Greetings!

Welcome to Week 5 of the Dynamic Wellness Challenge. Spring is in the air so it’s a great time to add some more walking and other outdoor activities to our routines. Then, in two weeks, your Running/Walking Clinics and Clubs will begin and those activities will help you accumulate more Challenge points!

This week’s Healthy Activity Challenge is focused on increasing our Cardiovascular, or Aerobic, activity and exercise.   

Let’s Get Physical!

Cardiovascular exercise is any activity that elevates the heart rate and breathing for a sustained period.  If just the thought of exercise gives you pause, we understand and feel your pain. The good news is that it doesn’t have to mean sweating in a gym for an hour every day. 

Years of research has shown that just several 10 to 15 minute “chunks” of cardio activity every day can produce the same healthy benefits as longer workouts. Any activity that raises our heart rate qualifies. Not so hard when you think about it, right? A brisk ten-minute walk at lunch and another twenty-minute one in the evening can do the trick!

Cardio exercise conditions our hearts and lungs to function more effectively and efficiently. Remember, cardio exercise is strengthening the most important muscle in the body -- the heart. Your heart will work a lot better and for a lot longer if you exercise it!

Our bodies were not designed to be sedentary, and mountains of research continue to uncover more and more amazing benefits that physical activity has on our lives. Researchers also continue to associate sedentary lifestyles with almost every chronic disease and health problem. 

It’s also encouraging to know that people who are doing the least now, benefit the most from increased activity levels! It is never too late to start and it is never too soon to get more active.

Words from Washington
“It is scientifically proven that moderate physical activity can reduce substantially the risk of developing diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, colon cancer, high blood pressure and obesity. ”  

-  Tommy G. Thompson, former Secretary of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Increased Energy
When we step up our cardiovascular activity, the first benefit we usually notice is that we are less fatigued from daily activities and have more energy throughout the day.

Healthy Weight
Exercise helps us keep our weight at a healthy level because it burns calories. As we have become less active through the wonders of modern science, our obesity rates and associated health problems have risen dramatically.  Without exercise it is almost impossible to maintain a healthy weight.  Cardio exercise helps mobilize fat that is stored, particularly around the midsection.

Heart Health Synergy
Cardiovascular exercise has a positive effect on all of the heart disease risk factors, including lowering LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, raising HDL (“good”) cholesterol, lowering high blood pressure, lowering triglycerides, reducing abdominal fat, and helping control blood sugar (reducing diabetes risk).  No prescription pill can do all that! 

Better Sleep
Regular exercise has also been shown to improve sleep habits.

Brain Benefits
A growing body of research is showing that cardiovascular exercise is good for the brain as well as the body. 

• Makes Us Smarter
  Research at the Salk Institute found that aerobic exercise releases BDNF (brain-derived neurotropic factor). This acts “like ‘Miracle-Gro’ for the brain”; it is found to promote the growth of new brain neurons! (contrary to former belief)
  
  Other studies suggest that exercise helps to ward off mental decline associated with aging (maybe even Alzheimer’s).
  
  
• Reduces Stress
  Cardio exercise releases that “feel good” brain chemical, serotonin. It also induces deep breathing, which is one of the best stress-busters around.
  
  
• Treats Depression
  Cardiovascular exercise can be as effective in treating mild to moderate depression as prescription drugs (anti-depressants that increase serotonin), and is being prescribed by psychiatrists in increasing numbers.

“ If exercise could be put into a pill, it would be the single most prescribed medication in the world.”
- Dr. Robert Butler, National Institute on Aging

Squeeze Cardiovascular Exercise Into Your Day

Ten-Minute “Chunks”

Most experts suggest that we get at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise most days. But what if you can’t find 30 minutes each day to sweat at the gym, take a run or power walk, go for a bike ride, or play your favorite sport? 

As we mentioned previously, we now know that you can break your exercise up into three 10-minute “chunks” of moderate activity each day, and get similar health benefits as more rigorous 30-minute workouts.  In the fast paced world we live in, that’s good news!  

One Step at a Time

You can start increasing your cardio activity by simply walking. Brisk walking is a great cardiovascular exercise and it is one of the easiest forms of exercise to fit into your schedule. It requires little equipment and costs nothing. Walking also places weight on your joints, so it strengthens your bones, helping to protect against osteoporosis. 

So, think about how you might be able to squeeze in a brisk 10-minute walk a few times a day. And when you walk, walk “consciously” -- concentrate on your leg muscles and make sure you are exerting strong pressure on the ground as you walk. This will increase the strength-building effect of walking and increase the calories burned.

The Power of Walking

Studies indicate that walking at a 15-minute mile pace (4 mph) for 30 minutes, 3 times a week, can reduce risk of death from heart attacks, cancer, strokes and diabetes by 58%. That translates to a six-year increase in longevity!”

- Dr. Kenneth Cooper, Cooper Institute

Work Out at Work

It might be a good career move to try to get in at least a 10 or 15-minute brisk walk during lunch on most days. Studies have shown that professionals who got some exercise while at work report that:

• their productivity and efficiency improved, and they were better able to meet deadlines 
• they experienced better moods and were more tolerant of mistakes
• they had more energy and were less likely to suffer from post-lunch energy drop
• they felt more satisfied going home at the end of their workday

Do What You Enjoy

An important point is that it does not matter what type of physical activity you do, as long as it gets your heart rate up for at least ten minutes at a time. The main thing is to accumulate about 30-minutes a day doing something.  In addition to walking, how about doing more of other things you enjoy such as playing a sport, taking a bike ride, dancing, doing a planned exercise, climbing stairs, doing household or yard work, playing with your kids?   

Good luck to everyone and we are here to help you along the way!

Alton, Bill and the DW Team

info@dynamicwellness.com

Disclaimer: All material provided in the Dynamic Wellness Challenge is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is in no way intended to substitute for the advice of a health care professional. Consult your own physician regarding the applicability of any opinions or recommendations with respect to any symptoms or medical conditions you may have that may require diagnosis or medical attention.

When undertaking any exercise activity, there is a risk of injury. Although we try to outline the safest and most effective methods of fitness training, we cannot prevent injuries from occurring. You should consult your physician before beginning any exercise program.

Although the information provided is presented in good faith and believed to be correct, Dynamic Wellness (DW) makes no representations or warranties as to the completeness or accuracy of the information. Information is supplied upon the condition that the persons receiving the information will make their own determination as to its suitability for their purposes prior to use. In no event will DW be responsible for any damages resulting from the use of or reliance upon the information in its program.