Jumpstart your health this summer

By Mercedes Kay Gold, CNP, CPT

Summertime is all about radiating feel-good vibes, and the ideal time to jumpstart your health. Fresh air, sunny skies, warm weather, and Mother Nature provided a first-class free gym. Lace up your runners, grab water and let’s get fit outdoors. Breathe in nature, enjoying the sights and sounds of magnificent Canada.

The health benefits of exercise are monumental, ultra inclusive and never discriminate. Getting your sweat on is linked to longevity worldwide. Improved overall wellbeing is as easy as 1-2-3. The Public Health Agency of Canada recommends adults (18-64) are active at least 2.5 hours a week and recommend focusing on moderate vigorous aerobic activity, broken down into 10 minutes or more. It’s important to also include activities that target all muscles and bones at least two days a week. It may sound like a huge mountain to climb, but take the first step. Any amount of activity is better than none. Start slowly with 10 minutes, increasing by 10 minutes and before you know it, the trendy target of       10, 000 steps daily is doable. According to the world-renowned Mayo Clinic, there are seven benefits of regular exercise and physical activity.

Exercise controls weight

Moving your body burns calories. As we age, we lose valuable muscle. Muscle burns more calories at rest than fat. Exercising increases lean muscle mass while helping you lower body fat. Walking briskly for about an hour a day counteracts the effects of weight-promoting genes in half.

Exercise combats health conditions and diseases

Regular physical activity can help reduce the risk of premature death and chronic diseases. Building muscle and bone density helps improve posture and maintain balance. It’s more fun to try and offset osteoporosis, coronary heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer, and even type -2 diabetes by moving and grooving than filling a prescription. Exercise helps ease joint pain. Several studies found walking reduces arthritis-related pain. Walking offers joint protection through lubrication and also helps support surrounding muscles. Walking is a wonderful way to combat cold and flu season. It appears women and men who walked at least 20 minutes a day, a minimum of five days per week had 43 per cent fewer sick days than those who were active once a week or less. Good news for those who did get sick. Luckily, they suffered a shorter time and symptoms were less severe. Women who walk seven hours a week or more a week have a 14 per cent lower risk of breast cancer compared to those walking three hours a week or less. It’s time to train.

Exercise improves mood

Physical activity activates the neurotransmitters in the brain. Dopamine or nature’s “holistic happiness” is released in the brain, invoking a feeling of euphoria. Diminished depression may be one of the best biproducts of regular exercise. Endorphins trigger a positive feeling similar to morphine, but that “runner’s high” doesn’t lead to physical addiction. Endorphins are natural pain relievers, helping reduce stress throughout the body. Summer love increases serotonin. Just 15 minutes of sunbathing provides UV radiation. Vitamin D, known as the sunshine vitamin, is produced when sunlight hits the skin directly. Serotonin helps regulate mood, appetite, sleep, memory, and supports drama free digestion. Feeling fit and healthy builds self-esteem and self-efficacy in functional life. Spending time with the ones we adore produces oxytocin or the love hormone. Hug your walking partner, especially if it’s a fur baby or a tree. Stroll barefoot on the beach, grass, garden or muddy trail and raise your vibration. Connecting your body to the earth’s surface improves sleep, supports circadian rhythm, reduces pain, and stress. Engaging the parasympathetic system helps slow our heart rate, breathing rates and supports healthy digestion. When we are relaxed, we are not living in the cortisol releasing “flight or fight mode.”

Exercise boosts energy

Dynamic daily life delivers oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. Regular exercise improves cardiovascular health, by lowering your resting heart rate. As your heart and lungs get stronger, it becomes easier to flow through life without pausing for a rest. When muscle strength increases, functional life is a breeze. Standing up from a low chair, carrying the food bags into the kitchen, mowing the lawn, and loading luggage into the car can be done solo.

Exercise promotes better sleep

Nothing feels more gratifying than challenging ourselves with goals. Walking further, increasing exercise reps and sets or minutes logged all equal an exhausting session. At the end of the day, the consistency of exercise translates into falling asleep more quickly. Researchers aren’t sure the mechanism linked to improved sleep, but recent research shows exercise decreases insomnia. Aerobic exercise appears to be similar to sleeping pills.

Exercise puts the spark back into your sex life

Increased energy, self-confidence, good vibes, and a natural boost of testosterone all support a sexier sex life.

Loving yourself inside and out helps sets the bar higher. Knowing your value supports choosing people who value you, too.

Exercise can be fun and social

Joining a gym, picking up a new sport or attending group training classes is an easy way to expand your social circle. New to the scene, recruit a walking buddy and inspire each other to live your best life.

If you are exercising already, don’t stop! Expand your horizons. Is it time to pick up a new sport? Pickle ball is all the rage. Join a league. Challenge yourself and enter a walk, run, triathlon, get muddy or jump into foam. There are leagues and events strictly for fun, all ages and every level. Live outside your comfort zone.

Health concerns are often the time people are forced to change their sedentary ways. Lifestyle changes lead to longevity and walking is often overlooked. Take a stroll and fall in love. There is no gym membership, special skills or equipment required. “Walking is just as good as any other form of exercise,” says University Hospital’s pediatric sports medicine specialist Laura Goldberg, MD. Walking uses 200 muscles, from the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves and core to some upper body when you move your arms back and forth.

Back to basics. Wearing proper footwear is prevention perfection. For anyone with previous hip, knee or feet injuries, its often helpful to learn whether you are a pronator, supinator or neutral and choose your footwear accordingly.

Thirst equals dehydration. Carry water and stay hydrated. Sip 250ml or one cup for every 15 minutes spent outside walking in the summer heat. Raw nuts or seeds and hydrating wonderous watermelon are the perfect portable snack on long trails.

 Choose a safe path, trail, sidewalk or track. Start with 10 minutes and increase by 10 minutes as soon as you are ready.

Now that walking is a part of your daily routine it may not challenging enough? Tips and tricks add the wow factor.

Carrying one-pound weights or wearing half-pound wrist weights adds a touch or resistance targets the upper body. Wearing a weighted vest or ankle weights is another way to power up workouts.

See a bench? Let’s do dips, targeting the back of the arms or the triceps. The bench can be used for step-ups and Bulgarian split squats, targeting the hamstrings, quadriceps and glutes.

Adding a few walking lunges every few minutes increases strength in the legs, glutes, hamstrings, calves, back, and even help improve balance. Choose a route with inclines. Stop and do some extra cardio with sets of ten jumping jacks. Walking by a playground? Try a chin up! Drop and hold the plank position until failure.

Tricep dips

Walking lunges

Bulgarian split squats

Stand approximately two feet in front of the bench, feet are hip distance apart, tummy tight, eyes focused straight ahead, and shoulders back. Place one foot behind you on the bench or the foot against the edge. The back foot is for balance and slowly drop the knee towards the ground and come back up. Your weight should be equally distributed, hinging slightly forward at the hips. Straight with 8 per side with the goal of performing twelve per side at least three times on a walk.

It’s never too late to choose a healthier lifestyle and Hippocrates was right. “Walking is man’s best medicine.” It’s the best place to start.

Mercedes Kay Gold is a Certified Personal Trainer and Certified Holistic Nutritionist who loves helping others live their best life when not spending time with her children and grandson, Theodore. She can be reached at mercedeskaygoldfitness@gmail.com