Physical activity enhances the quality of sleep, strengthens the brain, and reduces the risk of developing certain types of cancer and heart disease. Your weekly “exercise” is the sum of all your physical activity, regardless of how long it lasts, and any movement is good for your health.

According to a study published in the open access journal BMJ Open, older persons who regularly clean up after themselves have superior memory, attention span, and leg strength. This, in turn, makes them less likely to fall.

The researchers in this study aimed to investigate whether performing home tasks among the elderly population of a developed nation would promote healthy aging and enhance cognitive and physical abilities, as this type of activity requires movement and is a measure of a person’s potential to live independently.

Cooking, dusting, making the bed, ironing, hanging laundry, and washing up were all examples of light chores. Tasks such as painting and decorating, as well as heavier chores like changing the bed, vacuuming, and washing the floor, were included.

Included in the sample were 489 adults (ranging in age from 21 to 90) who were selected at random and had no cognitive impairments and fewer than five underlying medical conditions. Everyone was able to take care of their own daily needs and live independently in a residential community.

Additionally, certain cognitive domains were linked to the level of housework intensity. Light housework was linked to 8% better short-term memory and 14% better long-term memory, whereas heavy housework was linked to a 14% higher attention score.

Almost two-thirds (61%, 152 younger, and 66%, 159 older) only used housework to reach the prescribed physical activity quota objective. Additionally, certain cognitive domains were linked to the level of housework intensity. After adjusting for other types of regular physical activity, the results showed a link between housework and improved physical and mental capacities. but only in the elderly population.

Researchers in Europe used a sizable database of health data of middle-aged British civil officials to conduct new investigations. The employees, initially between the ages of 35 and 55, were monitored for about ten years while completing numerous health surveys.

One of the things mentioned in the questions was doing household chores. Every task was categorized as “mild,” such as cooking or doing the dishes, to “moderate” (weeding and brisk walking). They discovered that any form of physical activity was linked to a longer lifespan.

What Is the Recommended Amount of Exercise?

Experts and our physicians have been telling us for years that we need to exercise, and now that we know housework can be exercise, you should feel a bit less stressed. Of course, housework may not be your total answer, but it contributes to your weekly exercise. The question remains: how much exercise should you be getting and whether you should do intense things or be a bit more casual about them.

Intensity has benefits for some, especially regarding the activity, but you should keep in mind that any exercise is good exercise. As long as you’re not spending the entire day sitting in a chair, watching television, playing a board game, or doing something else, you can count your exercise credits. Guidelines are available online for those of us who need a bit more help establishing the correct amount for ourselves.

Keep something else in mind, too. When you perceive an activity as more than a task or obligation, it can significantly impact your motivation. When we think of exercise in terms of housework, that’s one thing that you are required to do. But, if you think of housework and exercise together as something that is good for your mental health, cognition, and longevity, it becomes money in the bank for you.

Always remind yourself that you are doing this for yourself, even if required. The benefits are threefold: required work, exercise, and longevity. When did you ever think of housework as providing additional years of life for you? And it’s not only exercise or longevity because we can toss something else in there—fighting anxiety and depression and helping raise our mood level.

Housework has probably always been something you cringed at having to do, but there’s a new light shining on it, and you should allow it to shine brightly.

The post When Is Exercise Not Exercise, and Is That Good Enough? appeared first on Medika Life.

Walking is simple, at least for most of us. But it can do wonders for your mind and body.

I usually enjoy a quick stroll in my local park or around the hospital’s neighborhood to loosen up my joints and clear my head.

But let’s face it: when winter hits and the days get shorter, outdoor walks become a bit tricky.

That’s when I decided to find a way to keep walking indoors and stumbled upon a workout routine ideal for the holidays, including when traveling.

Walking Goal: 4,000 Steps in 30 Minutes

I set a goal for myself — 4,000 steps in just 30 minutes.

Why? Recent research published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology showed this remarkable finding:

Walking around 3,867 steps can significantly lower early mortality risk.

