At Hub we aim to get people moving well, pain free and functioning well. After a period of inactivity, it can be a real challenge, both mentally and physically, to be motivated enough to ‘get back on track’.
However, the warmer weather and longer daylight hours can be good motivators to get you off the sofa and outside exercising again. Moving more and good nutrition are not only pivotal for weight loss, but they are also essential for those who want to increase muscle mass, improve their sleep, regulate hormones and improve general well-being.
The benefits of exercise can be profound. If you feel stressed, overweight, or just a little lack-lustre then exercise can help you start to thrive.
So, why should you be moving more this summer?
1. Manage your weight Getting out and about and moving more will help you burn any excess calories you may be consuming daily. However, it is a common misconception that to lose or manage weight you simply need to balance ‘calories in’ with ‘calories out’. To achieve optimal health, it’s important to ‘eat well, not less’ as providing your body with the correct nutrients is essential to allow you to perform at your best. If you need any advice on what you should or shouldn’t be eating, then learn more about how nutritional health coaching can help you.
2. Reduce your stress levels
Although exercise itself, especially High Intensity exercise, can cause a stress response within the body, this is short lived. Regular exercise helps to reduce cortisol levels (our stress hormone). High levels of this hormone have been linked to increased fat gain around your tummy, mood swings, muscular aches and pains, type 2 diabetes, supressed immunity and bone loss.
3. Build muscle and bone…
An important one for us at Hub. Not only does regular exercise improve muscle tone which not only helps to increase your metabolic rate (therefore the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn), but muscles also help to hold your skeleton in place and help you move. Regular moderate-impact exercise may also decrease the rate of bone loss seen in many older people. This can, in turn, help to prevent common injuries such as; hip fractures and osteo arthritis.
4. Increase intelligence & boost your mood
Ok, we’re not saying that if you exercise on a regular basis that you’re going to turn into Einstein but, research shows that regular physical activity may help prevent decreased cognition in later years. Not only this, but exercise, whether in the gym in a group, with a personal trainer or having a long walk in the park, can help to boost your mood. It increases the production and release of serotonin, your happy hormone, which as well as making you feel better may also help to regulate your appetite.
5. Live longer (and better)
If the above points aren’t enough for you then this one should definitely be enough to get you up and about moving more. Research shows that those who are physically active for 150 minutes a week (that’s all) have a lowered risk of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers, regular physical exercise can also help to decrease the risk (and even reverse) type 2 diabetes… so let’s get moving.
If you are unsure where to start with a new training regimen, or you are returning to exercise after an injury then why not join us for an initial consultation with one of our Osteopaths or Personal Trainers.
We’re here to help!
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