3 Tips For Tackling A New Workout Routine That You’ll Really (Really) Stick To
Fitness and workout goals are among the most common New Year’s Resolutions. Many feel that they should exercise more often than they currently are, but tackling new routines can be challenging, especially if you are not used to doing them. The data is clear: exercise works and helps you live longer. Here are some tips to help you stick to a new workout routine.
Creative Ways to Stay Motivated During Your Workout
Working out can mean many things. It does not have to mean lifting heavy weights or participating in a jazzercize class. Working out is an essential part of life to encourage a healthy living lifestyle. Exercise can help to improve brain activity, bone and muscle strength, and ability to perform activities of daily living, as well as reduce weight and risk of chronic disease.
The Connection Between Fitness and Mental Health
Taking care of yourself and your mental health continues to be at the forefront of many of our priorities, especially with the increase in mental health symptoms noted since the start of the pandemic1. Exercise has been shown to reduce depressive symptoms and prevent symptoms from forming2. It also has a strong correlation to preventing cognitive decline3. Exercise can reduce inflammation through various mechanisms/pathways and positively affect mental health and well-being4, among many other positive benefits. Now more than ever, it is important to take care of your mental health and prioritize it. Our bodies are designed to move, and as shown previously, it has a direct correlation to mental well-being. A relatively “easy” way to do that is through exercise.
3 Ways to Make Your Walk a Workout
Walking is a great activity to boost health, mood, and even keep you alive. It has even been coined “the 6th vital sign” as walking speed can correlate with functional ability, balance confidence, future health status, risk of hospitalization, discharge location, and mortality. To read further on other benefits of walking, see our previous blog on the 6 Health Benefits of Walking.
Sticking with your New Year’s Resolutions
As another year comes to a close, this is a great time to reflect on what we have accomplished in the last year and how we can improve ourselves moving forward. Many people use the beginning of a new year to begin working on a new self. One of the most common New Year’s resolutions people make is to work out more, lose weight, and be healthier overall. (more…)
