Regular exercise

Over the next few blogs I am going to cover five things that people must do in order to be healthy.

Here they are:

1. Regular exercise
2. Sleep, relaxation and rest
3. Great diet
4. Healthy attitude
5. Have a well-maintained spine

Exercise

So what type of exercise is right, how much do you need, what is appropriate for your age?  Although intellectually and technologically we have progressed rapidly in the last 1000 years, genetically we have not.  Our exercise requirements have not changed much since we were hunters and gatherers. The average hunter and gatherer walked approximately 18 kms a day, and had intense physical exercise for 1-1.5 hrs, 3-4 times a week.  This did not change as they aged.

In our modern world, we all feel time-poor. Going for long walks and hitting the gym for 3-5 hrs a week may not be something we can all do.  Your body will benefit from any exercise you can do, so make use of any chance you get. You can even do stretches and movements while standing or sitting at a desk. Some of you may say my work is physical enough; yes you can count some of this as the equivalent of walking.  However, intense exercise gets your heart rate up and keeps it there.  Your heart rate should be around 80% of your maximum (220 minus your age).

Have a look at your life and find the time. Dropping a little TV time, getting up earlier, staying up later, it really does not matter when you exercise as long as you do.

Seek the guidance of an exercise professional to help get you started.  They may suggest more exciting ways to exercise, provide motivation and reduce the chance of you injuring yourself. Please if you have a health condition check with your practitioner first before starting anything new.

So I challenge you to find 30 minutes a day to do something physical.  Something you enjoy, and just do it.

Your body brain and nervous system will thank you.

Dr. Ryan

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