Physical Activity Is Essential to Our Health and Well Being

“Warning: Before beginning a program of physical inactivity, consult your doctor. Sedentary living is abnormal and dangerous to your health.”
― Frank Forencich

Our bodies are designed to be physically active and not to sit behind an office desk, driving wheel or on the couch for the most part of the day. Recall that history class when your teacher was telling you about a life of a cave man. No doubts, everyday realities were harsh – men had to hunt or take care of a cattle, women were gathering or planting fruits and vegetables, doing all the house work without electricity, running water and many utensils of course… Put it simple, their survival required running, jumping, swimming, hiking, lifting, throwing, climbing, crawling DAILY! Using a modern language we can say that our ancestors were “in shape.” Doesn’t it sound ridiculous? To me it does, because they didn’t have much choice – they were either “in shape” or dead.

The Nature Designed Us to Be Physically Active, but Our Modern Lifestyle is Designed for Us not to!

In todays world things are different. Access to medical help and medications increases our chances for survival. Civilization development allows many of us to have a very comfortable living, and the need for physical activity becomes smaller and smaller as technology takes over different parts of our lives. Despite all of these relatively recent changes, human physiology remains the same.  A body still consists of 206 bones, approximately 640 skeletal muscles, the same organs and systems people had thousands of years ago. Therefore our very own nature designed this incredible mechanism – human body – to be practically used in every way. And if we neglect using one piece of that mechanism, the entire thing may fall apart! Literally!

The Scary Statistics of Physical Inactivity.

“Physical inactivity has been identified as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality causing an estimated 3.2 million deaths globally,” according to World Health Organization¹.

This is not the first place where you hear about negative consequences of physical inactivity but please refresh your knowledge. There is just a short list of risks you are facing by not moving enough:

• Being overweight or obese due to lack of physical activity and poor nutrition increases risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, arthritis, and poor health status².
• Heart disease
• Colon cancer
• Decrease of bone density
• Muscles weakening

Ok-ok, I scared you enough!

Government Guidelines for Physical Activity.

The next question arises immediately – how much physical activity will be enough to minimize all these risks? Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion as well as World Health Organization has developed “Physical Activity Guidelines” for different age groups.

Adults aged 18-64 should do AT LEAST 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity³. In addition to that, adults should engage into moderate or high intensity resistance training for all major muscle groups AT LEAST twice a week³.

As you see, these are just minimum requirements. If you are trying to gain more extensive health benefits, on a mission to loose significant amount of weight or simply want to look your best, expect to put in more time and efforts into your fitness.

How Physically Active Are You? Take a 30-Sec Quiz!

Answer these 3 simple questions. Be honest! Remember that your answers should describe your typical week.

1. Are you working out for at least 3,5 hours a week? If not, what’s the total time you spend exercising? (Long day shopping at the mall or a short relaxed walk under 30 min doesn’t count. Sorry)
2. Do you do at least 1.5 hours of cardio a week? (Biking, jogging, running, power walk, dance class, swimming, aerobics class, spinning, etc.)
3. Do you do 2 hours of resistance training a week? (Doing body weight exercises like push ups/pull ups/squats/lunges/crunches…, training with machines, free weights, TRX, kettlebells)
4. Are you physically active throughout your day or your lifestyle mostly sedentary?

Now, if you answered “no” for the first 3 questions and your job requires you to sit behind the office desk for the most part the day, then YOU ARE NOT PHYSICALLY ACTIVE ENOUGH! This means you are not meeting the MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS the World Health Organization had set for an average adult.

Get out of your safe bubble! An occasional walk in the park or even a yoga once a week isn’t enough for an office worker! NOT ENOUGH! NOT ENOUGH! Period.  You’ve got to fix it! Fix it before mother nature sends you signals because you aren’t going to be happy about them. Extra body fat won’t be the worst one on that list.

Did I stress you enough? Well… guess what! I’m glad I did! Because we all need a reality check once in a while…

How to Increase Your Physical Activity Level?

What Can You Do Right Now

 
Now, stop the panic. Let’s see what you can do right this moment because waiting till Monday isn’t the best strategy…You know that too well!

If you are new to this whole “fitness” thing or simply took a big break from exercising for whatever reason, start with planning first:

• Look at your weekly schedule and find three 1-hour long time spots. Now mark them as your “workout time”. Don’t have time? Really? Check your schedule again please.
• Keep it simple! Don’t sign up for a gym, don’t purchase a “magic” machine, don’t wait for a friend to keep you a company… You don’t need any of this to begin an exercise routine!  Start working out at home. All you’ll need at the beginning is a mat (or big towel), 2 bottles of water (or small dumbbells), a gallon of water (to be used as a free weight). That’s it!
• Review what you are eating on a regular basis. Is it good enough to support your fitness goals? Check with our Nutritional Philosophy >>

Don’t Be Afraid of Being a Beginner!

12-Week Beginners’ Fitness Program Will Guide You Every Step of the Way.

Now, what’s next?

What workouts should you do?

At what intensity?

How much cardio would be enough?

How long should it be?

What kind of resistance training can you do?

The World Health Organization provides us with just a general guidance so you are on your own in designing a workout routine. Hold on a second! You are not on your own… “In Love With Fitness” got your back with its 12-Week Beginners’ Fitness Program designed specifically for women:

• with little to no experience in fitness
• who took a break from exercising
• who had a baby recently and trying to get back on track
• who exercise occasionally and don’t see much progress

In this video you’ll take a glimpse on what’s inside our 12-Week Beginners’ Program>>

We are keeping everything easy & simple:

• No gym needed
• Detailed instructions for every week/workout/exercise…and much more!
• Access all your workouts on any device
• Nutrition Guide is included (it’s endorsed by our nutritionist Patty Hernandez)
• Wellness Coaching Tips provided by our phycologist Dr. Ivette Russo
• You’ll progress step-by-step

Our program is a great way to kick-start your fitness journey when you are short on time or a budget. Being fit & healthy shouldn’t be a luxury. It’s a necessity so we made it very affordable for every one.

Hope you are ready for your 12-Week Transformation. READY-SET-GO!>>Click to Start

After all, I want to say that physical activity wasn’t and still isn’t a choice or a chore, it’s a part of our nature and physiological necessity to live a healthy well balanced life.

Get moving!

Sources:

1. https://www.who.int/topics/physical_activity/en/
2. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/physicalactivity/facts.htm
3. https://www.health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines/chapter4.aspx

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