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The benefits of staying active in old age: Physical activity counteracts the negative influence of PICALM, BIN1, and CLU risk alleles on episodic memory functioning.

Ferencz, Beata,Laukka, Erika J.,Welmer, Anna-Karin,Kalpouzos, Grégoria,Angleman, Sara,Keller, Lina,Graff, Caroline,Lövdén, Martin,Bäckman, Lars

Psychology and Aging, Vol 29(2), Jun 2014, 440-449

ACSM's Exercise is MedicineTM: A Clinician's Guide to Exercise Prescription. Jonas, Steven, & Phillips, Edward M. pp. 134-150.

Factors That Affect Exercise Habits of College Students. Luke Eichorn, Kayla Bruner, Taylor Short, Samuel P. Abraham. July Press, Journal of Education and Development 2(1), 2018. https://doi.org/10.20849/jed.v2i1.327

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Incorporating healthy, active hobbies you love into your everyday life like gardening, hiking, or fishing will help build consistency.

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While having a dedicated period of time for exercise is important, it's also helpful to move randomly throughout the day to increase the total amount of active time in your day.

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Slowly increasing the length and intensity of your workout will continue enhancing your health benefits as well.

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Be realistic in setting the goals you want to achieve. Make sure to differentiate between short and long term goals. Once you reach your goals, set new ones so you are always moving forward!

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What are some ways I can build good habits?

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What are some ways I can build good habits?

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Tips for being consistent in your routine.

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A beginners guide to building a great workout.

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What type of exercises should I have in my routine?

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What type of exercises should I have in my routine?

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Just like with our diet, variety is key! There are 2 main components to any good workout routine: cardio and weight training. Cardio strengthens your heart, and weight lifting strengthens your body. Spreading both types of workout throughout your weekly routine is important for improving cardiovascular health and longevity.

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Any fitness addict will tell you that combining cardio and strength training is the best way to increase your fat burning potential.

Think of strength training and cardio as a classic duo like peanut butter and jelly. While they're good individually, they're even better together.

Pros of Cardio

Cardio exercise helps improve your body's ability to deliver blood and oxygen to your muscles, strengthening your heart and lungs. This process builds up your endurance through training your muscles to better utilize oxygen. Regular cardio lowers blood pressure, body fat, regulates blood sugar levels and reduces inflammation.

In the long term, regular aerobic (cardio) exercise can also reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer. It can also improve your memory and protect the brain against age-related cognitive decline.

Pro tip: Aim for about 150 minutes of moderate cardio exercise per week. This can include brisk walking, swimming, jogging, cycling, dancing, or classes like zumba.

Pros of strength training

Strength training on the other hand helps you build muscles that support you in your everyday life, boosts your metabolism and improves the body's ability to burn more fat in the long run. Strengthening your muscles makes you feel stronger, stimulates bone growth, assists with weight control, improves balance, posture and reduces pain in the lower back and joints.

Anxiety Reducing

In general, exercise is known for its many positive physical and mental effects. Although, combining movement with bodyweight training offers double the benefits of one of them riding solo. Also, incorporating something fun or performing an activity that requires syncing your breath with your movements can enhance the positive effects on your mental health.

The Dynamic Duo

Get the fat burning punch of combining cardio and strength training by trying these tips:

1. Increase the pace of your workout

Cardio exercise is when your heart rate exceeds about 50% of its normal pace and remains there for a period of 20-30 minutes. So if you generally prefer a strength training workout like yoga, just do your next session faster with more circuits and keep a continuous movement to increase your heart rate. You can also start your workouts with cardio like a 20 minute high intensity interval run, and then end your session with a seven minute strength building workout.

2. Add weight and do more reps

Adding some weight and doing more reps can make your workouts more intense! Increasing your heart rate and promoting faster muscle fatigue so that your training can be considered both cardio and strength. Keep up the pace of your reps as well by trying to include continuous movement throughout.

3. Alternate between cardio and strength training

Let's say you workout 5 times a week for 30 minutes each time, just practice alternating the workouts from cardio to strength training and back again to get the benefits of both types of training every week. An example would be to do cardio on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Tuesday and Thursdays your weight or strength training.

