Exercise a boost to healthy living *
Published on Jun 26, 2017, 7:35 pm AST, By Chelsea Bedase, Chaguanas, http://www.trinidadexpress.com...st-to-healthy-living
Headlines in the newspapers in Trinidad and Tobago recently read “SICK T&T”.
This was disheartening for me and my fiancé to read as we are fitness enthusiasts and believe in the importance of living a healthy lifestyle by participating in regular exercise, eating the right foods and drinking lots of water.
We share a passion for helping people reach their fitness goals whether it be to burn fat, build muscles or just simply to look and feel better in the clothes that they wear.
We go to the gym three times a week and while there we combine cardio routines with resistance exercise in the form of weight training.
Participating in regular exercise over time has many positive physical, mental, and social health enhancing properties. The quality and vigour of your life vastly improve.
You have heard this several times but it needs to be repeated that frequent exercise reduces your risk of contracting many diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and depression.
It improves your mood and also results in improved longevity and maintenance of independence into older age.
In everything we do there are advantages and disadvantages. Exercise can have a negative effect on health in the form of injury.
The effects that sport and exercise-related injuries have on an individual's health can be relatively minor, with only a period of rest needed.
Sport and exercise-related injuries do not just effect elite performers, but are a significant problem at every level of participation.
Around a third of all emergency consultations are directly linked to sport and exercise. Although participation in any form of activity carries a risk of injury the overall health benefits of activity far outweighs this risk.
A lot of children at the ages of 14 and 15 years are entering the hospitals with diabetes and high blood pressure.
It is time to reverse the current high rate of one in four children being overweight or obese by promoting healthy nutrition which encourages children as well as adults on making healthy food choices, using correct portion sizes, and eating fruit and vegetables on a regular basis.
I want to appeal to the public to live active lifestyles through the use of gym facilities and other fun and innovative physical activities.
This will produce and improve self-confidence and self-esteem in the children and young adults.
It should be noted happy youths with high self-esteem report less involvement with crime, and programmes that increase happiness and self-confidence could deter crime and drug use.
As you begin your workout, your brain's neurotransmitters connect memory with muscle to get you moving. The feelings of satisfaction and accomplishment you experience during your workout stimulate the pleasure centre of your brain and lift your mood.
Consistent workouts at the gym will eventually help you achieve your fitness goals.
When you look in the mirror and see a leaner or fitter-looking body staring back at you, you are more than likely to gain improvements in self-esteem and self-confidence.
Time spent exercising with other people in a spin or aerobics class provides you with a social environment where you can reap the emotional benefits gained through the camaraderie you develop with other gym members.
It is important to remember that when it comes to physical activity, anything is better than nothing!
Start with whatever seems manageable. Even a ten-minute walk on the treadmill at the gym can be beneficial to your health. You will likely be able to increase the amount and frequency of physical activity slowly as you start to feel better.
Generally, doctors recommend about 20-30 minutes of exercise three to five times per week, but it can be a good idea to talk with your own healthcare provider to decide what's the best plan that will work for you and suit your lifestyle.