Who would have thought, right? Forget the old myth of 10,000 steps; it’s not a one-size-fits-all anymore.

My Traditional Approach

Historically, treadmill walking has been my go-to activity to form a base for my physical activity.

I love that 30 minutes of ambulating promotes mental well-being while advancing my physical health.

“Her pleasure in the walk must arise from the exercise and the day, from the view of the last smiles of the year upon the tawny leaves and withered hedges, and from repeating to herself some few of the thousand poetical descriptions extant of autumn — that season of peculiar and inexhaustible influence on the mind of taste and tenderness — that season which has drawn from every poet worthy of being read some attempt at description, or some lines of feeling.” ― Jane Austen, Persuasion.

Walking Benefits

Here’s a reminder of some of the upsides to simply walking:

• Reduced risk of heart disease and stroke. Walking is a cardiovascular physical activity; movement increases my heart rate, blood flow, and blood pressure. According to Mayo Clinic (USA) experts, regular physical activity can lower high blood pressure by 5 to 8 mm Hg.
• Better energy. Walking helps boost my energy levels by releasing hormones such as endorphins and delivering oxygen throughout my body.
• Improved lung fitness.

• Better control of chronic health conditions (including high blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes, and joint/muscle stiffness)
• Stronger bones and improved balance.
• More muscle strength and endurance.
• Reduced body fat.
• Better mental health.
• Lower risk of premature death. A large study combining data from 196 research projects (involving over 30 million adults) examined how different exercise levels affect early death chances. People who did at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise weekly had a nearly one-third (31 percent) lower risk of dying early than those who didn’t. Even if someone exercised only half of that, they still had a nearly one-quarter (23 percent) lower risk of early death.

An Alternative Way (By Olivia Lawson)

I prefer a more traditional approach to walking. For me, the ideal is walking outside, among trees.

Alternatively, I use an indoor treadmill. Mine is a streaming fitness service that allows me to stream high-quality, gym-style workouts directly to my treadmill or exercise bicycle.

I recently discovered a walking routine on YouTube by Olivia Lawson. She is a certified fitness coach with 135,000 followers.

Her workout offers the promise of 5,000 steps in 34 minutes. Try it, and you will do exercises targeting calories, abs, and raising the heart rate.

If you try this indoor walking workout, please return and share your thoughts in the comment section.

I Build Physical Activity Into My Life

Can’t walk for 30 minutes at a time?

Here’s a nice alternative: Try regular small chunks (10 minutes) of walking thrice daily. You can gradually build up to longer sessions.

Of course. If you want to lose weight, you must do more than 30 minutes daily.

I build physical activity into my daily life. This practice allows me to maintain a healthy weight. Here are some of my favorites:

• I take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• I regularly walk to local shops.
• I use my lunchtime to take a short walk.
• I prioritize physical activity.

Skip the Sleigh Ride: My Festive Fitness Fix with a 30-Minute Walking Workout.

An indoor walking workout is suitable for all fitness levels and much more rewarding than it might sound.

It’s a fun way to get moving, especially during the holidays, and you don’t even need to leave the house.

Treadmill, video, or other. You got this.

So, if you’re looking for a new morning routine in the New Year, give a walking workout a shot. It’s a free and fantastic way to kickstart your day.

I hope you all have a blast trying it out! Stay fit, and happy holidays!

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Physical fitness is one’s ability to execute daily activities with optimal performance, endurance, and strength to manage the disease, fatigue, and stress and reduce sedentary behavior.

I need to have my pianos serviced (including tuning) to play optimally. Think of your body in this way. If we want to look and feel our best, you and I need to optimize our physical fitness.

Good heart, lung, and muscle performance is essential. What we do with our physical being, in turn, influences our minds.

My four fitness pillars

Just as I have my four pillars of health (movement; nutrition; rest; mindfulness), recognizing my tendency to categorize things, I also have four pillars of physical fitness:

• Aerobic fitness
• Muscle fitness
• Flexibility
• Stability and balance

Fitness pillars: Aerobic and strength training

Let’s look briefly at each of these elements. We begin with the aerobic fitness pillar. I try to make sure that I get a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes of exercise. Do you need to run a marathon or do high-intensity interval training to meet the objective? No, even a brisk walk will do.