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The benefits of combining cardio and strength training - Seven

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Any fitness addict will tell you that combining cardio and strength training is the best way to increase your fat burning potential. Instead of just sticking to one type of workout learn how to make the best of both worlds!

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Every week, adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate activity (dancing, gardening, walking...) or 75 minutes of intense activity (running, jumping rope, boxing...). A great way to keep track of this is to build a playlist of your favorite tunes that lasts the length of the workout you need to achieve that day!

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Staying active is easy and fun once you find what you love! Walking or running are great places to start, and eventually incorporating more complex exercises like weight-lifting and aerobics will help build routine.

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Regular exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health.

In fact, you'll begin to see and feel the benefits consistent physical activity can have on your body and well-being quickly.

However, working exercise into your routine takes a lot of determination, and sticking to it in the long term requires discipline.

If you're considering starting to exercise but don't know where to begin, this article is for you. Here's all you need to know about starting a routine and sticking to it.

Regular exercise has been shown to improve your health significantly ().

Its primary benefits include helping you achieve and maintain a healthy body weight and muscle mass and reducing your risk for chronic diseases (, , 4, ).

Additionally, research has shown that exercise can lift your mood, boost your mental health, help you sleep better, and even enhance your sex life (, , 8).

And that's not all. It can also help you maintain good energy levels ().

In short, exercise is powerful and can help improve your life.

Summary
Exercise can help to improve mental function, reduce your risk for chronic disease and manage your weight.

There are various types of exercise, including:

Aerobic. The core of any fitness program should include some form of continuous movement. Examples include swimming, running, and dancing.

Strength. These exercises help increase muscle power and strength. Examples include resistance training, plyometrics, weightlifting, and sprinting.

Calisthenics. These moves are usually performed without gym equipment using large muscle groups. They're done at a medium aerobic pace. Examples include lunges, situps, pushups, and pullups.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT). This type of exercise includes repetitions of short bursts of high-intensity exercise followed by low-intensity exercises or rest periods.

Boot camps. These are timed-based, high-intensity circuits that combine aerobic and resistance exercises.

Balance or stability. These exercises are designed to strengthen muscles and improves body coordination. Examples include Pilates, tai chi poses, and core-strengthening exercises.

Flexibility. These types of exercises help muscle recovery, maintain range of motion, and prevent injuries. Examples include yoga or individual muscle-stretch movements.

The activities above can be done individually or combined. The important thing is to do what works best for you and to have fun with it.

Summary
Common types of exercise include aerobic, strength, calisthenics, HIIT, boot camps, flexibility, and stability. You can do them individually or combined.

It's essential to consider a few things before starting a new workout routine.

1. Check your health

It's important to consult your healthcare provider and get a physical medical examination before starting an exercise routine.

This is particularly important for those new to strenuous and vigorous physical activities.

An early checkup can detect any health problems or conditions that could put you at risk for an injury during exercise.

It can also help you optimize your workout, making it easier for you and your personal trainer, if you choose to work with one, to understand your limitations and create an exercise plan tailored to your particular needs.

2. Make a plan and set realistic goals

Once you decide to start exercising regularly, try to create a plan that includes attainable steps and goals.

One way to do this is to start with a plan of easy steps to follow. Then you can continue building on it as your fitness level improves.

For example, if your goal is to finish a 5-kilometer run, you can start by building a plan that includes shorter runs.

Once you can finish those short runs, increase the distance until you can run the whole 5 kilometers in one session.

Starting with small achievable goals will increase your chances of success and keep you motivated every step of the way.

Summary
Before you start working out, get a health check-up and make a plan with realistic goals. Then, make exercise a habit by incorporating it into your daily routine.

3. Make it a habit

Another key component of exercise success is to stick to your routine.

It seems to be easier for people to maintain an exercise routine in the long term if they make it a habit and do it regularly ().

A review of studies concluded that replacing an unhealthy behavior with a new healthier habit is an excellent approach to maintaining it in the long term ().

Furthermore, making a schedule or exercising at the same time every day are good ways to sustain your routine and make it last.

For example, you can make exercise a habit by planning to work out right after work every day or first thing in the morning. It's important to choose a time that works best for you.

Summary
The minimum recommendation for exercise is at least 150 minutes per week. However, it is important to start slowly and let your body rest from time to time.

