Regular exercise is vital if you want to live a long, healthy and happy life. Staying active in today's busy world is not always that easy though - that's why we've put together this list of simple exercises to help you get started.
Doctors recommend regular exercise and, thankfully, the world has taken note - many people train every single day. However, if you're unsure of where to start then there are easy ways that you can begin slowly incorporating fitness into your daily life (even while you're at your desk at work or at home watching television). It really is that easy.
Physical fitness is important because it reduces your risk of developing diseases and improves your quality of life. Physical fitness increases your cardiovascular health, respiratory function and longevity. It promotes strong bones, muscles and joints, and helps maintain a healthy weight. Physical fitness also boosts your immune system, and helps improve your sleep quality, energy levels and mood.
Regular exercise and physical activity can help prevent diseases, such as:
- Cardiovascular disease (heart disease)
- Certain types of cancer
- Depression and anxiety
- Heart attacks
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Insomnia
- Obesity
- Osteoporosis
- Stress
- Strokes
- Type 2 diabetes
You may think that fitness is only for people who are ‘sporty’ or enjoy going to the gym, but in reality anyone can start at any time, and at any level and you will still reap the health benefits by ensuring that you are physically fit.
If you want more advice about fitness and the relationship between fitness and genetics for the purpose of self care then you can read our article in our Knowledge Hub.
How to be more active in your daily life
A major problem for many people today is that we are stuck working in offices and have less time to be active during the day. The average person should be aiming for 150 minutes of aerobic activity such as brisk walking throughout the week, as well as performing muscle-strengthening activities such as weight training another two days, at least, during the week, according to the CDC.
This guideline also exists to show how important it is to stay active and work on strengthening your muscles rather than ‘letting yourself go’. It is also wise to at least take a break of 10 minutes every two hours during a workday because during longer periods of sitting down your body is in a sedentary state.
Try some of the following to keep you active during the day:
- Doing exercises at your desk
- Taking a short walk outside (smokers shouldn’t be the only people allowed to break the cycle of sitting down)
- Always remembering to take the stairs
- Using a wearable device that tracks your activity and tells you to get up
The amazing thing about fitness is that you can do it at any age. You are never too young or too old to start changing your life for the better and incorporating exercise into your life so that you will not only be stronger but also have more energy and be more active. In conjunction with a healthy diet, you will also find that when you exercise you will sleep better at night and be less stressed during the day, ready to attain all of your goals faster and more efficiently.
Exercises anyone can do to stop being sedentary
You go to work, go home, watch television, go to bed, and repeat that same cycle every single day.
Sound familiar?
If it does, you’re probably not practicing enough self care to keep yourself healthy.
We have come up with a few daily exercises that are neither challenging nor time consuming. Consider them a simple means to get you in the proper mindset of exercising and focusing on increasing your fitness levels.
Jumping Jacks
Start with feet together and arms by your side, then jump into a star position(Hands out to the side above head, legs out wide apart) and then jump back to starting position.
Push ups
Push up position, arms in line with shoulders, elbows tucked in and lower chest towards the ground and then push back up.
Plank
Squat
Start with feet shoulder width apart, then lower yourself as if you were going to sit on a chair(hips moving backwards), knees cannot go past toes and then stand back up again.
Lying Back Extensions
Lying on the ground on your stomach with hands behind your head, lift shoulders off the ground as high as possible without lifting your stomach off the ground.
Tricep Dips
Get a chair, place hands on the edge of the chair then take two steps away from the chair with knees bent, elbows need to be tucked in and then bend elbows to lower yourself towards the ground and push back up.
Download The Ultimate Guide to Fitness, to find out how exercise combined with a healthy, balanced diet can help improve both your physical and mental wellbeing. Inside this guide, you’ll also find some expert tips (and healthy recipes) to help busy people achieve a better work-life balance.
How DNAfit can help you achieve your fitness goals
Knowing your fitness genetics and how your body responds to certain types of exercises can help you achieve your health and fitness goals faster and more efficiently. With DNAfit’s Diet Fitness Pro 360, you will learn about your body’s:
- Power/endurance profile
- VO2 max trainability
- Recovery speed
- Injury risk
Through our portal, you'll also be able to access to the world’s first genetically-matched online training system to help you meet your goals in even less time. You can choose one of two exercise programs:
- Burn fat
- Build muscle
By learning about these you will be able to train better and make the most of our time spent exercising. We all understand that it can sometimes be frustrating when you are putting hours into the gym and not getting the results you desire.
Proven results
DNAfit put our power/endurance (Peak Performance) algorithm to the test, in a real-world study. Our research found that genetically-matched training, when implemented correctly, can deliver up to three times better results than non-matched training. Download our clinical study to see for yourself!
Genetics do play a key role in our fitness, but our main goal is to get everyone to live healthier, which is the reason why we are aligned with Self Care Week. We want people to make proactive decisions about their health and their lifestyles in order to make positive changes that affect not only the fitness aspect of your health, but your nutrition, mental wellbeing and sleep cycle as well. Together, we can create a future where we are all healthier and happier and living life to the fullest.
Learn more about Health Fit - an easy to adapt plan for those exploring a holistic approach to their health.
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