Olivia Jose
You may have recently heard about the new “fit” trend in workplaces, especially the workplace for pregnant women. The Daily Exercise routine should include at least some physical activity every day, and many workplaces are beginning to incorporate fitness programs into their employee wellness plans.
But how is it that fitness programs can help employees live longer and healthier lives? And why aren’t there more studies out there citing the myriad social and health risks associated with sitting at a desk all day?
It’s true; previous studies, such as a popular study from 2021, had initially set the daily exercise goal at 60 minutes per day for overall mortality benefits. But that study used self Reported data, which many experts believe is problematic because it relies on self-reporting. While we know a significant association between physical activity and decreased mortality for many adults, including those who are morbidly obese, smoking, or elderly, most people don’t report exercising regularly. And even those who do exercise might not be exercising at the level recommended for optimal health.
But we know that daily exercise is important for our bodies health. Physical activity strengthens our bones and muscles, reducing our risk of developing common diseases like osteoporosis and heart disease. It also makes us feel younger. It improves cognitive performance and stimulates the immune system. Physical education in schools has even started to make exercise a part of the academic curriculum.
But physical education doesn’t always require walking or jogging. Walking is beneficial, of course, but many lead sedentary lifestyles that require much less physical activity than the typical American adult. Sedentary habits cause many serious problems, and one of them is life span. For example, it has been estimated that if all Americans took half a dozen daily walks, they would add years to their life spans.
But what if you could increase your life span by only taking two extra high-intensity workouts a week?
We can add moderate aerobic exercise to our weekly routines and see how much better we feel. If you want to live longer, the secret is to follow a healthy lifestyle that includes cardiovascular workouts, weight loss, and increasing your physical activity levels.
Adding moderate aerobic exercise to your daily routine helps you to:
Weight loss and increased muscle strength are two other important benefits of cardiovascular workouts. If you add a little weight training to your weekly workouts, your body will burn more calories during your workout than it would with other forms of aerobic exercise alone. For example, your body will burn twice as many calories when combining your weight training workout with a light, full-body aerobics class. In addition, weight training will help you build lean muscle mass. Lean muscle mass will greatly improve your metabolism so that you can lose fat more efficiently. You can also expect to increase your resting metabolism, which is the level of energy your body uses before it sleeps for the night.
Yoga:
Yoga has a few additional health benefits. The consistent stretching and strengthening of your muscles have the effect of stretching the connective tissue in your body. This will help your connective tissues become stronger and more pliable, increasing the flexibility in your joints. Many people who do yoga often remark that their bodies feel more toned and flexible after a yoga session than before they began.
Heart Healthy:
Of course, the most important health benefit of exercise is keeping your heart healthy. Daily exercise is the best way to accomplish this goal. Studies have shown that those who exercise daily live longer lives. This is that regular exercise reduces the risk of heart disease, a leading cause of death. So, if you want to maximize your life span, you need to do some form of daily exercise.
