Exercise matters to health and well-being, regardless of your size

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc in our daily lives. Regardless of who you are, your life has been impacted in some way. Stress is mounting, and you may need to find a way to decompress while social distancing. Enter stage left my favorite pastime: exercise! All right, I know what you are thinking: She’s one of those exercise fanatics who is going to tell me that I need to exercise several hours every day. Well, no. What I am going to tell you is that you can make exercise work for you. It is imperative to find your “soulmate workout” or simple activities you can do. You might think that you need to be a certain size or already in shape to engage in exercise. This is simply not true, nor is it helpful for your health and well-being, since exercise — even small amounts — helps improve blood pressure, heart problems, blood sugar control, and mood. It can help you live longer, too. So, let’s start with some questions that you may have. How much physical activity does your body need? Is it possible to be active during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic? How can you make exercise work for you? What if excess weight or painful joints make it hard to be active? And what if you haven’t been active at all? We’ve got the answers for you. How much exercise do I need? Before you start counting minutes, understand this: almost anything that gets your body moving counts as exercise, and active minutes add up over your day and week. Ever...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Bones and joints Exercise and Fitness Heart Health Hypertension and Stroke Mental Health Source Type: blogs