Fountain of Youth

Walk, Stretch & Breathe your way to Good Health

The human body simply wasn’t made for sitting all day like most jobs demand. We’re designed for movement. Exercise is our replacement for hours spent at workplace computers and is a vital component in oxygenating tissues, releasing stress from emotional, mental and physical levels, retaining flexibility and increasing circulation and lymphatic flow.  Based on even a 30-minute daily walk (beginning with a 10-minute warm-up, 30-minutes of continuous walking, and ending with a 5-minute cool-down) studies show improvement in all body functions and significantly reduced depression and anxiety. Not that we need a study to tell us that! Notice the difference in your wellbeing before the exercise and after, and remember it as the incentive to make exercise a regular habit in your life.

Walking impacts everything from blood sugar and cholesterol levels, weight control, lung function and oxygenation to tissues. This simple activity actually improves everything… from muscles (including leg cramps or poor circulation) to organs and let’s not forget – our mind. It relieves depression, anxiety and stress by producing endorphins, the body’s natural tranquilizer. What an easy way to put a smile on your face!     

People with health problems need proper guidance to plan an exercise program that suits their individual needs. Begin gently, but gradually increase exercise time. For those opting to exercise at home, the best possible solution is to have a Certified Personal Trainer set up a program suitable to your individual needs and body type. Receiving professional instruction about proper form, and which muscle groups to work when, can be paired with complementary nutritional guidance. This kind of guidance assures that you stick with a program until it becomes a habit you enjoy because of the results. You feel good! Check out the various types of training available, as there are a variety of personal trainer courses that have varying methods of focus on how to work muscle groups.

Why stretch? Because muscles stretched to their proper length are healthier with no strain on bone attachments, resulting in greater flexibility. This means less chance of injury if you slip. Stretching helps develop body awareness and loosens the mind’s control of the body. It should be part of your daily life and can begin as easily as hugging your knees to roll slowly from side-to-side before jumping out of bed.

Your muscles are protected by a mechanism called the stretch reflex. When you stretch the muscle fibers too far (either by bouncing or overstretching), a nerve reflex sends a signal to the muscles to contract in order to prevent injury. Hence, the painful “spasm” when we don’t listen. Stretching, when done correctly, is not painful. Learn to pay attention to your body, because pain is an indication that something is wrong.

Hand in hand with stretch, is breath. Your breathing should be slow, under control and rhythmical when stretching. Yoga , Pilates or NIA dancercize courses are but a few examples that provide an excellent base for socialization and guidance in stretching, exercise or  breathwork, providing benefits  for a calmer mind and body. Meditation then, is just a breath away, so to speak… and is one of the greatest natural healers you can tap into.