Staying active is so important. It means you’re healthier, more likely to be at a lower weight, have lower blood pressure and at less risk for diabetes. No matter the time of year, there are so many ways you can stay active. Here are a few ways you can stay active and healthy.
Cardio
Cardio is extremely important to fitness. Regular cardio reduces the risk for diseases like diabetes and cancer. This is in part because cardiovascular exercise helps strengthen your bones and muscles, while reducing cholesterol and blood pressure. It also lowers glucose levels and makes your body more sensitive to insulin, which reduces risk of diabetes.
Cardio will also help you lose weight. This is because cardio is a type of aerobic exercise, which means it gets your heart pumping. This means it increases the number of calories you burn at the moment when you’re working out.
Cardio and Weight Loss
Weight loss happens when you burn calories at a deficit, meaning you burn more calories than you take in. Cardio can help because it allows you to burn more calories in a day, but it isn’t the only thing you should be doing to lose weight. To maintain proper metabolic function while losing weight, you still need a diet full of the right vitamins and minerals. A supplemental option like the Thrive patch can help promote healthy weight management, improved health, increased workout effectiveness and improve digestion.
So what are the best types of cardio for losing weight? It all depends on your lifestyle and what you have access to. Walking can have cardiovascular benefits, but it isn’t going to get your heart rate up into the fat burning zone like running will. Running is a high impact activity though, meaning it can be hard on your joints. Biking and swimming are lower impact activities that still get your heart rate up high, but they require equipment.
Making a Lifestyle Change
To incorporate activity into your routine and really make it a lifestyle change, consider hobbies that incorporate activity into your life. For instance, if you want to take up walking, try hiking. If you love the water, spend a weekend afternoon paddle boarding or kayaking. Even horseback riding burns calories. No matter what cardio exercise you choose, get moving!
Strength Training
Outside of cardio, you should also add strength training to your active lifestyle routine. Strength training will increase your metabolism, allowing you to burn more calories simply by existing. This is because muscle uses a lot more energy than fat while at rest. Strength training also helps build stronger bones and more joint flexibility. It can reduce the symptoms of arthritis and reduce the risk of bone fractures as well.
Strength training can involve using machines at the gym or lifting using a barbell. It’s commonly thought that lifting heavy weights will make you bulky. But that isn’t true. Lifting heavy will tone and strengthen your muscles. It takes years of dedicated effort and the desire to look bulky to achieve those results.
Dumbbells and Non-Weight Exercises
If you’re looking to strength train at home and don’t want a lot of bulky equipment laying around, invest in a set of dumbbells and incorporate some non-weighted exercises into your routine. Try planks, mountain climbers, step ups and pull ups.
Stretching and Recovery
Even if you’re doing non-weighted exercises, recovery is an important part of an active lifestyle. You should be regularly stretching and keeping active joints flexible. Foam rollers and bands can provide huge benefits to aid in stretching and rolling out muscles.
Yoga for Recovery
Taking a weekly yoga class is another great way to incorporate stretching into your active lifestyle. Yoga helps stretch the muscles and rest the mind. If you do yoga regularly, you’re getting a lot of the benefits of breathing exercises and meditation, as well as a good stretch.
No matter how you move, get moving. The health benefits of regular exercise and a healthy lifestyle are too important to ignore.
