“No pain, no gain”, or “will gain without pain”
Do you need to push yourself hard in order to reap health benefits? Or can you gain health benefits without the pain? This article will answer these questions.
Medicine you can’t buy
What is one of the greatest health benefits?
You guessed it, exercise. In fact, “If exercise were a pill, it would be the most widely prescribed medication in the world.” (Emory University School of Medicine)
Just about everybody can reap good benefits from a moderate exercise routine. However, if you’re an older person who’s experiencing some health problems. Check with your doctor first before you get started.
What if you’re not overweight? Do you still need to exercise? Yes, you do.
Tom McMillen, Co-chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports said that “About 250,000 deaths each year are attributed to inactivity.”
The benefits of regular exercise are well known. Exercise is good for your heart, it can reduce stress, help you to sleep better, increase your bone density, and even give you a longer life.
How do we know if we aren’t getting enough exercise?
Well, check out these 5 categories below, if you fit in all of them basically, you’re a sloth in the human race.
(1) You don’t exercise for at least 30 minutes three times a week,
(2) While engaging in leisure activities, you’re stuck in one place (like watching TV).
(3) During the day you seldom ever walk 100 yards.
(4) During your waking hours you stay seated most of the time.
(5) You have a job that requires you to sit at the desk all day.
Start by setting realistic goals
Don’t follow the “no pain, no gain” rule. Health experts generally agree that you “ will gain without pain.” Plus, your less likely to quit in the long run if you’re not suffering through the whole routine. Canada’s Medical Post reported: “New research has confirmed that even a leisurely stroll can produce health benefits.”
So how can you start?
Do you need to come out of the gate like a racing horse? No!
You can start slowly, say with just a few minutes a day and gradually build up to around 30 minutes. Don’t focus on intensity, rather focus on regularity. As your strength and endurance improves then you can increase the intensity.
Later you may add some stretches and light weight lifting exercises. This will give you a more well-rounded routine.
Be Regular
But you may be thinking, I don’t have 30 minutes a day that I can spend exercising. Well, then, if you don’t, then this suggestion is right up your alley. The Wellness Letter wrote that: “short bouts of exertion can be almost as beneficial as one 30-minute session.” What this means is that, you can have three shorter sessions of 10 minutes each and still reap almost the same benefits as a 30-minute session. But the key is regularity.
Conclusion
There is no vitamin or prescription that can replace exercise. The best pill for your health is regular exercise. And remember you can have gain without the pain.
It’s time we started speaking out!
