 days a week. The 30-minute bouts can be broken into smaller intervals of 10 minutes as well. But what if you haven’t got…
Short bursts of vigorous exercise from several seconds to minutes can be very beneficial to fitness and health. This latest ‘word on the street’ is supported by science-based studies over the last decade and is now incorporated into updated physical activity guidelines worldwide such as the 2018 US Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Short bursts…
Exercise can be performed at very low temperatures and even well below 0°C (32°F) in well prepared and appropriately dressed healthy individuals. The risk of injury, such as hypothermia (decreased core body temperature) and frostbite (freezing injury of the extremities) is real yet preventable with appropriate clothing and avoidance of circumstances that put you at…
Our leisure, school and work time are increasingly spent watching screens while sitting such as television, computers, and socializing on small screens. Consequently, we are becoming more sedentary during our average day, and spending less time doing physically active tasks. It’s much more convenient to email our work mate down the hallway instead of getting…
Sleep is a valuable asset that many of us take for granted. When we fail to sleep for 7-9 hours nightly, we feel the immediate effects. Additionally, studies show that a chronic lack of sleep has detrimental long-term consequences to our health and can even shorten our lifespan. One way to improve the quality and…
The benefits of regular exercise are quite outrageous. Exercise has been called the ‘wonder’ drug and a ‘miracle’ cure. Research indicates that regular exercise is effective in the prevention and treatment of many common diseases including type 2 diabetes, some cancers, dementia, depression, heart disease and other common serious conditions. Regular exercise is estimated to reduce…