NCDs (Non-communicable diseases) as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes or cancer are responsible for 70 percent of the world’s deaths. T Antos deaths could be avoided in a simple way: take healthy lifestyles, and one of those is exercise. This activity is an important pillar to reduce the risk of being one of the 40 million people who die each year from NCDs.
Although moving is a simple act that brings countless physiological and psychological benefits, it can be difficult to achieve because it requires time and effort.
You have to understand the differences between three concepts: physical activity, exercise and sport. The first is any “movement that increases energy expenditure over rest”, says Alejandro Sarmiento, specialist in Physical Activity and Sports Medicine and scientific leader at Bodytech. Exercise, on the other hand, is an activity that has a programming methodology and a specific objective can be weight control, either for aesthetic reasons or health. and the sport, as many know, is done with a goal of r erformance that often leads people to the limit , and it is done for reasons other than health.
The healthiest thing is to exercise, but if you can’t do it for whatever reason, ideally people should at least get more physical activity during the day. According to the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO), with 30 minutes a day, five days a week of physical activity is enough to stay healthy. Ideally, you would divide that half hour during the day into minimum 10-minute intervals. “ If I take a 10-minute walk in the morning while going to work; then, I do others before and after lunch and in the afternoon back home, I already comply with the minimum measure and without much effort ”, affirms the expert.
Here are other easy ways to do it:
1. Get Off Before you Get to Work
A good strategy to walk more can be to get off one station before your work bus stop or two blocks away from where you should go
2. Ride your Bike
Use your bike to commute to work or college or to run errands.
3. Play with and your Children (if you have one)
Recreational playful activity with children makes adults expend a lot of energy.
4. Do Domestic Activities
Sweep, mop, wash the car, they produce a good caloric expenditure.
5. Walk while Talking on the Phone
Receiving a call on your cell phone is an ideal opportunity to do physical activity. Instead of sitting around, stand up and walk around your office or home while you chat.
6. Lift Weights at Lunch
General strength training is important because it helps maintain muscle mass and bone density. Strength exercises do not require weights, as squats, push-ups, and sit-ups work too.
7. Have a Support Network
Ask friends or family to accompany you on a foot errand. “It is very well evidenced that with a support network of family, friends, partner, there is greater adherence to this type of healthy habits ,” says Sarmiento
8. Go Upstairs
Try to avoid the elevator. If you are lazy to walk all the way to your office, at least consider getting off a floor or two beforehand to do the last flight of stairs.
9. Become a Tourist
You don’t have to be in a strange country to walk and enjoy where you live. On weekends, set a purpose to go to a museum or part of your city to walk while enjoying the architecture, parks and people.
10. Dance
If you like music, don’t wait any longer, dance at home until you get tired. Those periods of movement add up to the step count required for the required physical activity according to physical trainers.
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