Hey everyone,
Today we are going to talk a bit about exercises that are great for your health.
Everyone wants to stay healthy, but not everyone wants to go to the gym, which leaves most people with the question, “How do I stay fit without going to the gym?”
Well, depending on whom you ask, the answer to such a question may vary, but there is one thing you need to know.
It’s not necessary that you visit the gym so you can exercise to stay healthy.
There are several exercises you can make use of and still achieve your desired degree of fitness. These “workouts” work wonders and have a variety of benefits such as improving range of motion and balance, protecting your joints, strengthening your bones, and more:
1. Walking
Walking seems to be a normal activity for most people, but you should not underrate its importance at all. It’s a simple, but significantly powerful activity that has endless benefits such as lifting your mood, helping you maintain the right blood pressure, lowering risk of various diseases, keeping you slim, and more.
There are even some studies that have shown that walking can help your memory improve as well as prevent memory loss. The good thing about walking as an exercise is that it is safe, enjoyable, and inexpensive most of the times.
All you need is a pair of well-fitting, comfortable shoes, and you will be good to go.
Start with short distances and then increase over time. Therefore, if your grocery store is not some distance away, consider walking rather than using your car.
You can even save some significant gas money with time and use it for something else.
2. Swimming
Swimming can be referred to as the perfect workout since it gives you most of the cardiovascular health that you need in addition to putting less stress on your joints and bones.
The buoyancy of water when swimming plays a major role in making it easier to move your joints and body in general. This makes it beneficial for people who are a little overweight when starting, as well as individuals with joint issues such as arthritis.
In addition to that, research has it that swimming results in a better mental state, putting you in a good mood, which is a good thing for your overall health. You can, as well, interchange swimming with water aerobics which is a similar exercise to stay healthy.
3. Tai Chi to The Rescue
Also referred to as “meditation in motion,” Tai Chi is a Chinese martial art that requires you to put into practice a series of slow rhythmic body movements in addition to deep breathing and concentration.
You have to be as relaxed as you can to transition smoothly from one movement to the next, which is where the phrase “meditation in motion” comes from.
This is considered a lovely exercise for your body and mind, as well as heart health, to some extent.
4. Kegel Exercises
These exercises have often been thought to help you look better by giving you the figure you have desired for a long time.
While that may not work as you expect, they do something equally important which is strengthening the pelvic floor muscles that support your bladder.
This helps with incontinence in men and women alike, which is a good thing for your health.To do this exercise the right way, squeeze the muscles that you use when preventing gas or urine from being passed.
Keep the muscles that way for roughly three seconds, and then let them relax, and be sure to relax them completely after the contraction.
You can do four or five sets of this exercise daily, repeating the process 10 times for each set.
5. Strength Training
Strength training is commonly believed to bulk up muscles, but that is not the case. The exercise should not bulk up your muscles but will keep them strong over time.
With more muscle mass in your body, you should be in a position to burn more calories hence maintain your weight easily. If you choose to go the strength training way, however, consider learning the proper form of such an exercise to avoid injuring your body.
For a weight training program, start light by ensuring that you can lift the weights of your choice 10 times without struggling. After some weeks, you can choose slightly heavier weight if you can comfortably lift the weights 12 times or more, and go on till you reach your limit.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
Going to the gym so you can exercise to stay healthy has a range of benefits, but that doesn’t mean that you can not stay fit if you don’t visit a gym regularly.
Most of the things that you do for fun or as work, such as raking your yard among other activities, can be a good form of exercise to keep your body fit.
You can be an ‘active’ individual by engaging in any aerobic exercise for not less than 30 minutes daily and topping that up with 2 days of strength training each week.
As you know, what we discussed here are positive suggestions of exercises for you to follow.
Be creative and come up with others. The one thing we would share with you is to consult your physician if you plan to do strenuous exercises.
It’s all about doing exercise to stay healthy not to hurt you.
In the future, we will be discussing special eye exercises for those who have eye conditions. We are doing the research for this topic. If there is any topic that interest you, please let us know.
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Thank you and have a lovely day!
Blessings always
Maxine
Maxine,
I love all the exercises you are mention in your article. Walking and Swimming are my favorites and in the past, they helped me a lot to keep healthy and fit.
Tai chi is also a great exercise form I had the pleasure to do for a couple of years.
I, unfortunately, had stopped doing all this for a number of years but I am eager to jump on the exercise wagon again. I started with gentle stretching exercises and parts of yoga, which in my case, is very helpful to gain back more flexibility.
With the Kegel exercise, I am very familiar with being a Geriatric Nurse (ret.) and have taught even the elderly, which had problems with light to moderate incontinence problems, to see improvements in the condition.
Thank you, Maxine, for this article, I gained a bit more spirit to be on the right path of getting and staying fit again.
Hi Sylvia,
I am so happy that you are familiar with these exercises shared here which are simple alternatives to going to the gym.
Walking and Swimming are my favorites also. Swimming more so because I love being in the clean sea water.
Tai Chi with gentle movements I use for meditation on my special days. This helps me to channel positive energy which helps me to focus on goals.
As you know, Kegel exercises can be done as often as you like. It’s private and helps with incontinence.
I have several health issues, diabetes, hypertension, glaucoma and arthritis, and I need to daily exercise to stay healthy.
So far I am doing a good job managing these conditions.
Do you have any good eye exercises for glaucoma?
I am preparing an article about this. Your help will be much appreciated.
So happy your spirit is up again to become fit and healthy.
Thank you for visit and remember I am here for YOU.
Blessings always
Maxine
I think that this article is great Maxine. Most people think that by just improving their nutrition they will be healthy but I know that exercise is also very important. If we have a sedentary life then it can definitely badly affect our life and health. I walk every day for 5km and I feel great.
Hi Daniel,
It’s a pleasure when my readers consider my article to be great!
Thank you kindly.
You’re on the right path. EXERCISE TO STAY HEALTHY.
Have a lovely and healthy day.
Blessings always
Maxine