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Engaging in regular exercise can reap numerous health benefits.
All you have to do is to engage in at least 150 to 300 minutes of
moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity and at least 2 days of
muscle-and bone-strengthening activities every week.
During moderate-intensity activities:
• Your heart rate increases.
• You can talk in short sentences, but not sing.
• Examples of moderate-intensity activities include brisk walking (at a walking
pace of 1km in 10-15 minutes), recreational badminton, leisure bike riding on
level ground, or with a few hills, recreational table tennis and leisure swimming.
Besides aerobic activity, one should also engage in muscle-strengthening activities (also known as resistance or strength training) that work all major muscle groups (e.g. arms, shoulders, chest, back, hips, legs, abdominals) at least 2 days a week.
Muscle-strengthening exercises work different major muscle groups in the legs, hip, back, abdomen, shoulders and arms, making your muscles and bones stronger and more resilient. Strengthening muscles and joints can also reduce the risk of injury to your body. Examples of strength-training exercises are exercises that use your body weight for resistance (e.g. push ups, pull ups, sit-ups and squats), working with resistance bands and weight training.
Muscle-strengthening exercise should include performing 8-10 exercises involving all the major muscle groups, consisting of 8-12 repetitions for each exercise.
• Help improve sleep
• Promote aerobic fitness and cardiovascular health:
Physical activity improves blood circulation through our heart and lungs. Regular aerobic activity lowers blood pressure, improving our heart health and reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Our heart muscles will also be strengthened and we might find ourselves with increased energy levels to do the things we enjoy.
• Reduce rate of age-related muscle loss by strengthening bones and muscles
• Help maintain a healthy weight:
Along with a healthy and proper balanced diet, regular physical activity helps us maintain a healthy weight. Strength training promotes fat-burning and builds muscles. Higher muscle mass increases our resting metabolic rate, therefore increasing calories burnt. Aerobic activities also burn fats as one of the fuel sources.
Regular physical activity can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, High blood pressure, type-2 diabetes, stroke and osteoporosis.
• Keeps diseases away:
Your body releases chemicals called endorphins when you exercise. Endorphins are "feel-good" chemicals that can uplift your mood, and even reduce feelings of stress, anxiety and depression.
• Enhance your emotional and psychological well-being:
Starting an exercise journey can be tough on both your mind and body. Learn to set realistic goals and reach them safely for better health and fitness. Your goals should be SMART:
Specific and Measurable
Use quantifiable numbers like 30 minutes.
Example: “I will walk for 30 minutes after dinner.”
Attainable
Whether they are long-term goals or short-term goals, set an attainable goal: you know yourself best! If you work overtime most nights, it may not be realistic to commit to a 45-minute gym session daily after work. Split your workouts: 10 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes during lunch, and 20 minutes after work. Adults should start by doing small amounts of physical activity, and gradually increase the frequency, intensity, and duration over time.
Relevant
Work towards something you care about. Whether it is learning something new or working towards a fitness goal, the key to adherence is enjoyment!
Time-bound
Set a deadline or choose a time frame so you’re motivated to start. What’s your end-point, your grand prize? Do you want to achieve your goal in the short term or long term?
Engage in Physical Activity in Small Spaces:
One simple tweak for office warriors is to get a standing desk. Sitting too much increases risk for type 2 diabetes, standing breaks up time being sedentary. Increase your steps by walking to your lunch place and skip the food delivery.
Aim to Break Up Sedentary Time with Steps:
You can also add steps and increase your physical activity by changing your public transport routine. Alight a stop before your destination and brisk walk the rest of the way. Walking can help reduce stress, taking time to step out for a walk gives you the opportunity to get away from stressors, breathing fresh air and allowing your body to move is a natural stress-relief.
Home Workouts:
Leisure time doesn’t mean you have to be lazy. Do some light stretching while watching your favourite dramas. If that’s too easy, try doing some jumping jacks during commercial breaks.
Sneaking physical activity or a workout routine into everyday life.
If you have not been physically active, find a physical activity that you enjoy and start small and start slow. Start getting active today!
For any enquiries, e-mail to healthywe@team-axis.com or call 9027 3873 (9.30am - 6.30pm)