Happy 4th of July!

Before you head out the door to your cook outs, pool parties and social celebrations try to squeeze in a quick 30 minute sweat session- you're body will be happy you did!

Read the article below for some more inspirational information regarding working out and all the healthy benefits that accompany exercise!

Working Out: the Best Kind of Medicine

Liz Hill

All my life, I’ve heard that we need at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day, five-to-six times per week, to be healthy. This New York Times article gives us even more evidence that it’s true: in countless studies, exercise has proved to be a successful treatment in managing some chronic disease.

Wouldn’t that be ideal –instead of doctors prescribing us pill after pill, they simply prescribed a long walk outside? Or gave us a script for mowing the lawn?

We all know that regular exercise comes with countless benefits. It helps with weight control, improves mental health and mood, improves our sleep and gives us more energy throughout our day to name a few. So add on treatment of disease and reducing disease risk all together? Count me in!

If you’re like me and don’t want to do the same activity everyday, make sure to change it up. I have the same routine each week, but my daily workouts are different from one day to the next: I vary between yoga, running, cycling and ab class (CXWorx) to keep from burning out on one thing or another.

This summer, King of Pops Richmond is offering free all-level yoga at the Carillon on Tuesdays at 6:30pm. It’s a great outdoor class and you get a free pop afterwards!

I’m sure you’ve heard it, but it’s true. Having a workout buddy makes a world of difference. Wednesday mornings I run with a friend at 5:30am. Not going to lie, it sucks waking up that early. And I know I would NEVER do that on my own, so we hold each other accountable, knock out 5-6 miles and are done with our workout for the day by 6:30am. Luckily, my schedule sometimes allows for me to take a 20-minute nap afterwards, which makes it that much easier to get up at 5:10am. Same for my Thursday cycle class at 6am – I meet my cousin at the gym, which gives us a reason to get up early, knowing the other will be there.

For all of the busy bodies out there, walking and/or running is a great choice. Having no gym commute can really help when you’re crunched for time. All you have to do is get dressed and walk out the front door. Thirty minutes will be over before you know it!

Other great ways to help get into and keep your routine:

• If you head to the gym after work, pack your bag the night before/morning of, take it with you and change before you leave the office. It will be harder to skip once you’re already dressed.

• For morning workouts, set out your shoes and clothes the night before – it’ll save you that extra minute or two while you’re still waking up.

• Put it on your calendar, just like you do for everything else. Work your schedule, as it allows, around your gym class or run.

• Find something you like to do. Exercising is so much harder when you don’t enjoy it. If you don’t like to run, try yoga. Or if you thrive in the gym, get a new weight routine or try a new class. Gyms will typically give members one free personal training session – take advantage of it! Or even find a 30-day challenge on Pinterest that you can do at home and have a friend try it with you.

• Don’t skip your workout. Even when you don’t feel like an hour, do 30 minutes instead (and see if you can stick it out for the whole thing!). Or if you had a late meeting and missed your class at the gym, jump on the treadmill or head home and walk the dog. Some sort of activity is better than nothing!

• Set an example for your kids. They are watching and learning from you, so get them involved and moving so they will see the value in exercise at a young age.

According to the New York Times article, exercise can lower blood pressure in patients with hypertension, improve cholesterol and triglyceride levels and lower HbA1c values in diabetics. Improvements have been seen in Parkinson’s patients, those dealing with chronic fatigue, multiple sclerosis, depression, musculoskeletal diseases and even lessened fatigue during therapy of cancer patients.

Start your routine now, and send us your tips and tricks for staying on track!

If you need additional guidance feel free to contact Happy Body Wellness for a fitness assessment or to book private, small group or large group workouts!