Below is an easy-to-follow, 1-week exercise program that doesn't require equipment and will only take you 30-45 minutes a day to complete.

This program can be adjusted to your fitness level and made as challenging as you want.

Monday: 40-minute moderate-pace jog or brisk walk.

Tuesday: Rest day.

Wednesday: Walk briskly for 10 minutes. Then, complete the following circuits, resting 1 minute after each set but not between exercises. Stretch afterward.

Thursday: Rest day.

Friday: 30-minute bike ride or moderate-pace jog.

Saturday: Rest day.

Sunday: Run, jog, or take a long walk for 40 minutes.

The 1-week program above is just a simple sample to get you started. For more workout ideas and plans, check out the following links:

Summary
There are various exercises you can do. The plan above is just one example to help get you started working out.

1. Stay hydrated

Drinking fluids throughout the day is essential for maintaining healthy hydration levels .

Replenishing fluids during exercise is essential for maintaining optimal performance, especially when exercising in hot temperatures ( 10, ).

Moreover, hydrating after your workout can help you recover and get you ready for your next training session ( , ).

2. Optimize your nutrition

Be sure to consume a balanced diet to support your fitness program.

All food groups are necessary to sustain healthy energy levels and get the most out of your workout. are vital, as they can fuel your muscles before exercise ( ).

Carbs are also important after exercise to replenish glycogen stores and assist with the absorption of amino acids into your muscles during recovery ().

Additionally, protein helps improve muscle recovery after exercise, repairs tissue damage, and builds muscle mass ().

Lastly, regularly consuming healthy fats has been shown to help burn body fat and preserve muscle fuel during workouts, making your energy last longer ( ).

3. Warm up

It's important to warm up before your workout. Doing so can help prevent injuries and improve your athletic performance ( , ).

It can also help improve your flexibility and reduce soreness after your workout ().

Simply start your workout with some aerobic exercises like arm swings, leg kicks, and walking lunges.

Alternatively, you can warm up by doing easy movements of the exercise you're planning to do. For example, walk before you run.

4. Cool down

Cooling down is also important because it helps your body return to its normal state.

Taking a couple of minutes to cool down can help restore normal breathing patterns and even reduce the chance of muscle soreness ( , ).

Some cool-down ideas include light walking after aerobic exercise or stretching after resistance training.

5. Listen to your body

If you're not used to working out every day, be mindful of your limits.

If you feel pain or discomfort while exercising, stop and rest before continuing. Pushing through the pain is not a good idea, as it can cause injuries.

Also, remember that working out harder and faster is not necessarily better.

Taking your time to progress through your fitness program can help you maintain your routine in the long term and make the most of it.

Summary
Be sure to stay hydrated, eat a balanced diet, warm up before exercising, cool down afterward, and listen to your body.

The key to staying motivated and making exercise a habit is to have fun while doing it. This helps you to not dread exercising.

Like the sample exercise program shown above, you can mix up activities while keeping it fun for you.

If you're able to and want to, joining a gym or taking a virtual fitness class like yoga or Pilates, hiring a personal trainer, or doing team sports are good ideas to help increase motivation and enjoyment ().

Working out as a group or with a friend can also help maintain accountability and motivate you to keep up your exercise routine.

Furthermore, tracking your progress, such as logging your weightlifting levels or noting your running times, can help keep you motivated to improve your personal records.

Summary
To maintain your motivation, try mixing up your workouts, joining a gym, or participating in a team sport. And be sure to track your progress.

Starting a new exercise routine can be challenging. However, having real objectives can help you maintain a fitness program in the long term.

There are many different types of physical activity to choose from. Find a few that work for you and be sure to vary them occasionally.

The goal is to start slowly, build up your fitness level, and let your body rest from time to time to help prevent injuries.

Keeping track of your progress or taking a virtual group class are examples of actionable steps that can help you stay motivated and achieve your goals.

It's also important to eat a healthy diet and hydrate regularly as well as check in with your healthcare provider to monitor your health.

So what are you waiting for?

Start exercising today!

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How to Start Exercising: A Beginner's Guide to Working Out

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Regular exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health. In fact, you'll begin to see and feel the benefits consistent physical activity can have on your body and well-being quickly. However, working exercise into your routine takes a lot of determination, and sticking to it in the long term requires discipline.