Exercise

Why Exercise Is Good For Your Health

Why Exercise Is Good For Your Health

Published by on July 5, 2023 | Leave a response

Why do people exercise? It isn’t natural to make your body work harder or create unnecessary effort, yet thousands of people in Irvine, CA, do it every day. One of the most important reasons, beyond making you feel and look fabulous and that boost of energy, is the fact that regular exercise is good for your health. For thousands of years, man has had to work hard just to survive. It’s only been in the last 100 years that science has lifted the physical burden from the shoulders of man. While science is good and the free time allows even more opportunity for advancement, our bodies still need the grueling effort life used to require to be its healthiest.

We evolved to exercise and exercise helped us evolve.

If you followed a great ape, one of the closest animals to us, your day would be spent eating, lounging, sleeping, and eating again. The other members of the primate family are equally as inactive. Early on, only man was the active one in the group. Chimps eat a high-cholesterol diet and move less than a sedentary person, yet don’t have arterial sclerosis or heart disease. Our physiology developed differently and requires more movement. The constant activity of hunter-gatherers helped build bigger brains and changed all body parts to the cellular level to the point we need far less sleep than other primates and far more activity. In other words, our bodies evolved to stay active, not sit, lounge, or sleep long hours.

Exercise helps to maintain lower blood pressure.

When you exercise, your body creates nitric oxide that opens arteries to lower blood pressure. It increases the effectiveness of the heart, also lowering blood pressure. Increasing your exercise can lower both the top and bottom blood pressure numbers. Even mild exercise like walking or Tai chi can help lower blood pressure. It also helps reduce inflammation, which can cause serious problems, including arterial disease, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

Yes, exercise does help you lose weight.

Obesity is a pandemic that is slowly killing millions of Americans. It is the leading risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, stroke, osteoarthritis, breathing difficulties, and gallbladder disease. A program of regular exercise can help prevent it. Of course, eating healthy is also vital. Exercise can help prevent insulin resistance which causes the body to create more insulin. The more insulin you have, the more weight around your midsection increases, causing the body to be more insulin resistant. When you workout, your muscles use the glucose, and the cells function better, reducing the potential for insulin resistance.

  • Reduce pain with a program of regular exercise. Exercise can help reduce the pain of arthritis. It helps build muscles, reduce weight, and lift the pressure off joints.
  • Exercise improves your posture, which affects many parts of the body. Good posture reduces back pain and improves breathing and digestion by aiding the flow of food through your system and preventing acid reflux.
  • Exercise not only helps build neuropathways in your brain and increase your cognitive function, but it also plays a role in your mood. It can lift mild depression, burn off stress, and help reduce anxiety.
  • Weight-bearing exercise can help reduce osteoporosis and keep bones stronger and denser. It also improves circulation, sending oxygen and nutrient-laden blood to all parts of the body.

For more information, contact us today at Next Level Fitness

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Rise And Shine - Start Your Day With A Workout

Rise And Shine – Start Your Day With A Workout

Published by on April 25, 2023 | Leave a response

People who find it difficult to fit their workout in during the day find it’s easier if they do it in the morning before the day starts. They rise and really shine by revving their bodies and getting their system primed and ready for a day of work and enjoyment. Is early morning the best time to workout? There’s always been a debate about the best time to exercise, but for many people early morning is perfect.

Early morning has fewer interruptions.

If you have children, the best time to exercise is before they awaken. Kids require your attention, especially in the morning. Early morning workouts are complete before other distractions get in your way, like unexpected reports or urgent meetings. You don’t even have to have an emergency. Sometimes, you get engrossed in your work and forget all about exercising. Getting up early and exercising at the same time every morning becomes a habit, like brushing your teeth. It makes it easier to stick to a schedule.

Getting up early and working out can help you burn fat more efficiently.

Working out while fasting can burn more fat. When you sleep at night, you’re automatically fasting. One Japanese study found that people who worked out before eating breakfast did just that. A study from Belgium noted that a high-calorie diet caused weight gain in people who ate before exercising, but not in people who exercised first thing in the morning before eating. They got the benefit of being in a fasting state, but without the feeling of deprivation of an actual fast. Seek the advice of your healthcare professional if you have diabetes or hypoglycemia.

The increased circulation can jumpstart your body and brain.

You’ll increase circulation and boost endorphins, improving your cognitive abilities and mood. Exercise also increases your happy hormones, like endorphins. If you’ve been under stress, it can burn off the hormones of stress and get you back to normal. It not only makes you feel better physically but also reduces fuzzy brain syndrome that can occur first thing in the day if you don’t exercise

  • Friendship is important, but a busy life can reduce the time friends get together. Make your workout time a time for friends while saving money by signing up for small group personal training.
  • People who exercise early in the morning, 7 a.m. or earlier, were found to have a deeper sleep at night, according to a study in 2014. Exercising outside also improved the quality of sleep even further.
  • If the weather is hot, working out in the morning is even more important. Morning is the coolest time of the day and you can beat the heat when exercising early.
  • The best time to exercise is when you’ll do it consistently. If you’re not a morning person or family obligations interfere, find a time you can consistently carve out just for yourself and your fitness program.

For more information, contact us today at Next Level Fitness

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What You Need To Bring On A Hike?

What You Need To Bring On A Hike?

Published by on February 5, 2023 | Leave a response

With all the noise and nerve racking urgency of living in the big city, it’s nice to get back to nature and go on a hike. Hikes can vary from a short day in a nearby wooded area to traveling to a remote location that takes several days to reach. What you bring on a hike will vary by location, the amount of time you spend and the weather in that location. You also need to know how remote the location is and whether there is any type of access to cell networks or supplies along the way.

There are some essentials you need for every hike, even for day trips.

Even if you aren’t planning on staying out after dark, have a headlamp with extra batteries, just in case. If the area is sunny, have sunscreen, sunglasses and clothing to protect you from the sun. A change of clothing and first aid kit are also important. Take a GPS device and personal locator beacon, a map and compass.

The deeper into the woods you go, the longer the hike and the worse the weather, the more you take.

If your hike is longer than an afternoon or expecting more radical weather changes or inclement weather, you need more clothing, more food, more water and definitely shelter. Pack at least two days of extra food and water beyond what you expect to use. It can make the difference between surviving if there’s a sudden change in weather or an injury Energy bars, nuts and jerky are good options. They’re lightweight and don’t require cooking.

Having adequate water is important.

Dehydration can be a problem, especially in higher temperatures and on rougher terrain, where your body works harder. However, water is extremely heavy to carry, so you have a conundrum if your trip is relatively long. If you’ve planned ahead and are hiking along a known trail, you already know whether there are fountains to refill bottles on the way. Have a collapsible cup and a way to treat water, either straws or tablets, or by boiling, which requires a stove and container for storage.

  • A lot of things can cause a need for a change of clothes, even for day trips. If the weather suddenly turns cold and wet, you want lightweight layering that’s insulated and waterproof. Extra socks, gloves, and underwear shouldn’t be neglected, either.
  • An emergency shelter doesn’t have to take up a lot of space. It can be an ultralight tarp, space blanket or a large trash bag. Lightweight ivy sacks can cost under $10 and weigh about 4 ounces.
  • Making sure you have a method of starting a fire is important. Take matches or lighters in a waterproof container. There are fire-starting kits available that are lightweight and easy to use.
  • Taking repair supplies, like duct tape, zip ties, safety pins and cordage is also important. A portable cell phone charger can also be an important addition to your gear. As an extra precaution, always give someone an itinerary of your hike.

For more information, contact us today at Next Level Fitness

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