My patients often forget the importance of strength or resistance training. We need to do it to improve our muscle fitness. By doing so, we increase our lean muscle mass (which helps regulate our weight). I aim to get in two or three thirty-minute weight training sessions or work with resistance bands each week.

Fitness pillar: Flexibility

Next up is an oft-forgotten pillar of being physically fit: Flexibility. So many of us (myself included) work to move our joints and muscles to their full range of motion. Be more flexible, and you will likely have better coordination and may reduce your risk of injury secondary to physical activity.

Here’s what you may want to try: Stretch when you work out or at least three times weekly. Try to do it after you are warmed up, say with a 20 to 30-minute brisk walk.

Fitness pillar: Stability and balance

Finally, we have stability and balance. Get better, and you will likely see improvements in your core muscle strength. By making the muscles in your abdomen, lower back, pelvis, and hips stronger, you may lessen low back pain, improve your posture, and reduce your probability of suffering from a traumatic fall.

MIT Medical gives us some tools to achieve these goals. First, choose appropriate activities for each pillar, one that you enjoy. If the exercise does not give you pleasure, you are not likely to continue.

Second, establish habits; try not to miss a training day for at least a month or so. Finally, increase the load (frequency, intensity, or duration of activity) over time.

Do you regularly stretch? Do you do balance work? It is easy to forget these essential elements of physical fitness. Thank you for joining me today.

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I am blessed: The sheer number of jaw-dropping hikes in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States is staggering. Today, I want to explore some of my favorites before turning to how you can use hiking to burn some serious calories.

Hiking in the Pacific Northwest

Hurricane Ridge is one of my favorite places to hike. Perhaps it is because I discovered the Ridge as one of my first explorations of the Pacific Northwest in 1993.

Do you want to see extraordinary sunrises or sunsets? Have a young child and don’t want a very challenging hike? Hurricane Ridge may be for you. Located in the Olympic National Park, it has easy-to-access trailheads and is fabulous for an entire family.

Go to Port Angeles (Washington State, USA) and drive about 40 minutes into the mountains. Here’s a view:

Ambitious? Given the ease of access to the Hurricane Ridge Mountain area, you might make it a stop on your Olympic Peninsula Road Trip.

Ruby Beach is next. Positioned on the Washington coast, you can get to the beach reasonably quickly by foot. Prepare yourself for towering rock formations, lots of driftwood, and your beach picnic. Here’s a peek at Ruby Beach:

Number three on my list is one I discovered earlier this year. Can you guess what it is if I tell you that it gets as much as 14 feet of rain annually? If you are from the Seattle area, you probably know that I am talking about the Hoh Rainforest in the Olympic National Park.

Here’s a pic of this wondrous, stress-dropping place:

Hiking to burn calories

I walk. On the treadmill, on the blocks around my suburban hospital, or at Seattle’s Pike Place Market. This simple exercise promotes my physical health and gives my mind a boost, too.

Walking is a low-impact cardiovascular exercise that helps me maintain a blood pressure of 110/70 and good cholesterol levels. Hiking has similar benefits. But what if you want to burn more calories than you can with walking?

Walk, and you may burn approximately 100 calories for each mile. Hiking can easily double that number, depending on the difficulty of the activity. For the ambitious of us who take on challenging and steen terrain with a heavy backpack, you may burn well over 500 calories per hour.

I sometimes do an urban or suburban hike. You can, too — find a hilly (and safe) neighborhood, load up your backpack, and go. Perhaps you can add some trekking poles.

Hiking can be strenuous and can introduce uneven terrain, so don’t hesitate to fall back to my go-to form of exercise: Walking on an even surface.

Thank you for joining me today. I hope you have a health- and joy-filled 2022. Looking forward to the acute phase of the pandemic burning out over the next two to three months, fingers crossed.

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